Noted Dravidian scholar K. Thirunavukkarasu has undertaken an ambitious project to publish a multi-volume history of the early decades of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.
“The six volumes cover the period from the formation of the DMK in 1949 and Mr. Karunanidhi assuming office as Chief Minister in 1969. But in the first volume I have dealt in detail with the circumstances and background that led to the party’s formation,” Mr. Thirunavukkarasu told The Hindu . The first three volumes — each running into 600 pages — are ready for release in October.
Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said his objective was to give a clear idea about the DMK to the people in the present generation, who had very little idea about the party when it functioned under its founder C.N. Annadurai, its constitution, the way members were recruited, its erstwhile demand for a separate nation and how it became a mass organisation.
Asked whether he had adopted a critical approach in writing the party’s history, he said he had followed A.G. Noorani’s advocacy of nuanced and discerning criticism that was based on evidence and facts.
“While I am not eulogising anyone, I am also not underestimating the role of individuals in the party. I have narrated the history as an observer and an insider,” he said. Mr. Thirunavukkarasu said he had recorded all the important events in the DMK’s history and the role of cinema in popularising it among the people, even though it resulted in “unwanted consequences”.
“MGR, though a popular actor, did not join the DMK till 1953. He felt that his involvement in politics would make a dent in his popularity and he also had reservations about the DMK’s ideology. He took the plunge only when Parasakthi , a combination of the talent of M.Karunanidhi and Sivaji Ganesan, became a hit,” he said.
Asked why he had stopped with 1969 when the DMK continued to be a major force in Tamil Nadu politics, he said he was busy with another project of writing the history of the Dravidar Kazhagam and the Self-Respect movement.
“I also do not have the resources. I am not able to use pictures in the book as it costs me more. The DMK leadership can commission a project to write on the rest of the period,” he said.
