The State picked up its shroud and went into mourning as its five-time Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi passed away at 6.10 p.m. after a 11-day stint at the hospital. The mood outside Kauvery Hospital reflected the sentiment of the people of the State, as it shifted from hope, to exhorting their leader to rise again and, when the reality sunk in, extreme grief.
In Gopalapuram, a pall of gloom hung around the house of the DMK leader. While an eerie silence prevailed as his family members arrived past 5 p.m. and made their way into the house, many people present on the premises began to cry after they saw Selvi, Mr. Karunanidhi’s daughter, in tears.
Sorrow and grief rent the air in the delta region, from where the Dravidian stalwart hailed. People of Thirukuvalai, his native district, and those in neighbouring Tiruvarur, where he spent his student days, huddled together in groups to bemoan the loss of the son of the soil.
In Chennai, outside the hospital, the crowds had begun gathering since last night, especially after the medical bulletin which said he had suffered a setback was released. People intensified their vigil.
Early-morning chants
Early on Tuesday morning, around 2 a.m., chants of “Vazhga Vazhga Vazhga ve” (long live) continued echoed outside the hospital. As evening approached, a frenzy had begun to build up, and though there was no medical bulletin till 4 p.m., many elderly supporters started coming in, wanting to get a glimpse of their leader. With the 5 p.m. bulletin stating that Mr. Karunanidhi was critical and unstable, a sea of supporters had congregated in the surrounding areas of the hospital.
Even as news of his death broke, his supporters, who had swelled in numbers outside the hospital, broke into loud wails. They took the news with grief and pain and many of them asked the police if they would be allowed to see their leader.
Emotions continued to run high at Gopalapuram, even as Mr. Karunanidhi’s mortal remains were brought there from Kauvery Hospital. “He is like Anna’s younger brother. We will never see another person like him who inspired us,” said a party supporter in tears.
(With inputs from Vivek Narayanan, Deepa H. Ramakrishnan, S Poorvaja and R Srikanth)
