Mani Ratnam's son moves across as 'red volunteer'

Moving away from the glamour of the film industry to the world of Marxian ideology, the 16-year-old son of noted film maker Mani Ratnam has created a buzz by joining as a red volunteer at the ongoing 19th All-India Congress of the Communist Party of India-Marxist in Coimbatore.

Nandan Mani Ratnam, son of Mani Ratnam and popular actress Suhasini, is also the proud author of a new pamphlet on Leninism, which is on sale at the venue, along with other leading Left literature.

The 27-paged pamphlet titled 'Contours of Leninism' has articles under five different headings - Theory, Marxism, Democratic dictatorship, Materialism and Vanguard. On his inclination to Marxism, he told the media that he was impressed because it was the 'most cogent, comprehensive and highly developed complex of theory and practice'.

The thought of how his parents felt about his leanings towards Marxism has apparently not crossed his mind yet, Nandan Mani Ratnam said.

The eleventh standard student said that it was his reading habit that introduced him to the world of Marxism. A student of an international residential school in Chennai, Nandan came on his own to serve as a volunteer and assist the foreign delegates at the Congress. The boy has not decided on future plans, like joining a party like CPI-M.

Image: Nandan Mani Ratnam