With the demise of DMK
patriarch M. Karunanidhi at the age of 94 on August 07, 2018 in Chennai, a
major era in the annals of Dravidian politics has come to an end. But what the five-time Chief Minister of
Tamil Nadu has done to improve the lives of the masses of the state will remain
green forever.
A RING-SIDE VIEW OF KARUNANIDHI
(By Subbaram Danda)
Undoubtedly, former Chief
Minister M. Karunanidhi was an admirable person, even if one did not agree with his political
ideology or his personal beliefs. I had many occasions to interact with him closely as a journalist. I was an Accredited Correspondent of the “Indian
Express” and later Chief of News Bureau of the “Financial Express.”
He was an excellent media
manager. He never ran away from the press. He was always willing to meet newsmen if he
was free. His style was unique. Even in informal chats, when journalists sought
his reaction to any development or wanted any clarification, he would tell them,
“Put it in the form of a question in clear terms and I will answer them.” He would listen to them carefully before
giving a reply. His responses would be
straight, leaving no room for any ambiguity.
Often he would add a witty expression too. Thus he would ensure there was no room for
any misinterpretation later. This
“question and answer” format he always followed.
Karunanidhi was a journalist himself
and a capable writer. He knew what would
generate a good news story. He had the knack of giving out information in such
a way that it always hit the headlines.
Karunanidhi was reverentially and
fondly called Kalaignar by the people, especially his cadres. In Tamil it means scholar of arts. He was not only an effective writer in
Tamil and a versatile poet but also a forceful orator.
He was a great administrator. I knew several IAS officers, who loved to
work under his stewardship. He respected
their views before taking a final decision in any matter. He never slighted them. At the same time, he held tight reins over
them.
What made him stand out was his earnestness to be a friend of the masses. Many of his
schemes were directed at their well-being.
Decades ago, on his birthday every year, he would receive donations from
celebrities who came to greet him and use those funds for the welfare of the
downtrodden. One such measure was
abolition of hand-pulled rickshaws, which were replaced by cycle rickshaws.
Another stupendous initiative was construction of multi-storeyed tenements
for hut-dwellers.
In later years, giving away freebies
was his master stroke. This
idea emanated from his close friend Dr. Naganathan, Head of the Department of Econometrics at
Madras University. Yet another far-reaching measure was enactment of legislation to treat women on par with men when they inherited properties of their parents. During one of his earlier tenures, he implemented
welfare schemes for the men of the media too.
These and several other innumerable measures earned him name and fame from a large section of the population of the state
and easily endeared him to them. The
beneficiaries always remained grateful to him.
Of course, he faced many criticisms
and charges. But his popular programmes
overshadowed them.
He was a great political strategist
and the brain behind the games that his party played. It is difficult to find another personality
like him in future.
Without any doubt Karunanidhi was a
blazing star in the Indian political firmament.
When I watched on T.V. the final
journey of Kalaignar to Anna Square, where he was laid to rest with full
military honours, memories flashed in my mind of my coverage of the funeral of his mentor C. N.
Annadurai for my newspaper long long ago. What crowds!
Here are some photographs of
Kalaignar’s last journey:
 |
| Surging crowds at the funeral procession |
 |
| The body of Karunanidhi being taken in a gun carriage |
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| Karunanidhi's body before being laid to rest |
 |
| The embossed epitaph on the coffin: "Having toiled without rest, he now takes rest." |
 |
| Bereaved family members |
(Ends)
August 09, 2018
