A visit to his home town Tiruvarur always brings back childhood memories to Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. It was no surprise then that as the DMK candidate in Tiruvarur constituency, Mr. Karunanidhi's campaign speech in the temple town on Monday was filled with anecdotes.
It was on the same East Main Street, where he was addressing an election meeting to wind up the DMK's campaign, that he used to play with his friend K. Thennan, now chairman of the Tiruvarur Municipality, Mr. Karunanidhi recalled. “There were many Brahmin friends, too, with whom I played games.”
Mr. Karunanidhi began his political career by joining a movement against upper castes. Not surprisingly, his account of Tiruvarur days was interspersed with a hint or two about his ideological bent even then.
A photograph of his school brought back memories, not only of classes and lessons, but also of a teacher that he and his classmates had teased.
“A girl showed a photograph of the Board High School where I studied… I was reminded of my school days, and also the Hindi teacher whom we teased. I told him my friends and I will not learn Hindi from anyone. I also recalled the poem I penned against Hindi.”
There was a reference to an incident which made him join social reformer Periyar's movement. “My father wanted me to learn music. Being my family tradition, I also went to learn music,” he said. One day, he saw his father hurriedly rising and removing the towel on his head and tying it around his waist, in a gesture of subservience, when a landlord and a man belonging to an upper caste crossed his house.
“This made me wonder why people should rise in the presence of upper caste people as though they were worthy of worship. I dropped my idea of learning music and joined Periyar's movement.”
Mr. Karunanidhi said that if elected, this would be his 12th tenure as legislator.
“Twelve is an important number. Mahamaham comes once in 12 years,” he said, referring to the temple festival at Kumbakonam.
