Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu joins RSS route march in Tamil Nadu: Why the tech billionaire is back in spotlight
Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu has drawn attention on social media again after participating in a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) route march in Tamil Nadu's Tenkasi district on Sunday, November 1.
Vembu was among several prominent participants in the Patha Sanchalan (route march) held in Sankarankovil.
The procession was part of the RSS's Vijayadashami celebrations and its centenary-year activities, with similar marches organised at more than 100 locations across Tamil Nadu.
Photographs showing Vembu participating in the march were shared on X by Ananthan Ayyasamy, BJP's Tenkasi district president.
In his post, Ayyasamy expressed delight at participating in the procession alongside Vembu and other BJP district and town office-bearers.
"Thrilled to have participated in the RSS Path Sanchalan march held today in Sankarankovil, Tenkasi district, alongside Padma Shri Thiru Sridhar Vembu," he wrote.
The November 1 procession was among several RSS route marches conducted across Tamil Nadu following a Madras High Court order permitting the organisation to hold processions on October 25 and November 1, subject to conditions and local police requirements.
On October 16, the Madras High Court disposed of the petition after the Tamil Nadu government informed it that permission would be granted for the RSS route marches on October 25 and November 1.
Justice V Lakshminarayanan also directed the police to process future applications for such marches in accordance with guidelines laid down in earlier cases and ensure that decisions are taken without unnecessary delays.
The RSS had moved the court after police authorities denied permission for its proposed route marches across the state.
Vembu's participation in the RSS procession comes months after his remarks about his ideological journey as a teenager triggered a discussion on social media.
In July this year, the Zoho founder recounted how a Marxist Tamil teacher had influenced his thinking during his school years, briefly turning him into a Marxist and an atheist when he was just 14.
He said the experience offered an explanation for why children from conservative families sometimes develop ideological views different from those of their parents.
His remarks came in response to author Shefali Vaidya's post questioning why children of even BJP leaders and RSS volunteers sometimes grow up with beliefs that differ from their parents' ideological positions.
Recounting his school years, Vembu said he had studied at two free schools in Tamil Nadu. While his first school, where he studied from Class 6 to Class 9, was established by a person affiliated with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), he later moved to another institution for Classes 10 to 12.
"I did not even know what the RSS was and heard nothing about the RSS as a student," he wrote in a post on X.
Vembu said his Tamil teacher in Class 10 had a lasting influence on his worldview, with lessons centred on the prospect of a Marxist revolution.
"But in my 10th standard in that school, I had a Marxist Tamil teacher. His entire class was about the coming Marxist revolution... For a period I became a Marxist and atheist thanks to him. I was 14," he wrote.
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