Why is MK Stalin named after Russian tyrant Joseph Stalin?

Coming to the name of MK Stalin, it was a spur of the moment decision by M Karunanidhi.

Chennai, Aug 28: Stalin is really an odd name for a Tamilian. Former DMK chief M Karunanidhi was at the forefront of Dravidian movement, which was essentially about Tamil pride, and for him to have chosen a non-Tamil name for his son is odd in one sense.

Another reason why it is unusual is that former Russian ruler Joseph Stalin, after whom the current DMK was named, was know as a ruthless ruler and the western media see him as someone responsible for unimaginable crimes including ethnic clensing, mass executions and repression.

Coming to the name of MK Stalin, it was a spur of the moment decision by M Karunanidhi. It so happened that on the day of Stalin's birth in March 1953, Karunanidhi was attending a condolence meeting for Russian Communist party leader. On learning about the birth of a boy about which Karunanidhi was informed during a speech, he instantly announced that he will be naming his son after the Communist leader.

It must be recalled that Communism was popular in India in the 1950s and 1960s. The popularity of Communism dwindled in India after the disintegration of Soviet Union. In the 1950s, several leaders of the Communist Party of India upheld Stalin as a great leader, even years after his death. Those were also times when ties between New Delhi and Moscow were close which continued till the 1980s.

Another interesting fact is that surname 'Stalin' was not Joseph Stalin's real name. He was born as Joseph Jugashvili. It is not exactly known about how did the Russian ruler start using "Stalin".

As per reports, MK Stalin has himself admited that his name is an exception and that he would prefer the Tamil people to choose Tamil names. He is said to have urged the people of Tamil Nadu to give Tamil names to their children.