It is part of a story oft told of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi — in fact one that he first narrated himself. On Monday, his son, and heir, M.K. Stalin traced the same path narrated in the story, which was also a throwback to his own childhood.
Mr. Karunanidhi was swimming in Kamalalyam, the tank of the Tiurvarur Thiyagarajaswamy temple along with his friend, and their goal was to reach the other end. Half the way through one of the largest temple tanks in the country, his exhausted friend suggested that they return. “We have to swim the same distance. So instead of going back let us head towards the mandapam,” he had said and together, they reached the destination.
On Tuesday, the party’s working president M.K. Stalin did not swim, but he took a boat to trace the route regularly covered by his father during his childhood days.
In recent years, whenever the party launched State-wide agitations, protests and other programmes, Mr. Stalin always chose to participate in the Tiruvarur leg of the event.
Mr. Stalin, who is also the working president of the party, does not rule out the possibility of contesting from the constituency one day in the future.
But Tiruvarur was also a part of his upbringing, Mr. Stalin said. He, along with his siblings, would spend their summer vacations in Tiruvarur and bathe in the tank. “,” he reminisced.
He said he used to play in the praharam of the temple.
“Today concrete buildings have come up everywhere. Only a few old houses remain there,” Mr. Stalin said.
And why he sought the steps of the tank again? “Oh! It was very hot in the MLA office and I decided to sit there,” he said.
