In the 42 years ,
that I have known Dr M Karunanidhi there are many things that have got etched
in mind about a man whose politics drove Tamilnadu for over six decades. Many
of my school mates and me would watch Dr M Karunanidhi with intense curiosity . I began watching him
since 1976 . The fact that the DAV school and the Gopalapuram residence of
Kalaignar were a mere stone’s throw away added to the close view of the
Kalaignar.
The police bandobast , checkposts , moving in and moving out
of the convoys from his residence and the occasional gathering of political
activists at his residence gave me the first sense of what being in power
meant. It was Emergency then and
political activity was at peak. The
excitement it triggered would attract many of us to just hang around his house
in free time to see the powerful politician from a distance. Understanding politics was a very far off
thing, understanding the Dravidian ideology that he preached was also something
that most of us didn’t understand initially. The anti – Hindi stance never got
diverted to anti- North Indian sentiment. This is something that gave a sense
of belonging to Madras ( Chennai now). The influence he wielded in the political arena was visible from the
fact that leaders from various states would visit him very often to seek his
advice. Not much of what was happening made sense then, but as the routine
continued and the years passed by, political understanding started sinking in.
Even without being in power , his influence was palpable. More Like our school
timetable , we soon learnt the Time table that Kalaignar karunanidhi followed
and continued to follow for decades . The routine most often was morning drive
from his Gopalapuram residence to the DMK headquarters on Anna Salai ( Mount
Road) where he wrote the daily column
for his newspaper Murasoli . Finishing
the same and getting updates on the party from functionaries he would return
from the party office to have lunch.
The lunch siesta was an important part of his daily routine
, party cadres followed the same with discipline and never disturbed him even
in midst of the biggest political storms that he weathered . Following the siesta , the routine drive back
to the party office mostly coincided with the school break .
Mere catching a glimpse of him with an occasional smile or
wave to the school kids was what many of us waited for. This routine of getting
glimpse and trying to understand his style of politics continued till 1982for
me . With every development , some more understanding of the many faces of the
legendary leader sunk in. The colourful offset posters of the parties and the
occasional movie posters for which Kalaignar had lent his script would adorn
the walls of Gopalapuram . Despite never having spoken to him in the six years
, the charisma of the man , his philosophy and ideology grew on me. The most
impressive element about his personality that caught our fancy was his support
to the Tamil and Eelam cause. His championing the Eelam cause drew a lot of us
to make efforts to understand what the Eelam struggle was all about. I still
vividly recall how the Richie Rich and Dennis the Menace stickers on the school
notebook covers got replaced by the Velupulli Prabhakarn’s military fatigue
stickers and posters that one could buy outside the Wellington theatre on Mount
Road. The flirting with Eelam cause and Karunanidhi’s ideology continued for me
till 1982 the when I passed out of the school and moved to Delhi. While he
championed the Eelam cause , he never let his support to the cause breach
Indian interests.
It was exactly a week after the death of Prime Minister
Rajiv Gandhi that I returned to Chennai. The difference this time was that
Kalaignar was still the centre of political activity , but the shadow of the
death of the former Prime Minister had subdued the sentiments. Discussions on
the Tamil cause were now in hushed tones and whispers. The death cost the DMK
the ensuing election and saw the emergence of J Jayalalithaa. The period that
ensued was the most challenging one for Karunanidhi as the supremacy that he
enjoyed was suddenly challenged . He weathered the five year political
onslaught on him and his family. The Gopalapuram house wore a deserted look ,
he visitors were fewer , and the exit of Vai Ko ( V Gopalaswamy) from the DMK
weakened the will of the man who ruled Tamil hearts. Not the one to give up easily , karunanidhi
used the period to focus on his Murasoli newspaper . The launch of the Sun TV
network came as a boon for Kalaaignar , as apart from his editorial in Murasoli
the cadre could rely on the prime time Sun Tv news at 8 pm where his daily byte
became a big communication tool. The man whose knowledge of the power of mass
media , films and television made him reach his cadre on a daily basis.
This energy brought him back to power , as the
transition in 1996 saw Karunanidhi , bounce
back to power. The return to power brought him to political limelight. The instability at the centre saw the Kalaignar
emerge as a key force. One who never spoke anything but tamil in public , the
job of the likes of me was indeed challenging to get him to speak a few words.
The endless wait at Gopalapuram residence or the Anna Arivalyam for a sound
byte for news became a routine . In the period of 1998-1999 when political
instability wasat peak , every word of the kalaignar would see the party
leaders in action. His trusted aide and
relative Murasoli Maran kept the Tamilnadu interests protected.
His advisors , and some supporters however disagreed with
him in the spree of cases that his government filed against former chief
minister J Jayalaithaa , but the conflict dominated the political arena in the
state as over 43 cases were filed against Jayalalithaa by the DMK government. The move didn’t help Karunanidhi politically
, as the 2001 election saw the return of
Jayalalithaa on a sympathy wave , which many had failed to see coming.
What followed there after was a dark chapter in Tamilnadu
politics. I still vividly recall the moment news of the midnight arrest of
Karunanidhi broke in , staying close to the house it gave me an opportunity to
see the developments of the night first hand. While Kalaignar , T R Balu and
others were picked up in the middle of the night , his son Stalin and many
others managed to stay out till next day. The midnight arrest in which many
media persons covering the arrest drama were also picked up the police ,
created an outrage across the nation. Arresting a man of the state of
Karunanidhi was an ill advised move ,
but the resilience that he put up pepped
the cadre to continue the political fight.
Karunanidhi , the man who saw the political swings of
unmatched proportion will be remembered for building the DMK and helping it
grow in strength. While political opponents
may not have succeeded in pulling him down , it was the tussles in his
family, which continued to be a source of worry for him. Thee fear of what
after him , haunted him for the last severl decades as the conflicts between
his sone , Stalin and Azhagiri or later between Marans ad Stalin , or Stalin
and Kanimozhi were challenges he faced at home.
The effort to end the succession path by making M K Stalin ,
his heir apparent resolved the conflict to some extent. One thing that many of us journalists
remember vividly is his one-liners and the ability to duck tough questions .
Even while the fact that he mocked my Tamil diction on a few occasions, the
persistence continued. His deftness in handling media is something that will be
recalled for a while . His contribution to the Tamil language and the Tamil literature can never be forgotten .
Gopalapuram will not
be the same, as the fact and the hangers on will not be able to catch of the
Grand Old man with the Yellow shawl here-on
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