The birthday celebrations of DMK leader M. Karunanidhi are usually a mega affair, providing an opportunity to thousands of partymen to meet him in person and seek his blessings. As his health condition does not allow such celebrations anymore, his 94th birthday coinciding with his 60 years in Tamil Nadu Assembly, became an exclusive family function.
“Do you like it? Would you like some more ( Nalla irukka appa, innum venuma ),” his daughter Selvi asked him as she fed him cake at his residence. She also gave her mother Dayalu Ammal a piece of it.
Mr. Karunanidhi’s children — DMK working president M.K. Stalin and party MP Kanimozhi — hosted a lunch for leaders of political parties. The leaders were treated to a violin concert of semi-classical songs by M.R. Gopinath and his troupe.
“I played Puthu pennin manathai thottu ponavarae from Parasakathi , Vaazhkai ennum odam song penned by Mr. Karunanidhi, Bharathi’s Chinnanchiru Kiliye , and Ilayaraja hits including Nee oru kaadhal sangeetham,Ithu oru pon maalai pozhuthu ,” said Mr. Gopinath.
“The concert was excellent. The selection of songs and the way they were played has a terrific effect. I hope the DMK will host it on Youtube in the interest of wider section of rasikas,” said CPI(M) MP T.K. Rangarajan, who attended the lunch with party general secretary Sitaram Yechury and State secretary G. Ramakrishnan.
