In a silent protest, sans inflammatory speeches, leading Tamil actor Vijay and his fans' organizations observed an eight-hour fast on Sunday, in order to express the actor's solidarity for the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils in Chennai. Vijay had earlier participated in the fast organized by the South Indian Film Artistes Association in the city last month over the same issue.

Joining the massive crowd of fans at Chepauk, were Vijay's parents - his father, veteran director S A Chandrasekar, inaugurated the agitation - and his wife Sangeetha. Other prominent celebrities present at the venue were - directors Perarasu and Selvabharathy; actors Mansoor Ali Khan, Jayam Ravi, Vikranth and Sriman.

Vijay informed the reporters that similar fast were being organized by his fans in 37 places across the state. He said: "It is my effort to show my support for the suffering Tamils in Sri Lanka. I am happy and consider myself privileged to be part of the agitation."

At Vijay's request, his fans had also sent thousands of telegrams to the Prime Minister urging him to pressurize the Sri Lankan government to find an amicable solution to the crisis. Expressing confidence that the situation in the island nation would improve soon, Vijay said: "We can't go to Sri Lanka and fight for the Tamils. This agitation is an attempt to show our strong support to them."

The actor surprised everyone by speaking a few lines in Sinhalese, as he thanked all his fans for their support and appreciated their care for their fellow human beings.