"Sacrificed my love for principles", says Karunanidhi

Chennai, May 29: Batting for self-respect marriages, DMK president M Karunanidhi today went nostalgic, recalling that he had chosen principles over his ladylove when he was asked to marry her under usual rituals.

Speaking at a marriage function here, the 89-year-old self-styled reformist said, the parents of his ladylove had in 1944 expressed their intention of marrying off their daughter to him only under orthodox ritual customs but he had refused.

"They said they cannot allow a self-respect style of marriage (which is devoid of chanting of hymns and the sacred thread meant for women) and said they cannot give their daughter in marriage if the wedding was not solemnised under orthodox customs," he said.

Karunanidhi said he refused to accept their terms and thus did not marry the woman "I loved."

He said he was later married to Dayalu and the couple had four children--M K Alagiri, M K Stalin, M K Tamilarasu and Selvi-- and said self-respect marriages, aggressively endorsed by Dravidian veterans E V Ramasamy Periar and C N Annadurai, did not create any problems in his life.

PTI