The defeat of the DMK in the Assembly elections has not dampened the spirit of the party cadres. This was in ample evidence on Friday as cadres turned up in droves at Anna Arivalayam to meet party leader M. Karunanidhi on his 93rd birthday. They presented him an assortment of gifts including garland made of currency notes, baskets of fruits, spices, soft drinks, saplings, books and shawls.
“This time, more cadres greeted him. It is their way of reiterating their commitment at a time when the party is not able to win the elections. The elites, who always seek favour from the government, would have visited him if the DMK was in power,” said K. Thirunavukkarasu, historian of the Dravidian movement.
For Mr. Karunanidhi, it is almost an annual ritual to receive cadres on his birthday, barring a few occasions, like the Eelam war, when he had cancelled the celebrations.
“Even during the Emergency, functionaries from every part of the State visited Chennai to greet him. I remember Thiraviam, a leader from Kannniyakumari, bringing a paaku maram (areca nut tree) all the way from the southern tip of the State. They wanted to convey that they would stand by the party always,” said Mr. Thirunavukkarasu.
Part of political culture
Even though DMK founder C.N. Annadurai always desisted from celebrating his birthday and the Dravidian movement encouraged self-respect marriages to shun ostentatious display of wealth and power, birthday celebrations have become an inevitable feature of Tamil Nadu’s political culture. In the case of Mr Karunanidhi, it provides the cadres, who have seen him only from a distance, an opportunity to meet him, touch him and say a few words.
“I see it as a positive trend. Today, probably, he is the only leader who can be approached by a grass-root worker. By meeting them, he is proving that he has evolved from the people,” contended writer Kalapriya, a close observer of Tamil Nadu politics and cinema.
On Saturday, Mr. Karunanidhi’s web director N. Naveen and his team released a short film Kalaignarudan Oru Naal, capturing the way he spent his day.
Senior Congress leaders including TNCC president E.V.K.S. Elangovan, former MP Peter Alphonse and A. Gopanna had breakfast with Mr. Karunanidhi at the latter’s home. CPI (M) state secretary G. Ramakrishnan greeted him over phone.
