Karunanidhi: Ideologue, patriarch and towering figure in Dravidian politics

Few politicians could claim to leave behind a political legacy as brilliant as M Karunanidhi, and that is even more impressive if you consider his origins

 

If there was anyone who excelled in the art of the possible, it was Muthuvel Karunanidhi, (Mu Ka in Tamil), the patriarch of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). Days before he passed away on Tuesday (August 7, 2018), the DMK on July 27 observed the 50th anniversary of his presidentship of the party.

Few politicians can claim to leave behind such a brilliant political legacy. This is even more impressive if you consider his origins. Born in 1924 in Tamil Nadu’s Thanjavur district to parents who belonged to the Isai Vellalar community, Karunanidhi saw the inequity of