M Karunanidhi died | End of an era

DMK's longest-serving chief and stalwart Muthuvel Krunanidhi died on Tuesday, 7 August at age 94. He was buried next to his mentor and former chief minister C N Annadurai at the Marina beach today.
Karunanidhi has left behind 4 sons and two daughters from three marriages. His son MK Stalin is the present president of DMK.

Karunanidhi was being treated for fever and urinary tract infection at Chennai’s Kauvery Hospital. Karunanidhi had been sick since October 2016. Recently, he underwent a surgery to change his tracheostomy tube, in order to fix his breathing problem.

As a mark of respect for the five-time chief minister of Tamil Nadu, both Houses of Parliament were adjourned after leaders paid respect to Karunanidhi. DMK leaders have requested grieving party workers and supporters to maintain calm.

M Karunanidhi life at a glance

M Karunanidhi born in Thirukkuvalai village in Nagapattinam district,  as a son of Muthuvelu and Anju. His original name is Dakshinamurthy and he has Telugu ancestry.

Karunanidhi caste and religion

He belonged to oppressed Hindu community called Isaivelalar.
He followed atheism.

Karunanidhi carreer as a writer

Karunanidhi was known for his writing works in the Tamil film industry. At the age of 20, Karunanidhi joined Jupiter Pictures as a scriptwriter. His first film, Rajakumaari, gained him much popularity.

He was famous for writing historical and social stories generating the socialist and rationalist ideals. Parasakthi was the first film through which he started spreading his political ideas of Dravidian movement to which he belonged. Panam and Thangarathnam were the other movies that contained themes such as widow remarriage, abolition of untouchability, abolition of zamindari and abolition of religious hypocrisy.

Karunanidhi contribution to Tamil literature and language 

His contributions cover a wide range of poems, letters, screenplays, novels, biographies, historical novels, stage-plays, dialogues and movie songs.
● Sanga Thamizh, Thirukkural Urai, Ponnar Sankar, Nenjukku Needhi, Iniyavai Irubathu, Romapuri Pandian, Thenpandi Singam, Vellikizhamai, and Kuraloviam are some of his famous books. His books of prose and poetry number more than 100.
● Karunanidhi's stage plays include: Manimagudam, Naane Arivali, Vellikizhamai, Udhayasooriyan, Ore Ratham, Palaniappan, Thooku Medai, Kagithapoo, and Silappathikaram.
● At Kanyakumari, Karunanidhi constructed a 133-foot-high statue of Thiruvalluvar in honour of the scholar.
● Karunanidhi wrote the official theme song, ‘Semmozhiyaana Tamizh Mozhiyaam,’ for the World Classical Tamil Conference 2010. The song was set to tune by A. R. Rahman.

Karunanidhi Political life

He entered into politics at the very young age of 14, inspired by a speech by Alagiriswamii of the Justice Party.
He founded a student organisation called Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram, which was the first student wing of the Dravidan Movement.
He started a newspaper for members of the organization , which later grew into Murasoli, the DMK party's official newspaper.

Kallakudi agitation in Kallakudi

Original name of the industrial town, Kallakudi was changed to Dalmiapuram after a cement mogul who built a cement plant there. DMK opposed this change. In the protest Karunanidhi and his companions erased the name Dalmiapuram from the railway station and lay down on the tracks blocking the course of trains. Two people died in the protest and Karunanidhi was arrested. This laid the solid ground for his political career.

Rise to power 

At the age of 33, Karunanidhi entered the Tamil Nadu assembly winning the Kulithalai seat in the 1957 election. He became the DMK treasurer in 1961 and deputy leader of opposition in the state assembly in the year 1962 and when the DMK came to power in 1967, he became the minister for public works. He had held various positions in the party and government during his long career in Tamil Nadu political arena.

Karunanidhi as a Chief Minister of Tamilnadu

When Annadurai expired in 1969, Karunanidhi succeded him as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the first leader of DMK.

In 1971 another DMK victory in assembly elections that year returned him to CM' s office for the second time.

In late 1980s after a short term of his government was dismissed  by the Central government on accusations of degrading Law and Order situation in the state.

Karunanidhi became the CM of Tamil Nadu for the fourth time  in 1996 following a sweeping electoral win in the preceding elections.

In 2006, at the age of 84, Karunanidhi took over as chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the fifth time after his coalition defeated his main opponent J. Jayalalithaa in the elections.

He was elected from the constituency of Tiruvarur for the current Tamil Nadu state Legislative  Assembly.

Karunanidhi never lost Tamilnadu assembly election in the 13 times  he contested from 1957 to 2016.