Though a common use of the term ‘autobiography’ would
include under autobiographical writings what are identified as memoirs, diaries, journals, and letters certain subtle distinctions are made among these forms. While autobiographies and memoirs are meant for the public eye, diaries, journals and letters need not be organized narratives composed for the common reader. Memoirs may deal with public events and noted personages other than the author himself whereas an autobiography is expected to be a connected narrative of the author’s life, giving some importance to introspection. The conventional distinctions between autobiography and biography are well known but many contemporary theorists have drawn our attention to the complex relationship between writing about oneself and writing about another as well as to the psychological and socio-cultural factors involved in life-writing, a term they prefer because it leaves open the matter of precisely who is writing whose life. Some postmodernist discourse analysts would designate all writing ‘faction’ because it may combine fact and fiction.
When we are to examine Karunanidhi’s massive autobiography in four volumes (the fifth volume is to be released soon), we have to consider two more subgenres called ‘bildungsroman’ and ‘kunstlerroman’. An apprenticeship novel, sometimes called a bildungsroman, sketches the youth and young manhood of a sensitive being, striving hard to learn the nature of the world, discover its meaning and pattern and envision a philosophy of life. It is also known as Erziehungsroman, or education novel, whereas an apprenticeship novel that describes the development of an artist or writer is called a Kunstlerroman. Karunanidhi’s autobiography understandably shares many of the characteristic features of the memoir, the apprenticeship novel and the Kunstlerroman as it records the momentous events in his long private and public life besides his growth as an artist and his evolution into a mature statesman. It has to cross the boundaries of all these subgenres as it has to recount the life of a truly multifaceted personality.
When he started writing the first part of his autobiography, Kalaignar was in his early fifties and, therefore, thought it fit to apologize to the reader.
“So, have you grown big enough to write your own life story?” Not anyone else, it was my mind which raised the question. But it also had a ready answer.
Are life and history the exclusive preserve of the high and the mighty? Not for the humble folks?
But even two prisoners exchange the stories of their lives between themselves. One could chance to hear it. Two elderly rickshaw-pullers lean gracefully on their rickshaws parked under a tree shade, and share with each other interesting anecdotes of their lives.
If you closely observe the conversation between two insomniac hermits, lying languidly on the pial of a traveler’s; again their life story.
A sick person lying in his deathbed and aware of his impending demise, his life story silently revolves in his mind’s eye. Unable to write, too weak to speak, he lets it play out as a film in his mind. Even at the threshold of death – smile, sigh and tears. All these are but chapters in his story.
May be, every individual’s history does not bear seeds of major social change. His life story has perhaps no room for political revolution. But he might have unwittingly been a part of the changes and revolutions in the country. He is a part of the society; society and nation are but a confluence of individuals like him. Who can at all deny this?
So, somehow he has a role in the changes undergone by the country. He might not have considered it significant enough to record it as a marker in his personal history. A branch of a tree is tossed by a destructive cyclone, lands at the façade of a house and knocks it down. Which is the active agent here the cyclone or the tree branch? Somehow, an event in history has become a part of the story of the tree – branch.
We should keep in mind that this apology for or defence of writing his own story was thought of by Kalaignar as early as 1975, when in the west questions relating to autobiographies by unknown people and unworthies as well as rewriting histories from the standpoint of the common people were being raised. It is interesting to note that Wordsworth wrote his autobiographical poem “The Prelude” in his early twenties when his long poetic career had just begun. As a result of the self – examination he undertook, Wordsworth felt that “vows unknown to me were made then that I should be, else sinning greatly, a dedicated spirit.” Consequent to the introspection here, Kalaignar concluded that he should lead a long active life in order to serve the Tamil society in all possible ways.
He says that it is to gain renewed vigour, he is looking back at his life. Indicating the nature of his autobiography, he gives another reason for writing it. It is not going to be an exercise in self-projection since he will give more importance to the historical occurrences of his time than to himself.
Holding me as a mere string, I am going to thread the flowers of fame of that epochal leader into a garland. In the name of a life story, one could present the history of a movement. All because references to me might appear, not fitfully, but in a somewhat sustained manner, do not think of this as an exercise in self-projection. Evocative events of historic significance, rejuvenating rationalist achievements, exhilarating literary vignettes, shocking political changes – I have tried to bring these to life.
A third reason that he adduces is that he has undertaken this venture so that he may do justice to his own conscience:
Each person should render justice to his conscience, to his own self. Likewise, a society, a party or a group should get trained to render justice to its collective conscience, on the basis of their good and evil deeds. It is easy to condemn someone. This would receive applause. But should not the critic do justice to his own conscience?
A fourth reason for the copious output may be inferred from Kalaignar’s characterization of one of the Tamil heroes of the past, Pantaaraka Vanniyan.
Whenever beset with shocking information or whenever confusion prevailed, Pantaaraka Vanniyan used to scribble something on a piece of paper. Such scribbling more often than not used to shine so surprisingly poetic. On such occasions he used to feel as if he was relieved of pressing problems and confusion… He retrieved his glance from the sky and started to write. How many problems! Even so much of a confusion! How many critical situations! How many expectations! How many shocks! To write in the midst of all these? yes, to write is a veritable medicine to his distraught mind dispelling his sadness and confusion. So he sought the help of the drug that could relieve him of his fatigue and frustration.
It is clear that Kalaignar here totally identifies himself with the hero he has created and speaks of his own eventful life, of his own perennial problems and of his own resorting to writing as a remedy for all the ills.
Interestingly, the poem that he attributes to Pantaaraka Vanniyan also recalls his own experiences as a political leader and as a writer. It is worth quoting in full because it throws a flood of light on his mind and art.
He who has made a struggle of his life
sees the flash of lightning in the dark sky
And becomes happy.
Twinned with the lightning
Thunder crashes on his head;
Yet he survives
And lives, feeding on embers.
Those who profess to lay their lives for him
And be with him for ever,
Stay together only to dig a pit to bury him.
Those who were born of the same womb
Have turned into a congenital disease.
Who will bestow on me a heart
Strong enough to face all these?
Even if millions of eagles strive,
They cannot make a hole in the sky.
Even if millions of aliens strive
To demean the honour of the Tamils
Will they not fail?
This has proved to be a succinct summary of what has happened in his life; and this is what he substantiates in the four volumes of his autobiography!
In the first chapter itself, Kalaignar states that he will not subscribe to Rousseau’s view that life on earth is a curse. He is an optimist but his optimism is not facile.
A man’s life is sure littered with days which compel frequent recall and lament. I am no exception here. Still, there are many days which overwhelm me with joy and fulfillment: the day of my birth, the day I got married; the day I met Anna, my loving god and noble leader; the day I entered prison for the first time in the battle to protect my language. Days that I look back and savour.
The first volume of Kalaignar’s autobiography begins with an account of what happened in the year of his birth 1924 and ends with the elegy that he wrote on Anna who died of cancer on 2 February 1969. It consists of one hundred and forty-one chapters which, besides recounting the story of his early and middle life, cogently narrates the social and political history of Tamilnadu with frequent references to all the significant national and international events.
Born to Mutthuvelar and Anjukam Ammaiyar on 3 June 1924 at Tirukkuvalai, he had his early education at Tiruvarur High School whose headmaster Kasthuri Ayyangar gave him admission in the fifth standard on his threatening to commit suicide if his request was not complied with. Though he was a bright student, he could not acquit himself well in the school final examination because of his early interest in the self – respect movement led by Periyar and Anna. He organized Tamil Student Associations, gave public speeches and wrote prose pamphlets, poems and dramas propagating the ideals of the Dravidian Movement.
But this account of personal life is soon overshadowed by facets of the political, social, cultural and literary history of Tamilnadu. The rise and fall of Justice Party, the gradual coming into prominence of the Congress Organisation, and the anti – Hindi agitation begun under the leadership of Maraimalai Adigal in 1938, when Rajaji made Hindi a compulsory subject in schools are all highlighted in a breath – taking narration dotted with splendid partraits of Sir A.T. Panneer Selvam, Maraimalai Adigal, Rajaji, Periyar, Arignar Anna, K.A.P. Viswanatham, Navalar Somasundara Bharathiar, Muvalur Iramamirtham Ammaiyar and other such stalwarts of the period. The fearless struggle waged by Pattukkottai Alagirisami, praised as the image of courage and the supreme sacrifice of Talamuthu and Nataracan who were imprisoned and beaten to death by the police during the anti-Hindi agitation inspired the young Karunanidhi to actively associate himself with the relentless fight against Hindi.
His entry into the film world began when T.R. Sundaram, the owner of Modern Theatres, came forward to convert Kalaignar’s drama Mantiri Kumari into a film. The ripples created by the film angered the Hindu fundamendalists and the political parties opposed to the Dravidian movement. But the success of the film gained him the friendship of N.S. Krishnan, known for his supreme achievement as a comedian. When Kalaivaanar died, there was a huge funeral procession which inspired the grief-stricken Kalaignar to write a moving elegy.
A chapter is devoted to the celebration of the heroism and selfless courage of K.V.K. Sami, who as an ordinary member of the newly started D.M.K., worked hard for the progress of the party and was assassinated by his political adversaries. The well-deserved tribute in the form of a poem by Kalaignar is included in the chapter. When Rajaji was the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, the DMK had to conduct a number of major agitations such as the ones against the caste – based education system proposed by him, Nehru’s verbal attack on Periyar and the Dravidian Movement and against the name of the Railway station Dalmiapuram instead of Kallakkuti. The third one to change the name was led by Kalaignar on 15 July 1953. It was this agitation successfully conducted by him that earned him the title “Kallakkuti konta Karunanidhi.”
In three chapters he speaks of his prison life immediately after the Kallakkuti struggle underlining the deplorable condition of the prisons in Tamilnadu and the vital need for reformation. The participation of DMK in the 1957 elections for the first time in its history demanded Kalaignar’s presence and propaganda in a large number of constituencies in Tamilnadu even though he contested in Kulitalai. He accepted the challenge and did the work with missionary zeal. Fifteen candidates of the DMK including Anna and Kalaignar won the election and in a particular village of his constituency everyone who voted had voted for him. It was also noteworthy that out of 22, 785 votes he secured, 12,580 votes were by women. This was a good augury to the string of incredible electoral successes he was going to achieve in his future political career.
In the chapter on the farmer’s agitation in Nangavaram held against the landlords under his leadership, a valid defence of it is followed by a strikingly modern comment by Voltaire on historiography. The French intellectual has stated that the aim of history writing should be to highlight the plight of the poor in a society and not to glorify the merciless wars conducted by pleasure – seeking kings and tyrants. And Kalaignar asks the very sane question: “Has any historian traced the history of mankind’s progress from barbarism to civilization?” It may be noted here that it was long after Voltaire that a re-thinking on the writing of history took place and scholars started thinking in terms of alternative histories.
Another landmark in Kalaignar’s spectacular political march was the victory of the DMK in the Madras Corporation Election in 1959. Kalaignar was the chief architect of the party’s unprecedented victory in the first attempt itself.
A chapter contains a learned discussion on the controversy relating to the official language bill proposing that English ‘may’ continue till it is thought fit to replace it by Hindi. Kalaignar points out how the Hindi zealots preferred ‘may’ while the rest were in favour of ‘shall’ to be used in the fatal resolution. There is an equally meaningful discussion on the bill that proposed that every candidate contesting the assembly, council and Lok Sabha elections should take a vow that he would safeguard India’s sovereignty and unity and do nothing against the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution. This was evidently the outcome of a scheme to destroy the DMK. Kalaignar explains how Anna could wisely save the party by certain judicious speeches and timely action.
There is a brief chronological survey of the twenty – three films for which he wrote the dialogues from 1946 to 1963. Many of these made history. But the catalogue beginning with “Rajakumari” and ending with “Kanchitthalaivan” is followed by Kalaignar’s note defending his association with the film – world. All these films were only meant to serve the cause of social reformation and his primary objective was not to amass wealth or even to earn a reputation. It cannot be denied even by the most prejudiced of his detractors that these films contributed to the incredible progress of the DMK in Tamilnadu.
The first chapter of the second part of Kalaignar’s autobiography is to be specially cherished for the following two statements made there:
In about fifteen days, on 3 June 1983, I will be stepping into the sixtieth year of my life. Though I am aware that every one of my future steps will be towards the tomb, I am determined to put my heart and soul into the labour that will make this society shine like the lamp on top of a hill… Let my tears, blood, life-breath and the entire body of mine with its bones encased in skin be dedicated to the elevation of the Dravidian Movement.
I often used to say that in my life my happiness never lasted more than twenty-four hours. Those who, with their torches, burn to ashes the joyous moments in my life may be my enemies at a distance; when it is delayed by them, even those who are near and dear to me may do it with care and concern.
Another equally moving chapter reproduces three letters written to him by Anna on three significant occasions. The first one was written to ask his younger brother (Kalaignar is called ‘Thambi’ in all these letters) to give a thousand rupees as advance to comrade Devarajan so that a car may be bought to be of use during the conduct of the state conference at Madras in 1952. The second letter, written from Delhi immediately after Anna was sworn in as a member of the Rajya Sabha, mentions how he was taken care of with love and affection by the ministers C. Subramaniam and O.V.Alagesan, some of the Communist leaders and his own partyman Dharmalingam. He is worried that he has to be far away from Tamilnadu where his heart lies all the time especially when he is expected to do a lot for the party in Tamilnadu. At the end of the letter, he very touchingly remarks that he is reconciled to staying in Delhi because his ‘Thambi’ is there in Tamilnadu to take care of everything including his work.
The third letter and the final one that he wrote to Kalaignar was from the house of G. Parthasarathy where he was convalescing after being treated for cancer at the New York Memorial Hospital in October 1968. In this letter, he expresses his concern that he has been forced to throw the entire burden of party work on his younger brother and that he may not be able to do much because of his ill-health even after his return from America.
All the three letters reveal that the unique leader of the Dravidian movement richly deserved that appellation ‘Anna’ conferred on him whole-heartedly by the entire Tamil community. They are letters written by the most tender-hearted statesman of the time to the dearest of his disciples.
When Anna was succeeded by Kalaignar as the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Navalar Nedunchezhian refused to join the cabinet and this led to a lot of confusion among the rank and file of the DMK as well as among the impartial well – wishers of the Tamils. Kalaignar, considering the historical importance of this happening and feeling that his position may be misrepresented, writes at length on what really took place behind the scenes. In many of his speeches he made it clear that circumstances forced him to accept the offer even though he knew full well that he was not a worthy substitute for Anna. Whenever he praised Anna’s qualities of head and heart, Kalaignar did not mind degrading himself:
I am sitting where Anna was seated. I have been compelled to sit here… Some one starts weeping when he loses the box containing thousands of rupees during a journey. He sees that he has a ten-rupee note in his pocket and using that amount, he reaches home. We have lost Anna, who was to us a treasure trove, a cash – box containing several thousands of rupees. You, the Tamils, are using me as the ten-rupee note to reach the desired destination.
Kalaignar gives an excerpt from the condolence speech made by Navalar at Tiruvallikkeni.
When Anna formed the Ministry in 1967, since there were several contenders, I told him that I would keep out of it. Kalaignar Karunanidhi also requested that he might also be left out. This fact was stated by Anna himself at a meeting of the D.M.K. members of the legislative assembly…
I have great regard for Kalaignar Karunanidhi as an individual. I won’t underestimate his intelligence, ability and contribution. He has faced numerous hardships for the sake of the party. I can only speak and write. But he can write stories, plays and poems; he has the ability to act in plays also.
Once I wrote in an essay that Kalaignar is next only to Anna in intelligence, and ability and in the capacity to write, speak and act…
Kalaignar Karunanidhi and I are very close to each other. I used to avoid some other people. But we have been united in heart for the last twenty-five years. It was he who, sending a sum of two rupees, invited me to speak when I was a student of Annamalai University. It was because of his efforts that I became proud of going by train to give a speech in a far – off place. My relationship with such a person has not changed even now. When the leader of the D.M.K. legislators was to be elected, I kept myself away in order to avoid competition. Joining the cabinet is the individual’s privilege.
This speech is enough to clear all the doubts and misunderstandings surrounding the issue.
On another occasion, Kalaignar, using a characteristic analogy, said,
When the mother of an infant dies, it has to be contented with the bottle – milk. If Anna is the mother’s milk which has been lost, you may accept me as the bottle-milk and cooperate with me.
Several tragic occurrences in his life lead him to contemplate on the belief in God and he shares his views with his readers.
Whenever I survive some calamity, my friends and well-wishers may say that I have escaped owing to God’s blessings. My enemies may feel that I have been punished by God. The common belief is that everything is in accordance with God’s will and that in heaven’s will lies our peace.
We are only wasting our time discussing the question of faith in God. There is so much of work that has to be done.
Atheists need not consider theists as their enemies. Theists need not capitalize on the weakness of the common people who blindly believe in God. And the public should not allow themselves to be cheated by them.
In another context, raising the question, “Who is God?”, he answers that “teachers are gods, the poor are gods, all those who do good are gods.” He concludes that to everyone, his conscience is God. There are chapters in Kalaignar’s autobiography in which he gracefully reproduces excerpts from the memorable speeches made by others especially when they happen to be on the glory of Tamil and Tamil culture. Zakir Hussain made a scholarly speech inaugurating the world Tamil conference held in Chennai in 1968. With a profound sense of pride, Kalaignar draws the reader’s attention to the following remarks in the erudite paper presented:
Tamil occupies a most honourable place among our languages. It is an international language since it is spoken outside our country too. The borders of Tamilnadu are very ancient. It had a culture that spread far beyond its borders. The Tamil land had spread wherever the Tamil sensibility existed. It reached the Himalayas in the north, the seas in the east and the west and even beyond them. The Tamils had trade contacts with Arabia, Egypt, and Rome….
Azhwars’ poems describe the Mamallapuram harbor where ships carrying invaluable commodities were anchored.
A stone inscription of the eleventh century found in Sumatra refers to the flourishing trade between Tamilnadu and the south-east Asian countries.
The navy of the Tamil kings dominated the Indian Ocean. The Chola king Rajendra, who possessed a famous navy had trade relations with China.
Several centuries ago, a Pandya king sent an ambassador to the Roman Emperor Augustus in order to establish trade contacts.
Kalaignar adds his comment that this speech by the then President of the country trumpeted the Tamil glory to the world at large.
Though the focus of the autobiography is on the historical events and the leading men and women of our country, Kalaignar gives due importance to the epoch-making events that took place elsewhere. There is a chapter on the successful journey of the rocket carrying Amstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon. The rocket was launched on 16 July 1969. The Russian rocket ‘Luna’ landed in the moon on 21 July 1969. Giving these details and describing the sensational conquest of the moon, Kalaignar advises the superstitious section of the Tamil community to rid themselves of the belief in the Puranic stories that claim that the moon stays in Lord Siva’s interlaced strands of hair and that eclipses take place when the sun and the moon are swallowed by the snakes called Rahu and Ketu.
Of the several character sketches that are found throughout the autobiography, the one of Jayaprakash Narayan will bear out Kalaignar’s intellectual honesty, fair-mindedness and his extraordinary skill in judging men and matters.
Jayaprakash Narayan had his education at California University in America. Though he was a student of an American University, when he returned to India, socialism had become his much cherished ideology. When he was there, he worked in apple gardens to earn his livelihood. After his return, he participated in the Indian struggle for independence. In a conspiracy case, he was sent to the Hazaribag prison from where he escaped. The British Government announced a reward of one lakh rupees to the one who brings his head. He was in prison for nine years. After India got its independence, though he was urged many times to accept a position in the central cabinet and even to become the prime minister, he declined the offers. Many including myself requested him to become the President of the Indian Republic but he firmly refused it. When I invited such a person to inaugurate the Rajaji Memorial, he agreed to come and do it.
During his speech on the occasion, he said that he was happy to hear that the horse race, a gamble, had been banned in Tamilnadu…
When he was told that the lottery scheme would also be stopped on 15 September, Anna’s birthday, he said that he knew that Karunanidhi possessed the capability to take bold decisions on matters that would yield long-term benefits. He expressed his admiration for Karunanidhi and added that he was grateful to the latter for this decision.
The last few chapters of the second part deal with the declaration of emergency by Mrs. Indra Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, the split in the Congress Party, the atrocities perpetrated on all the D.M.K. leaders and Kalaignar’s successful efforts at safeguarding the party and its interests during one of the deadliest threats to it. In one of his letters to his blood brothers, he wrote,
The well – structured, well – organized D.M.K. party is like the human body well-dressed. Its life is its ideology. Power is its ornament. One can live without any ornaments. When the principles are lost, life is lost. When the dress goes, one’s self-dignity disappears.
The first part of the autobiography covering the period from 1924 to 1969 deals with his life and the progress of the Dravidian Movement, both of which have been inseparably intertwined since his acceptance of the leadership of Periyar. The second part continues the same chronological account, at times moving back and forth and highlighting the events of the seven long years from 1969 to 1976. The third part is devoted to the happenings from 1976 to 1991.
In the introduction to the third part, what Kalaignar states will move even the most stony hearted of readers to tears.
When the account of the third part came to an end with the year 1991, my age was 67. My life span has been extended to 7 more years and in my seventy fourth year I continue to serve my homeland and the world.
I am being commanded by many including the publishers with all love and affection that I start writing the fourth part.
When people have entrusted me with the task of ruling Tamilnadu, I don’t know whether I will survive to write the fourth part or whether without my writing, these historical notes will engrave themselves on the hearts of my countrymen. However, this is to be decided only by nature!
Let me, therefore, leave that to nature and discharge my duty with the utmost care.
Here one may note with delight that his life span got extended further and further and that he could be healthy enough to write the fourth part and to move on to complete the fifth part also.
In the early sections of the third part, he, with an agonized heart, mentions the incalculable harm done to the D.M.K. cadre during the emergency. As evidence, he reproduces an entry from the special supplement to Encyclopedia Britannica Year Book 1977 under the title “Repression in India”: “The Central Government of India arrested hundreds of D.M.K. party people under the emergency act.”
Kalaignar’s immense interest in world literature is borne out in certain notes that he includes with enthusiasm. For instance, he tells his readers, in the second chapter in the midst of a brief account of world events, that all literature aficianados will be pleased to learn that several manuscripts of great writers of the nineteenth century including those of Byron and Shelley were found in the safe of a London bank. Kalaignar shows himself to be an informed art critic when he writes about the musician Elvis Presley and the comedian Charlie Chaplin.
The reader is deeply moved whenever Kalaignar recalls with a sense of gratitude the advice given by Jagjivan Ram, a reputed Harijan leader. Though he was then in Indra Gandhi’s cabinet, immediately after the D.M.K. ministry was dismissed, when he met Kalaignar in Madras, he told the latter to keep the gun powder dry. This sincere piece of advice born of his love and affection for the great Tamil leader profoundly touched the heart of Kalaignar, and it stood him in good stead. He kept the powder dry and overcoming all the obstacles achieved success after success. Even after he was unjustly removed from power, after having been chief minister for seven years he did not eschew public life but continued his service with redoubled vigour. Anyone else in his place would have been thoroughly frustrated and would have disappeared from the scene in utter disgust. Kalaignar was made of sterner stuff and could prove his mettle whenever there was a setback in his political career. A contemporary poet called Kudiyarasu, in a very insightful poem quoted by Kalaignar himself, says,
My leader,
your experiences are not the aberrations in an individual’s life; they are the sufferings of a society!
On many occasions, you were made to find yourself lonely; you did not consider it painful. On the contrary, you converted it into a state of yoga!
My leader,
Who wanted to take revenge on you? The first fool created by God! You may ask how God will create fools when He happens to be wisdom. The god who created a lamp of wisdom like you, might have desired to see how you are going to vanquish fools!
You have been entrusted with the onerous responsibility of cleansing society of the dirt of misfortune!
My brother! My Kalaignar!
You have made up for the absence of Periyar and Anna!
Pre-eminent star of our generation! Those who hated your headship have lost their heads! you are the text-book of grammar for all those who lead political parties!
Certain other tributes to Kalaignar paid by people from various walks of life are very impressive. The one by Peraciriyar Anbazhakan, on the day on which Kalaignar’s twenty-fifth year of membership of the legislative assembly was celebrated, was worthy of the occasion.
If we examine which position is honoured by Kalaignar, it is not the position of a poet; it is not the position of a writer; it is not even the position of a legislator; nor is it the position of Thanthai Periyar and Arignar Anna. That is why Anna while speaking at Mannai said, “I am going to take leave as soon as I end my speech. After that, Thambi Karunanidhi will continue to speak. I have written the first part of history. Thambi Karunanidhi will continue to write that.” Anna took leave for ever in 1969. The introduction written by Anna is continued by Kalaignar. He will continue that for many more years to come.
The fourth part of the autobiography, consisting of 633 pages, is a historical – critical survey of what happened to himself, to Tamilnadu, to India, and to the whole world during the years from 1989 to 1996. It was released, when he was stepping into the eightieth year of his life. In the introduction he states that if time permits, he will be prepared to write the fifth part. This only shows that the four-score year old leader had not yet become a spent force.
That he continues to be a live wire is evident in many places. We realize the validity of his most favourite comment on his life:
Looking back upon the distance we have crossed we may think, “We have covered so much of distance; we cannot move further.” But, instead of getting tired and depressed like that, we should tell ourselves, “Does not matter; We have come so long; a little more distance only!” We should then continue with renewed vigour.
In order to gain that vigour only, I look back upon my life. There are men who describe life as a struggle. To me, struggle has become life. My life is one long struggle.
Is there no happiness to a soldier? Why not? He may drink a hot cup of tea while attacking his enemies by crawling amidst rocks of snow in the cold weather. Even that is a great pleasure to him.
When we eat a fish, its bones may prick our tongue. A little blood may ooze out. There are people who relish eating pieces of fish unmindful of the pricks of bones.
To some, fish-bones may give trouble by getting stuck up in the throat.
My life is of the second kind.
Among the international events commented on in the fourth chapter are the agitation by the Chinese students, the rebellion in Ceylon, the birth of Bangladesh, the political restlessness in the Philippines, the release of Nelson Mandela, the war between Quait and Iraq, the elections in England, Georgia’s declaration of independence, the elections in the U.S.A. and the award of the Nobel Prize to Yasser Arafat. There is a detailed discussion of the Indian political scene focusing on the onward march of the D.M.K. facing numerous problems and emerging triumphant at the end of a long-drawn out bitter fight against its regional and national enemies.
Among the praises periodically showered on Kalaignar, two are outstanding. When the D.M.K. government was dismissed in 1991, the best of Tamil lyricists Vairamuthu wrote,
Hey, Anarkali!
After you,
the thing that was
buried alive
in this country
was democracy only.
And Kalaignar’s reaction to this was that the dissolution of the government was a blessing because we could get a splendid poem! In a different context, Vairamuthu could come out with another jewel of a poem.
When it sets in the west
the sun shows only its face,
not its back; victory is certain.
The second grand tribute is by the scholar, A.S. Gnanasambandan on the occasion of the release of Kalaignar’s commentary on Tirukkural:
What Johnson said of Goldsmith is true of only Kalaignar Karunanidhi in Tamilnadu: “Everything he touched became gold; and he left nothing untouched.”
include under autobiographical writings what are identified as memoirs, diaries, journals, and letters certain subtle distinctions are made among these forms. While autobiographies and memoirs are meant for the public eye, diaries, journals and letters need not be organized narratives composed for the common reader. Memoirs may deal with public events and noted personages other than the author himself whereas an autobiography is expected to be a connected narrative of the author’s life, giving some importance to introspection. The conventional distinctions between autobiography and biography are well known but many contemporary theorists have drawn our attention to the complex relationship between writing about oneself and writing about another as well as to the psychological and socio-cultural factors involved in life-writing, a term they prefer because it leaves open the matter of precisely who is writing whose life. Some postmodernist discourse analysts would designate all writing ‘faction’ because it may combine fact and fiction.
When we are to examine Karunanidhi’s massive autobiography in four volumes (the fifth volume is to be released soon), we have to consider two more subgenres called ‘bildungsroman’ and ‘kunstlerroman’. An apprenticeship novel, sometimes called a bildungsroman, sketches the youth and young manhood of a sensitive being, striving hard to learn the nature of the world, discover its meaning and pattern and envision a philosophy of life. It is also known as Erziehungsroman, or education novel, whereas an apprenticeship novel that describes the development of an artist or writer is called a Kunstlerroman. Karunanidhi’s autobiography understandably shares many of the characteristic features of the memoir, the apprenticeship novel and the Kunstlerroman as it records the momentous events in his long private and public life besides his growth as an artist and his evolution into a mature statesman. It has to cross the boundaries of all these subgenres as it has to recount the life of a truly multifaceted personality.
When he started writing the first part of his autobiography, Kalaignar was in his early fifties and, therefore, thought it fit to apologize to the reader.
“So, have you grown big enough to write your own life story?” Not anyone else, it was my mind which raised the question. But it also had a ready answer.
Are life and history the exclusive preserve of the high and the mighty? Not for the humble folks?
But even two prisoners exchange the stories of their lives between themselves. One could chance to hear it. Two elderly rickshaw-pullers lean gracefully on their rickshaws parked under a tree shade, and share with each other interesting anecdotes of their lives.
If you closely observe the conversation between two insomniac hermits, lying languidly on the pial of a traveler’s; again their life story.
A sick person lying in his deathbed and aware of his impending demise, his life story silently revolves in his mind’s eye. Unable to write, too weak to speak, he lets it play out as a film in his mind. Even at the threshold of death – smile, sigh and tears. All these are but chapters in his story.
May be, every individual’s history does not bear seeds of major social change. His life story has perhaps no room for political revolution. But he might have unwittingly been a part of the changes and revolutions in the country. He is a part of the society; society and nation are but a confluence of individuals like him. Who can at all deny this?
So, somehow he has a role in the changes undergone by the country. He might not have considered it significant enough to record it as a marker in his personal history. A branch of a tree is tossed by a destructive cyclone, lands at the façade of a house and knocks it down. Which is the active agent here the cyclone or the tree branch? Somehow, an event in history has become a part of the story of the tree – branch.
We should keep in mind that this apology for or defence of writing his own story was thought of by Kalaignar as early as 1975, when in the west questions relating to autobiographies by unknown people and unworthies as well as rewriting histories from the standpoint of the common people were being raised. It is interesting to note that Wordsworth wrote his autobiographical poem “The Prelude” in his early twenties when his long poetic career had just begun. As a result of the self – examination he undertook, Wordsworth felt that “vows unknown to me were made then that I should be, else sinning greatly, a dedicated spirit.” Consequent to the introspection here, Kalaignar concluded that he should lead a long active life in order to serve the Tamil society in all possible ways.
He says that it is to gain renewed vigour, he is looking back at his life. Indicating the nature of his autobiography, he gives another reason for writing it. It is not going to be an exercise in self-projection since he will give more importance to the historical occurrences of his time than to himself.
Holding me as a mere string, I am going to thread the flowers of fame of that epochal leader into a garland. In the name of a life story, one could present the history of a movement. All because references to me might appear, not fitfully, but in a somewhat sustained manner, do not think of this as an exercise in self-projection. Evocative events of historic significance, rejuvenating rationalist achievements, exhilarating literary vignettes, shocking political changes – I have tried to bring these to life.
A third reason that he adduces is that he has undertaken this venture so that he may do justice to his own conscience:
Each person should render justice to his conscience, to his own self. Likewise, a society, a party or a group should get trained to render justice to its collective conscience, on the basis of their good and evil deeds. It is easy to condemn someone. This would receive applause. But should not the critic do justice to his own conscience?
A fourth reason for the copious output may be inferred from Kalaignar’s characterization of one of the Tamil heroes of the past, Pantaaraka Vanniyan.
Whenever beset with shocking information or whenever confusion prevailed, Pantaaraka Vanniyan used to scribble something on a piece of paper. Such scribbling more often than not used to shine so surprisingly poetic. On such occasions he used to feel as if he was relieved of pressing problems and confusion… He retrieved his glance from the sky and started to write. How many problems! Even so much of a confusion! How many critical situations! How many expectations! How many shocks! To write in the midst of all these? yes, to write is a veritable medicine to his distraught mind dispelling his sadness and confusion. So he sought the help of the drug that could relieve him of his fatigue and frustration.
It is clear that Kalaignar here totally identifies himself with the hero he has created and speaks of his own eventful life, of his own perennial problems and of his own resorting to writing as a remedy for all the ills.
Interestingly, the poem that he attributes to Pantaaraka Vanniyan also recalls his own experiences as a political leader and as a writer. It is worth quoting in full because it throws a flood of light on his mind and art.
He who has made a struggle of his life
sees the flash of lightning in the dark sky
And becomes happy.
Twinned with the lightning
Thunder crashes on his head;
Yet he survives
And lives, feeding on embers.
Those who profess to lay their lives for him
And be with him for ever,
Stay together only to dig a pit to bury him.
Those who were born of the same womb
Have turned into a congenital disease.
Who will bestow on me a heart
Strong enough to face all these?
Even if millions of eagles strive,
They cannot make a hole in the sky.
Even if millions of aliens strive
To demean the honour of the Tamils
Will they not fail?
This has proved to be a succinct summary of what has happened in his life; and this is what he substantiates in the four volumes of his autobiography!
In the first chapter itself, Kalaignar states that he will not subscribe to Rousseau’s view that life on earth is a curse. He is an optimist but his optimism is not facile.
A man’s life is sure littered with days which compel frequent recall and lament. I am no exception here. Still, there are many days which overwhelm me with joy and fulfillment: the day of my birth, the day I got married; the day I met Anna, my loving god and noble leader; the day I entered prison for the first time in the battle to protect my language. Days that I look back and savour.
The first volume of Kalaignar’s autobiography begins with an account of what happened in the year of his birth 1924 and ends with the elegy that he wrote on Anna who died of cancer on 2 February 1969. It consists of one hundred and forty-one chapters which, besides recounting the story of his early and middle life, cogently narrates the social and political history of Tamilnadu with frequent references to all the significant national and international events.
Born to Mutthuvelar and Anjukam Ammaiyar on 3 June 1924 at Tirukkuvalai, he had his early education at Tiruvarur High School whose headmaster Kasthuri Ayyangar gave him admission in the fifth standard on his threatening to commit suicide if his request was not complied with. Though he was a bright student, he could not acquit himself well in the school final examination because of his early interest in the self – respect movement led by Periyar and Anna. He organized Tamil Student Associations, gave public speeches and wrote prose pamphlets, poems and dramas propagating the ideals of the Dravidian Movement.
But this account of personal life is soon overshadowed by facets of the political, social, cultural and literary history of Tamilnadu. The rise and fall of Justice Party, the gradual coming into prominence of the Congress Organisation, and the anti – Hindi agitation begun under the leadership of Maraimalai Adigal in 1938, when Rajaji made Hindi a compulsory subject in schools are all highlighted in a breath – taking narration dotted with splendid partraits of Sir A.T. Panneer Selvam, Maraimalai Adigal, Rajaji, Periyar, Arignar Anna, K.A.P. Viswanatham, Navalar Somasundara Bharathiar, Muvalur Iramamirtham Ammaiyar and other such stalwarts of the period. The fearless struggle waged by Pattukkottai Alagirisami, praised as the image of courage and the supreme sacrifice of Talamuthu and Nataracan who were imprisoned and beaten to death by the police during the anti-Hindi agitation inspired the young Karunanidhi to actively associate himself with the relentless fight against Hindi.
His entry into the film world began when T.R. Sundaram, the owner of Modern Theatres, came forward to convert Kalaignar’s drama Mantiri Kumari into a film. The ripples created by the film angered the Hindu fundamendalists and the political parties opposed to the Dravidian movement. But the success of the film gained him the friendship of N.S. Krishnan, known for his supreme achievement as a comedian. When Kalaivaanar died, there was a huge funeral procession which inspired the grief-stricken Kalaignar to write a moving elegy.
A chapter is devoted to the celebration of the heroism and selfless courage of K.V.K. Sami, who as an ordinary member of the newly started D.M.K., worked hard for the progress of the party and was assassinated by his political adversaries. The well-deserved tribute in the form of a poem by Kalaignar is included in the chapter. When Rajaji was the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, the DMK had to conduct a number of major agitations such as the ones against the caste – based education system proposed by him, Nehru’s verbal attack on Periyar and the Dravidian Movement and against the name of the Railway station Dalmiapuram instead of Kallakkuti. The third one to change the name was led by Kalaignar on 15 July 1953. It was this agitation successfully conducted by him that earned him the title “Kallakkuti konta Karunanidhi.”
In three chapters he speaks of his prison life immediately after the Kallakkuti struggle underlining the deplorable condition of the prisons in Tamilnadu and the vital need for reformation. The participation of DMK in the 1957 elections for the first time in its history demanded Kalaignar’s presence and propaganda in a large number of constituencies in Tamilnadu even though he contested in Kulitalai. He accepted the challenge and did the work with missionary zeal. Fifteen candidates of the DMK including Anna and Kalaignar won the election and in a particular village of his constituency everyone who voted had voted for him. It was also noteworthy that out of 22, 785 votes he secured, 12,580 votes were by women. This was a good augury to the string of incredible electoral successes he was going to achieve in his future political career.
In the chapter on the farmer’s agitation in Nangavaram held against the landlords under his leadership, a valid defence of it is followed by a strikingly modern comment by Voltaire on historiography. The French intellectual has stated that the aim of history writing should be to highlight the plight of the poor in a society and not to glorify the merciless wars conducted by pleasure – seeking kings and tyrants. And Kalaignar asks the very sane question: “Has any historian traced the history of mankind’s progress from barbarism to civilization?” It may be noted here that it was long after Voltaire that a re-thinking on the writing of history took place and scholars started thinking in terms of alternative histories.
Another landmark in Kalaignar’s spectacular political march was the victory of the DMK in the Madras Corporation Election in 1959. Kalaignar was the chief architect of the party’s unprecedented victory in the first attempt itself.
A chapter contains a learned discussion on the controversy relating to the official language bill proposing that English ‘may’ continue till it is thought fit to replace it by Hindi. Kalaignar points out how the Hindi zealots preferred ‘may’ while the rest were in favour of ‘shall’ to be used in the fatal resolution. There is an equally meaningful discussion on the bill that proposed that every candidate contesting the assembly, council and Lok Sabha elections should take a vow that he would safeguard India’s sovereignty and unity and do nothing against the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution. This was evidently the outcome of a scheme to destroy the DMK. Kalaignar explains how Anna could wisely save the party by certain judicious speeches and timely action.
There is a brief chronological survey of the twenty – three films for which he wrote the dialogues from 1946 to 1963. Many of these made history. But the catalogue beginning with “Rajakumari” and ending with “Kanchitthalaivan” is followed by Kalaignar’s note defending his association with the film – world. All these films were only meant to serve the cause of social reformation and his primary objective was not to amass wealth or even to earn a reputation. It cannot be denied even by the most prejudiced of his detractors that these films contributed to the incredible progress of the DMK in Tamilnadu.
The first chapter of the second part of Kalaignar’s autobiography is to be specially cherished for the following two statements made there:
In about fifteen days, on 3 June 1983, I will be stepping into the sixtieth year of my life. Though I am aware that every one of my future steps will be towards the tomb, I am determined to put my heart and soul into the labour that will make this society shine like the lamp on top of a hill… Let my tears, blood, life-breath and the entire body of mine with its bones encased in skin be dedicated to the elevation of the Dravidian Movement.
I often used to say that in my life my happiness never lasted more than twenty-four hours. Those who, with their torches, burn to ashes the joyous moments in my life may be my enemies at a distance; when it is delayed by them, even those who are near and dear to me may do it with care and concern.
Another equally moving chapter reproduces three letters written to him by Anna on three significant occasions. The first one was written to ask his younger brother (Kalaignar is called ‘Thambi’ in all these letters) to give a thousand rupees as advance to comrade Devarajan so that a car may be bought to be of use during the conduct of the state conference at Madras in 1952. The second letter, written from Delhi immediately after Anna was sworn in as a member of the Rajya Sabha, mentions how he was taken care of with love and affection by the ministers C. Subramaniam and O.V.Alagesan, some of the Communist leaders and his own partyman Dharmalingam. He is worried that he has to be far away from Tamilnadu where his heart lies all the time especially when he is expected to do a lot for the party in Tamilnadu. At the end of the letter, he very touchingly remarks that he is reconciled to staying in Delhi because his ‘Thambi’ is there in Tamilnadu to take care of everything including his work.
The third letter and the final one that he wrote to Kalaignar was from the house of G. Parthasarathy where he was convalescing after being treated for cancer at the New York Memorial Hospital in October 1968. In this letter, he expresses his concern that he has been forced to throw the entire burden of party work on his younger brother and that he may not be able to do much because of his ill-health even after his return from America.
All the three letters reveal that the unique leader of the Dravidian movement richly deserved that appellation ‘Anna’ conferred on him whole-heartedly by the entire Tamil community. They are letters written by the most tender-hearted statesman of the time to the dearest of his disciples.
When Anna was succeeded by Kalaignar as the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu, Navalar Nedunchezhian refused to join the cabinet and this led to a lot of confusion among the rank and file of the DMK as well as among the impartial well – wishers of the Tamils. Kalaignar, considering the historical importance of this happening and feeling that his position may be misrepresented, writes at length on what really took place behind the scenes. In many of his speeches he made it clear that circumstances forced him to accept the offer even though he knew full well that he was not a worthy substitute for Anna. Whenever he praised Anna’s qualities of head and heart, Kalaignar did not mind degrading himself:
I am sitting where Anna was seated. I have been compelled to sit here… Some one starts weeping when he loses the box containing thousands of rupees during a journey. He sees that he has a ten-rupee note in his pocket and using that amount, he reaches home. We have lost Anna, who was to us a treasure trove, a cash – box containing several thousands of rupees. You, the Tamils, are using me as the ten-rupee note to reach the desired destination.
Kalaignar gives an excerpt from the condolence speech made by Navalar at Tiruvallikkeni.
When Anna formed the Ministry in 1967, since there were several contenders, I told him that I would keep out of it. Kalaignar Karunanidhi also requested that he might also be left out. This fact was stated by Anna himself at a meeting of the D.M.K. members of the legislative assembly…
I have great regard for Kalaignar Karunanidhi as an individual. I won’t underestimate his intelligence, ability and contribution. He has faced numerous hardships for the sake of the party. I can only speak and write. But he can write stories, plays and poems; he has the ability to act in plays also.
Once I wrote in an essay that Kalaignar is next only to Anna in intelligence, and ability and in the capacity to write, speak and act…
Kalaignar Karunanidhi and I are very close to each other. I used to avoid some other people. But we have been united in heart for the last twenty-five years. It was he who, sending a sum of two rupees, invited me to speak when I was a student of Annamalai University. It was because of his efforts that I became proud of going by train to give a speech in a far – off place. My relationship with such a person has not changed even now. When the leader of the D.M.K. legislators was to be elected, I kept myself away in order to avoid competition. Joining the cabinet is the individual’s privilege.
This speech is enough to clear all the doubts and misunderstandings surrounding the issue.
On another occasion, Kalaignar, using a characteristic analogy, said,
When the mother of an infant dies, it has to be contented with the bottle – milk. If Anna is the mother’s milk which has been lost, you may accept me as the bottle-milk and cooperate with me.
Several tragic occurrences in his life lead him to contemplate on the belief in God and he shares his views with his readers.
Whenever I survive some calamity, my friends and well-wishers may say that I have escaped owing to God’s blessings. My enemies may feel that I have been punished by God. The common belief is that everything is in accordance with God’s will and that in heaven’s will lies our peace.
We are only wasting our time discussing the question of faith in God. There is so much of work that has to be done.
Atheists need not consider theists as their enemies. Theists need not capitalize on the weakness of the common people who blindly believe in God. And the public should not allow themselves to be cheated by them.
In another context, raising the question, “Who is God?”, he answers that “teachers are gods, the poor are gods, all those who do good are gods.” He concludes that to everyone, his conscience is God. There are chapters in Kalaignar’s autobiography in which he gracefully reproduces excerpts from the memorable speeches made by others especially when they happen to be on the glory of Tamil and Tamil culture. Zakir Hussain made a scholarly speech inaugurating the world Tamil conference held in Chennai in 1968. With a profound sense of pride, Kalaignar draws the reader’s attention to the following remarks in the erudite paper presented:
Tamil occupies a most honourable place among our languages. It is an international language since it is spoken outside our country too. The borders of Tamilnadu are very ancient. It had a culture that spread far beyond its borders. The Tamil land had spread wherever the Tamil sensibility existed. It reached the Himalayas in the north, the seas in the east and the west and even beyond them. The Tamils had trade contacts with Arabia, Egypt, and Rome….
Azhwars’ poems describe the Mamallapuram harbor where ships carrying invaluable commodities were anchored.
A stone inscription of the eleventh century found in Sumatra refers to the flourishing trade between Tamilnadu and the south-east Asian countries.
The navy of the Tamil kings dominated the Indian Ocean. The Chola king Rajendra, who possessed a famous navy had trade relations with China.
Several centuries ago, a Pandya king sent an ambassador to the Roman Emperor Augustus in order to establish trade contacts.
Kalaignar adds his comment that this speech by the then President of the country trumpeted the Tamil glory to the world at large.
Though the focus of the autobiography is on the historical events and the leading men and women of our country, Kalaignar gives due importance to the epoch-making events that took place elsewhere. There is a chapter on the successful journey of the rocket carrying Amstrong, Aldrin and Collins to the moon. The rocket was launched on 16 July 1969. The Russian rocket ‘Luna’ landed in the moon on 21 July 1969. Giving these details and describing the sensational conquest of the moon, Kalaignar advises the superstitious section of the Tamil community to rid themselves of the belief in the Puranic stories that claim that the moon stays in Lord Siva’s interlaced strands of hair and that eclipses take place when the sun and the moon are swallowed by the snakes called Rahu and Ketu.
Of the several character sketches that are found throughout the autobiography, the one of Jayaprakash Narayan will bear out Kalaignar’s intellectual honesty, fair-mindedness and his extraordinary skill in judging men and matters.
Jayaprakash Narayan had his education at California University in America. Though he was a student of an American University, when he returned to India, socialism had become his much cherished ideology. When he was there, he worked in apple gardens to earn his livelihood. After his return, he participated in the Indian struggle for independence. In a conspiracy case, he was sent to the Hazaribag prison from where he escaped. The British Government announced a reward of one lakh rupees to the one who brings his head. He was in prison for nine years. After India got its independence, though he was urged many times to accept a position in the central cabinet and even to become the prime minister, he declined the offers. Many including myself requested him to become the President of the Indian Republic but he firmly refused it. When I invited such a person to inaugurate the Rajaji Memorial, he agreed to come and do it.
During his speech on the occasion, he said that he was happy to hear that the horse race, a gamble, had been banned in Tamilnadu…
When he was told that the lottery scheme would also be stopped on 15 September, Anna’s birthday, he said that he knew that Karunanidhi possessed the capability to take bold decisions on matters that would yield long-term benefits. He expressed his admiration for Karunanidhi and added that he was grateful to the latter for this decision.
The last few chapters of the second part deal with the declaration of emergency by Mrs. Indra Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India, the split in the Congress Party, the atrocities perpetrated on all the D.M.K. leaders and Kalaignar’s successful efforts at safeguarding the party and its interests during one of the deadliest threats to it. In one of his letters to his blood brothers, he wrote,
The well – structured, well – organized D.M.K. party is like the human body well-dressed. Its life is its ideology. Power is its ornament. One can live without any ornaments. When the principles are lost, life is lost. When the dress goes, one’s self-dignity disappears.
The first part of the autobiography covering the period from 1924 to 1969 deals with his life and the progress of the Dravidian Movement, both of which have been inseparably intertwined since his acceptance of the leadership of Periyar. The second part continues the same chronological account, at times moving back and forth and highlighting the events of the seven long years from 1969 to 1976. The third part is devoted to the happenings from 1976 to 1991.
In the introduction to the third part, what Kalaignar states will move even the most stony hearted of readers to tears.
When the account of the third part came to an end with the year 1991, my age was 67. My life span has been extended to 7 more years and in my seventy fourth year I continue to serve my homeland and the world.
I am being commanded by many including the publishers with all love and affection that I start writing the fourth part.
When people have entrusted me with the task of ruling Tamilnadu, I don’t know whether I will survive to write the fourth part or whether without my writing, these historical notes will engrave themselves on the hearts of my countrymen. However, this is to be decided only by nature!
Let me, therefore, leave that to nature and discharge my duty with the utmost care.
Here one may note with delight that his life span got extended further and further and that he could be healthy enough to write the fourth part and to move on to complete the fifth part also.
In the early sections of the third part, he, with an agonized heart, mentions the incalculable harm done to the D.M.K. cadre during the emergency. As evidence, he reproduces an entry from the special supplement to Encyclopedia Britannica Year Book 1977 under the title “Repression in India”: “The Central Government of India arrested hundreds of D.M.K. party people under the emergency act.”
Kalaignar’s immense interest in world literature is borne out in certain notes that he includes with enthusiasm. For instance, he tells his readers, in the second chapter in the midst of a brief account of world events, that all literature aficianados will be pleased to learn that several manuscripts of great writers of the nineteenth century including those of Byron and Shelley were found in the safe of a London bank. Kalaignar shows himself to be an informed art critic when he writes about the musician Elvis Presley and the comedian Charlie Chaplin.
The reader is deeply moved whenever Kalaignar recalls with a sense of gratitude the advice given by Jagjivan Ram, a reputed Harijan leader. Though he was then in Indra Gandhi’s cabinet, immediately after the D.M.K. ministry was dismissed, when he met Kalaignar in Madras, he told the latter to keep the gun powder dry. This sincere piece of advice born of his love and affection for the great Tamil leader profoundly touched the heart of Kalaignar, and it stood him in good stead. He kept the powder dry and overcoming all the obstacles achieved success after success. Even after he was unjustly removed from power, after having been chief minister for seven years he did not eschew public life but continued his service with redoubled vigour. Anyone else in his place would have been thoroughly frustrated and would have disappeared from the scene in utter disgust. Kalaignar was made of sterner stuff and could prove his mettle whenever there was a setback in his political career. A contemporary poet called Kudiyarasu, in a very insightful poem quoted by Kalaignar himself, says,
My leader,
your experiences are not the aberrations in an individual’s life; they are the sufferings of a society!
On many occasions, you were made to find yourself lonely; you did not consider it painful. On the contrary, you converted it into a state of yoga!
My leader,
Who wanted to take revenge on you? The first fool created by God! You may ask how God will create fools when He happens to be wisdom. The god who created a lamp of wisdom like you, might have desired to see how you are going to vanquish fools!
You have been entrusted with the onerous responsibility of cleansing society of the dirt of misfortune!
My brother! My Kalaignar!
You have made up for the absence of Periyar and Anna!
Pre-eminent star of our generation! Those who hated your headship have lost their heads! you are the text-book of grammar for all those who lead political parties!
Certain other tributes to Kalaignar paid by people from various walks of life are very impressive. The one by Peraciriyar Anbazhakan, on the day on which Kalaignar’s twenty-fifth year of membership of the legislative assembly was celebrated, was worthy of the occasion.
If we examine which position is honoured by Kalaignar, it is not the position of a poet; it is not the position of a writer; it is not even the position of a legislator; nor is it the position of Thanthai Periyar and Arignar Anna. That is why Anna while speaking at Mannai said, “I am going to take leave as soon as I end my speech. After that, Thambi Karunanidhi will continue to speak. I have written the first part of history. Thambi Karunanidhi will continue to write that.” Anna took leave for ever in 1969. The introduction written by Anna is continued by Kalaignar. He will continue that for many more years to come.
The fourth part of the autobiography, consisting of 633 pages, is a historical – critical survey of what happened to himself, to Tamilnadu, to India, and to the whole world during the years from 1989 to 1996. It was released, when he was stepping into the eightieth year of his life. In the introduction he states that if time permits, he will be prepared to write the fifth part. This only shows that the four-score year old leader had not yet become a spent force.
That he continues to be a live wire is evident in many places. We realize the validity of his most favourite comment on his life:
Looking back upon the distance we have crossed we may think, “We have covered so much of distance; we cannot move further.” But, instead of getting tired and depressed like that, we should tell ourselves, “Does not matter; We have come so long; a little more distance only!” We should then continue with renewed vigour.
In order to gain that vigour only, I look back upon my life. There are men who describe life as a struggle. To me, struggle has become life. My life is one long struggle.
Is there no happiness to a soldier? Why not? He may drink a hot cup of tea while attacking his enemies by crawling amidst rocks of snow in the cold weather. Even that is a great pleasure to him.
When we eat a fish, its bones may prick our tongue. A little blood may ooze out. There are people who relish eating pieces of fish unmindful of the pricks of bones.
To some, fish-bones may give trouble by getting stuck up in the throat.
My life is of the second kind.
Among the international events commented on in the fourth chapter are the agitation by the Chinese students, the rebellion in Ceylon, the birth of Bangladesh, the political restlessness in the Philippines, the release of Nelson Mandela, the war between Quait and Iraq, the elections in England, Georgia’s declaration of independence, the elections in the U.S.A. and the award of the Nobel Prize to Yasser Arafat. There is a detailed discussion of the Indian political scene focusing on the onward march of the D.M.K. facing numerous problems and emerging triumphant at the end of a long-drawn out bitter fight against its regional and national enemies.
Among the praises periodically showered on Kalaignar, two are outstanding. When the D.M.K. government was dismissed in 1991, the best of Tamil lyricists Vairamuthu wrote,
Hey, Anarkali!
After you,
the thing that was
buried alive
in this country
was democracy only.
And Kalaignar’s reaction to this was that the dissolution of the government was a blessing because we could get a splendid poem! In a different context, Vairamuthu could come out with another jewel of a poem.
When it sets in the west
the sun shows only its face,
not its back; victory is certain.
The second grand tribute is by the scholar, A.S. Gnanasambandan on the occasion of the release of Kalaignar’s commentary on Tirukkural:
What Johnson said of Goldsmith is true of only Kalaignar Karunanidhi in Tamilnadu: “Everything he touched became gold; and he left nothing untouched.”
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