A Compendium of Virtues!

History is replete with multi-talented personalities and multi-faceted personalities. Some of them might have acquired some virtues with which they might have outshone contemporaries. Very very rarely do we come across a multi-talented and multi-faceted personality who is also acknowledgedly a compendium of virtues. DMK President and one of the tallest leaders of the Dravidian movement Kalaignar M.Karunanidhi, whose 89th birthday on June 3 is to be celebrated by DMK functionaries and cadre, is such a rarest of rare package of multi-talented, multi-faceted personality and a compendium of virtues.

Nobody else than his longest associate in public life and in the movement, DMK General Secretary Prof. K.Anbazhagan, can sum up the persona and relevance of Kalaignar vis-à-vis the society as a whole and Tamil race, in particular. In a statement issued by him on May 10, calling upon the Party units to celebrate Kalaignar’s birthday, Perasiriyar encapsulates the greatness and uniqueness of the leader in his inimitable style. There cannot be a greater tribute to Kalaignar than in the words of Perasiriyar, which is given below:

“Tamil Nadu derives great pleasure as coming June 3 is the 89th birthday of Kalaignar. Celebrating his birthday is the duty of Tamils. All those who are interested in the rightful life of Tamil race and progress of Tamil Nadu know that it is only our Kalaignar, who possesses wisdom and potential, clarity and courage, direct experience and determination to strive and has a history of sacrifice, to stand in support and pave way for reaching that goal.

There are none who do not know, that the only political leader who, whether the state is submerged in flood due to incessant downpour, even if the state turns into a hot area due to continuing drought, even if huts and roofs fly away due to cyclone, runs in search of places where people live in distress without food to eat and shade, to sit down, to see them and one who has realized that service to people is service to god.

In the ups and downs of the people of Tamil Nadu, in their sickness and demise, Kalaignar possesses the mind that never forgets those siblings. Today there are no other leaders who lived for Tamil race, on par with Kalaignar. At his age of 14, his public life began in raising voice against Hindi.

Listening to the speeches of Pattukottai Alagiri, reading Periyar’s ‘Kudiyarasu’ journal, realizing the writings and speeches of Arignar Anna, his public service shaped and grew in self respect movement work, rationalist camp service and in publishing handwritten magazine. Working as sub-editor in Periyar’s weekly in Erode, he grew as a writer getting the appreciation of Thanthai Periyar.

In his passion for platform speech spreading principles, he spoke in public meetings in many, many places. There were many dramas spreading reformist principles, which he himself scripted, acted, staged and continued in many places. How many types of opposition for them? He had to bear with any sort of terrible attacks. Having involved in Dravidian movement and serving for it, many a times he had to move around resolutely resolving that life is not his own.
Car journey in night and day for movement works in which he had to face many accidents and suffer pain on being admitted in hospitals in serious conditions. In a worrying condition whether eye sight could be resumed he had to undergo medical expert’s treatment for months together and also had to go to USA for eye treatment.

Accepting Anna’s wish he involved himself in the agitation demanding the name change of Kallakudi Railway Station and imprisoned for six months.

Following it were Agitation against price rise, agitation of burning the constitution struggle for protecting rights of Eelam Tamils, the peaceful struggle of Long march to Tiruchendur demanding justice, picketing, hungerfast, solitary confinement in Palayamkottai prison, injustice of Tamil Nadu government arresting and imprisoning – he conducted many such field battles, continued to raise warcry without sword and shield, to demolish varnasrama fort built with orthodox cement to root out the Aryan myth which stabilized the domination of so-called higher castes – the works carried out by Kalaignar with deligence, variety, efficiency and the sacrifices he had to undergo – cannot be measured!

Those who read his autobiographical classic ‘Nenjukku Needhi’ cannot fail to realize Kalaignar’s timely discharge of duty, his method of maneuvering political issues faced by him with his statesmanship and sharp intellect, and the efforts taken by him and his relentless work for the victory of our ideal; and to redeem democratic system of government of the country without it getting derailed.

From the beginning of the flowering of his fine touch in the field of fine arts, following Arignar Anna in the script and dialogue of films, his achievement and victory scored are great. The dialogues of films ‘Parasakthi’ and ‘Manohara’ he scripted fifty years back are still enriching even the writings of other partymen.

His film dialogues splashing radical views made many youngsters as actors in cine films and gave life to them. In the early days, the dialogues of Kalaignar, hailed as godfather of film industry, raised thespian Sivaji Ganesan  to the top of the ladder of fame. If his writings in his youth were infernos in his advanced age also his writing is sweet as fruit juice.
Kalaignar’s Kuraloviyam, Sangathamizh, Tholkappiya Poonga and Poompuhar have elevated him as an expert exponent of Three Tamils deserving honour in the world of scholars (Pulavars).

Kalaignar’s creative literature got the appreciation of Arignar Anna. Kalaignar’s penchant for principle got the appreciation of Thanthai Periyar. Kalaignar’s honesty of keeping assurance was hailed by Tmt. Indira Gandhi. Kalaignar’s integrity was praised by MGR. That he rendered justice and security to minority Muslims was acclaimed by Quaid-e-Milleth Ismail Sahib. As Emergency was declared during Indira Gandhi’s regime, when democratic rights were denied, E.M.S.Namboodripad hailed that democratic wind could be smelt only in Kalaignar-ruled Tamil Nadu.
Sarvodaya leader Jayaprakash Narayan said, only in the rule of Kalaignar Karunanidhi, belonging to a non-Congress party, was Mahatma Gandhi’s principle followed by constructing flats for slum dwellers.
When the order for granting ownership pattas for house sites on which agricultural workers had put up huts, Com. Manali Kandasamy greeted Kalaignar saying that he accomplished with a drop of ink what could not be achieved by struggles shedding blood.
When former Prime Minister V.P.Singh announced the order for reservation for OBCs in Central government jobs, accepting the recommendations of Mandal commission, he hailed and thanked Kalaignar for being his motivator to make the announcement.
Congress leader late C.Subramaniam approvingly said communalism and Hindutva could not enter Tamil Nadu and religious fanaticism could not rear its head in whichever coalition Kalaignar finds place.
Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister M.Bhakthavatchalam praised Kalaignar as a best administrator.
Kalaignar shines as
an orator;
writer;
daily editor;
dramatist;
actor;
film artist;
literary giant;
veteran poet;
political wizard;
best administrator;
statesman; and above all
a  humanist.
In keeping with the statement of admiration of Dr. M.Varadarajan (Mu.Va.) that Kalaignar is the only political leader who is
- the President of a Party for over forty years
- underwent imprisonment for over nine times
- a member of the legislature for over 50 years
- five times the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu
- wrote script and dialogue for over 75 films
and remains as a poet and patron, it can be said that only Kalaignar has the glory of having donated Rs.One crore for felicitating awards every year for best writers by the Book Publishers and Sellers Association of South India (BAPASI).
- To protect the rightful living of seven crore Tamils who have forgotten racial consciousness;
- To make classical language Tamil as the administrative language in all fields of Tamil Nadu government
- To ensure release of water resource of rivers passing through Tamil Nadu for ages, without obstruction by other states;
- To foster and develop relations, friendship, cooperation and racial attachment among Tamil Diaspora living throughout the world;
- To establish that the moral norms of Tirukural given by Tiruvalluvar as the moral way of life protecting Dravidian social justice;
- To resonate Tamil hymns by doing away with Aryan vedamantras in temples raised by Tamils;
- To create natural environment for men and women living on equal footing
- For the prospering of the principle of self-respect;
- For spreading rationalistic norm;
- To get rid of caste;
- For doing away with religious fanaticism;
-  For establishment of social justice;
- For the state to march on the path of Periyar and Anna
In the absence of Thanthai Periyar and Arignar Anna, the only person capable of accomplishing all these lofty basic ideals of the Dravidian Movement is Kalaignar and Kalaignar alone!            r