Talk of Town RJ BALAJI, 30
“In my house,
there was a ‘talk less and do more' ’ rule. My grandfather cooked us our meals till he was 93, and together we planted over 60 saplings around our house,” says RJ Balaji, the radio jockey who has now become a household name and enjoys a massive fan following in the city. This sense of ‘deed over word’ has probably dictated most of Balaji’s life decisions—the most recent being Chennai Micro—a movement he started with actor Siddharth and a few others, immediately following the floods that shook up the city last year. “My friends and I started transporting people who were stuck on roads into their homes. But when we saw how disastrous the situation actually was, and that our rescue operations had to keep pace with it, we decided to launch Chennai Micro, an online movement with the aim to make the process smoother and more effective,” he says.
People's movement
It has been seven months, but Chennai Micro’s work is far from over, says Balaji. Relief and rehabilitation continue in Cuddalore and the villages neighbouring Neyveli, “but that’s not the point,” he says. “Chennai Micro is about instilling a sense of ownership. If some boys in your neighbourhood are coming together to stop felling of trees, they’re essentially a Chennai Micro in the making.”
RJ Balaji is now working on Mani Ratnam's next film, which is due for release next year.