With his trademark glasses, Karunanidhi lies in state with his first child Murasoli

Chennai, Aug 8: One of Tamil Nadu's tallest leaders and five time chief minister, M Karunanidhi is no more. His body has been kept at state at the Rajaji Hall in Chennai for people to pay their last respects.

Dressed in his traditional white attire, yellow shawl and his dark glasses, a copy of his brainchild, Murasoli has been kept besides his body.

Karunanidhi always said that Murasoli which is a Tamil language newspaper is his first child. Murasoli was first published as a pamphlet. Murasoli was started in Tiruvarur on 10 August 1942, during the World War II, by Karunanidhi when he was 18 years old.

Its earliest editions were in form of handwritten notices authored by Karunanidhi under the pen name "Cheran". Until 1944, it was issued as a leaflet. Its publication had to be stopped in the mid-1940s due to lack of paper. It resumed as a weekly magazine on 14 January 1948. The newspaper headquarters were moved to Chennai in 1954. From 17 September 1960, it has been published as a daily. As of 2017, the newspaper has a circulation of 70,000 copies.