M. Karunanidhi: The Journey of a Visionary Leader in Indian Politics

"M. Karunanidhi, a name that reverberates not only in the realm of Tamilnadu politics but also holds immense significance in the broader landscape of Indian politics. His political expedition commenced long before the independence of India, and he emerged as a trailblazer among the leaders of the Dravidian movement. On the occasion of Kalaignar's birth anniversary, we have curated a collection of significant milestones that moulded his extraordinary life.

The following chronological compilation highlights several noteworthy milestones in his life, presented as a mere selection."

1924 : M. Karunanidhi was born on 03.06.1924 to Muthuvelar and Anjugam Ammaiyar in Thirukkuvalai, a town near Nagapattinam which was then Chennai Province.

1938 : During the tenure of Chief Minister Rajagopalachari, Hindi was made compulsory in schools, sparking a significant response from the public. Among those who vehemently opposed this decision was M. Karunanidhi, who was studying in a high school in Thiruvarur at the time. Karunanidhi called for a collective effort against this imposition of Hindi, rallying people to join what he referred to as the "Hindi War." He actively participated in the anti-Hindi movement, which aimed to protect the linguistic and cultural rights of the Tamil-speaking population.

1941: He established a student organization known as the Student Council and assumed the role of its president. This forum achieved the notable distinction of being the inaugural student organization within the Dravidian movement.

1942 : M. Karunanidhi first met Anna, a scholar whom M. Karunanidhi considered more than his life, in 1942.

1942 : 'Murasoli' began its journey as a pamphlet but eventually evolved into a monthly magazine, officially commencing publication on August 10, 1942.

On 28.05.1944, Karunanidhi staged his first play 'Santa (or) Palaniappan' at Tiruvarur in a Theatre, known as Baby Talkies.

1945: M. Karunanidhi met Periyar at the Dravida Kazhagam conference in Pondicherry. He invited him to work on his weekly magazine 'Kudi Arasu'. He started working as an assistant editor from 1945. He worked on it for around 11 months.

1946 : M. Karunanidhi made his debut as a screenwriter in the film 'Rajakumari'.

1949 : Annadurai started the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in the pouring rain at Robinson Park, Chennai. M. Karunanidhi was appointed as general committee and campaign committee member of DMK.

1951 : One side work in film industry. Party work on the other side. Between these, M. Karunanidhi took charge as the editor of 'Malai Mani' magazine.

1952 : 'Parasakthi' which revolutionized the world of Tamil cinema with the script of M. Karunanidhi was released. This film, which swept the wave of rationality, received strong reception. Sivaji Ganesan made his debut as the protagonist.

1953 : On 04.01.1953, M. Karunanidhi carried the piled handloom cloth on his shoulder and sold it street by street in Chennai to relieve the woes of the weavers. He led a protest to change the name of Dalmiyapuram, a town named after an industrialist, to Kallakudi in beautiful Tamil. During the agitation, Karunanidhi was arrested and imprisoned for 6 months.

1954: In this year, 3 films namely 'Manohara, Malaikallan, Ammaiyappan' were released. All three were super duper hits. 'Malaikallan' became the first Tamil film to win the President's Award.

1956: His two films 'Raja Rani' and 'Rangoon Radha' were released as a treat for the screen fans.

1957 : He entered the Legislative Assembly for the first time in the general elections held in 1957, and successfully contested from Kulithlai constituency in Trichy district. In his first assembly speech on 04.05.1957 he spoke about the Nangavaram farmers' struggle.

In the same year, his 2 films 'Puthaiyal' and 'Puthumaipithan' were released on the screen.

1960 : Elected as Treasurer of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam on 25.09.1960 through the General Election. In the same year, the films 'Kuravanji' and 'Ellarum Innattu Mannar' were released.

1961: 2 films 'Thayilla Pillai' and 'Iruvar Ullam' were released with Karunanidhi's active participation.

1962 : Karunanidhi won the Tanjore constituency in the 1962 Assembly elections and became the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly.

1963 : In 1963, when the anti-Hindi movement was raging in Tamil Nadu, Karunanidhi was appointed as the head of the Anti-Hindi Movement Committee by the DMK to protect the Tamil language.

1964 : In 1964, Karunanidhi took charge as the Chairman of the Chennai Municipal Election Committee. Karunanidhi was praised for the party's victory in the election and Annadurai gifted him a ring.

On 15.06.1964 Karunanidhi, then treasurer of the association, opened DMK's youth office 'Anbagam' in Teynampet chennai Chennai.

1965 : On 16.02.1965, Karunanidhi was arrested during the agitation as a part of language war.

1966 : On 18.09.1966, Karunanidhi staged his play 'Kaagidha Poo'.

1967 : DMK held in Chennai on December 29, 30, 31 and January 1, 1967. In the 4th state conference, he gave Rs. 11 lakh as election funds to the party's general secretary Annadurai. After that, he wanted to contest from Saidapet constituency. Annadurai announced the name of all the candidates in the introduction meeting of the candidates. But he kept quiet for a while while naming the Saidapet candidate. After that Annadurai said 'Saidapet 11 lakhs'. The volunteers cheered till their hands hurt.

1969 : DMK leader Annadurai passed away on 03.02.1969. It was a huge loss for whole Tamil Nadu. M. Karunanidhi wrote a poem, "Give your heart temporarily Anna", as a tribute to Annadurai. It is the colloquialism of Tamil Nadu. Annadurai's funeral gathering was featured in the Guinness Book of World Records.

Following the death of Annadurai, Karunanidhi was elected as the Legislative Party Leader on 09.02.1969 with the unanimous support of the DMK legislators and was sworn in as the Chief Minister on 10.02.1969. And on 7.07.1969, in the 4th general meeting of DM Kazhagam, Karunanidhi was elected for the first time as the president of DM Kazhagam.

1971 : On 15.03.1971, Karunanidhi took charge as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the second time after contesting and winning Saidapet Assembly Constituency.

1973 : Periyar passed away on 24.12.1973. Even though there was no such rule, the then Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi issued a governenet notification and ordered to bury Periyar's body with state honors.

1974 : In this year, Karunanidhi did something that India will look back on. On August 15, 1974, the Independence Day, he won the right of the state chief ministers to hoist the national flag at the Fort St. George after a long fight with central powers. It is said to be one of his biggest achievements till date.

1977 : In the 1977 assembly elections, he won the Annanagar assembly constituency and became the leader of opposition in the assembly.

1979 : In 1979, he led the Black Flag March to include Tamil among the official langusges of central government.

1981 : On September 15, 1981, Karunanidhi spearheaded a protest advocating for the welfare of Eelam Tamils. However, in response, the state government arrested Karunanidhi and detained him in prison.

1983: Karunanidhi resigned from his position as a member of the Legislative Assembly condemning the massacre of Eelam Tamils in Sri Lanka in 1983.

1986 : In 1986, he actively opposed the imposition of the Hindi language. As a result, he was apprehended and incarcerated under the provisions of Article 17 of the Constitution.

1987 : On 15.09.1987 he inaugurated the Anna Arivalayam which is now the DMK head office.

1989 : On 27.01.1989, he won the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly Elections from the Harbour constituency and became the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the 3rd time. During his tenure as the Chief Minister, Karunanidhi gave 20 percent reservation to the most backward community on 28.03.1989. Just after two months, on 06.05.1989, he passed the law which gave women equal rights to property as men.

1990 : On 25.05.1990 he received the 'Maamannan Raja Rajan' of Tanjore Tamil University from the then President Shankar Dayal Sharma for his book 'Thenpandi Singam'. President Sharma also gifted a gold pen to him. He also conferred the title of Muthamizharingar.

On 07.08.1990, Karunanidhi passed a resolution in the Legislative Assembly, accepting the Mandal Commission report and ordered 27 percent reservation for the backward in central government jobs.

1991 : Taking advantage of President R. Venkatraman's refusal to intervene and the presence of the Chandrasekhar-led Central Government, Governor Surjit Singh Barnala dissolved the Karunanidhi government on January 30, 1991.

1996 : In 1996, DMK won the Tamil Nadu assembly elections and formed the government with full majority. Karunanidhi became the Chief Minister for the 4th time after winning the Harbour constituency.

1997 : In order to realize Periyar's dream of eradicating caste inequality, he came up with the project 'Samathuvapuram'.

2000 : On 1.1.2000, Karunanidhi installed a statue of Thiruvalluvar at Kanyakumari. On 4.7.2000, he inaugurated "Tidel Park" at Taramani as a ground breaking initiative in the IT sector.

2001 : During the Jayalalithaa regime, on July 30, 2001, Karunanidhi was arrested at midnight. However, due to a massive protest that ensued outside the jail, he was released on the very same day.

2004: During 2004 Parliamentary elections, Karunanidhi joined hand with United Progressive Alliance of Sonia Gandhi. The alliance won 40 out of 40 seats in Tamil Nadu. After that Manmohan Singh became the Prime Minister and DMK participated in the cabinet.

2005 : On 2.7.2005, "Sethusamudram Project" was launched.

2006 : On 13.5. 2006, Tamil Nadu Assembly election results were announced and DMK registered a big win. Karunanidhi won his home town Tiruvarur and became the Chief Minister for the 5th time.

2007 : "Golden Jubilee of Kalaignar in Politics" for working in the political field for half a century was celebrated on 11,12.5.2007. On 13.9.2007 he enacted the Ordinance for reservation of separate seats for Muslims and Christians to protect the welfare of minorities. On 7.11.2007 the Cabinet gave its nod to the Chennai Metro Rail project at a cost of Rs 9757 crore. On 10.6.2009 Deputy Chief Minister M. K. Stalin laid the foundation stone and started the work as per Karunanidhi's advice.

2009 : Karunanidhi underwent spinal cord surgery on 11.2.2009. On 26.2.2009, Karunanidhi passed the 3% internal reservation in education and employment for Arundhati people. It may be noted that Kalaignar Medical Insurance Scheme was launched on 23.7.2009 in the same year.

2010 : The new Secretariat Building built by Karunanidhi was inaugurated by Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 13.3.2010. Anna Centenary Library was opened in Chennai on 15.9.2010 under his rule.

2011 : On 13.5.2011, Karunanidhi registered a landslide victory from Tiruvarur constituency.

2016 : On May 19, 2016, Karunanidhi emerged victorious in the assembly election for the 13th time, securing an impressive 68 thousand votes in the Tiruvarur constituency. His reputation grew for consistently winning every election he contested. However, on December 1, 2016, Karunanidhi was admitted to the hospital due to declining health. After making a successful recovery, he was able to return home on December 23, 2016.

2018 : On July 29, 2018, a report was issued by the hospital stating that Karunanidhi's health had significantly deteriorated. Tragically, Karunanidhi passed away at 6:10 pm on August 7, 2018, marking the end of an era in his remarkable journey.