The fertile delta region provided a strong grounding for the dazzling literary and political career of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi.
Though not a keen student in school, Karunanidhi gave ample indications of his public-spiritedness and interest in politics early in his life. In fact, he founded an organisation and brought out a handwritten newsletter called Manavar Nesan , while at school in Tiruvarur.
Later, Mr. Karunanidhi shot to prominence by leading an anti-Hindi agitation at Kallakudi (Dalmiapuram) near Lalgudi in Tiruchi in 1953. The Kallakudi protest, still remembered through the famous party song Kallakudi Konda Karunanidhi Vazhagavae , was the first major protest that helped him make a mark in Tamil Nadu politics. The agitation, seeking the restoration of the Tamil name of Kallakudi to the village renamed as Dalmiapuram (after the famous industrialist who established a cement plant in the village), saw Mr. Karunanidhi being arrested and jailed. Karunanidhi and others erased the name of Dalmiapuram at the railway station and lay on the tracks.
He entered electoral politics from the Kulithalai Assembly constituency in the then composite Tiruchi district in 1957 and never looked back, winning every election that he contested in his lifetime.
As Mr. Karunanidhi went on to dominate the political scene of Tamil Nadu for over six decades, residents of Thirukuvalai, his native village, and Tiruvarur were understandably proud of the achievements of the son of the soil. It was during his stint as Chief Minister that Tiruvarur district was carved out of Thanjavur and Nagapattinam districts in 1997.
A homecoming
In his later years, Mr. Karunanidhi yearned to represent his hometown and took the opportunity to contest from Tiruvarur in 2011, when the seat was de-reserved. During his campaign in 2011, he called himself “the son of the soil” and observed that it was a sort of homecoming for him. “I have contested from Kulithalai, Thanjavur, and many times in Chennai in the past. But contesting from Tiruvarur is dear to my heart as it is my ‘thai veedu’ (maternal home),” he said then.
Voters in the constituency reciprocated warmly and helped him win with the highest margins in his political career: in 2011, he won by a margin of 50,249 votes, and in 2016, he romped home with a margin of 68,366 votes.
He was instrumental in bringing a government medical college, a Central university and other infrastructure projects to Tiruvarur during his terms as Chief Minister.
A festive atmosphere had prevailed in Thirukuvalai, his native village, when Karunanidhi, accompanied by his son and the then Deputy Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, visited his childhood home in October 2009. The house where Mr. Karunanidhi was born is now a museum featuring an array of photographs tracing his life and meetings with various prominent leaders. Although he had to move around in his battery-operated wheelchair, he met a few of his childhood friends, including one who had acted in his plays. He also stopped by the school where he received his primary education during the visit. His diehard supporters are well aware of his emotional connect with Thirukuvalai and even claim that in some way, Thi. Mu. Ka. (DMK in Tamil) stood for Thirukuvalai Muthuvelar Karunanidhi.
