Kalignar

when did I hear his name ..maybe the same day I was born..because my grandfather has joked …this brat has brought me immense joy but also my party has become into two..same day Admk was formed I was born ..18 th October 1972.

earliest memories when I was asked to take leave from school and go to my village Kalignar is coming. he has visited our home from 1950s and in 1977 it was one among his many visits home.

He has visited home as an ordinary worker of DMK, MLA, chief minister, and leader of the opposition.

I am told have been on his lap, have been with him in a drive from குமாரபாளையம் to erode in 1986 when the state agricultural conference was named after my grandfather.

Although have been to கோபாலபுரம் and அறிவாலயம் with my father many times, after many years in-between met him in a personal interview 2016 elections interview … he was not doing very well ..

Thiru.துரைமுருகன் அய்யா , பேராசிரியர் அன்பழகன், and few others were interviewing .. துரைமுருகன் அய்யா seeing the name of my village and address asked me.

Kuttappalayam Swaminthana ..என்னாகுது உங்களுக்கு …I said Tatha nga.

He got excited and told perasiriar Anna namma kuttappalayam sawimantha Anna peran and asked me unga appovum நானும் pachiappas college mates solliirukara and I told him yes and. a small incident too.

An immediate response from Kalignar maga வைத்து பெறன மகண ? I said Magan ..and few questions from Thiru Stalin was in fact answered by kalignar about family background etc ..and he told me your grandmother too was a strong fighter.

I told her to contest in 1977 if ur grandfather was not released from Coimbatore prison as Misa detainee in the Palani constituency for parliament against Thiru C.S.சுப்ரமணியம் than union finance minister of India. ( eventually, my grandfather was released and did contest the MP election though he lost ).

That was the last time I spoke to him …last meeting was two months back as I wanted my daughter to meet him and get to know her great grand father’s dear தலைவர் and friend ….

my earliest memories of kalignar house were one could simply walk in.. there used to be big banana bunch with hundreds of bananas and one can have enough …

if it’s lunchtime have lunch .. it used to be a house for all …no restrictions or bandobast. as school students in Chennai have been with my father many times to meet him ..

chief minister or opposition leader all it took was a chit of paper with the name and one will be called to meet ….

a true democrat who always stood with the subaltern and poor… tireless worker, never give up attitude, greatest orator, writer, lyricist, ruler, friend, guide and philosopher.

he never advocated violence was a staunch believer in pluralism, one could get angry with him, fight with him, debate with him and he will be fine with u.

an incident in the recent past ..2010. one of the DMK s woman leader during parties council meeting spoke about NREGA and has complained that it’s difficult to get farm workers for which he has replied to ask farmers to pay a little more.. and also explained it’s a union act of parliament nothing can be done.

The debate gets on and he gets angry with her. she is hurt.

Kalignar comes to Coimbatore for semozhi mahanadu in 2010 and finds she is not there in the railway station to receive him . ( thats another big story he will travel either by road or train only within the state. )

he asks his secretary to call her and asks her .. kovama ? appa appa nu kupuduva. unga appikitta kovuchikuviya. end of the issue she comes in the fastest way possible. thats kalignar.

like this, i have hundreeds of events and memories which have etched in my mind. There cannot be a single person in Tamilnadu who will not have andecote or story to recite about him .

according to me, he is one of the most unlucky politicians of india because of the sheer volume of a hate campaign that ran against him.

its difficult to be in public life, be a social justice crusader, sub altern supporter ( who have no say in media or dissemination of news) , atheist ( thats enough reason for all believers to get irritated), language issue list is long.

Those in power and who felt have lost their power worked tirelessly to project him as corrupt etc.words such as wily, cunning, shrewd were constantly used against him to portray a image of a cunning man for obvious hate. They had the media, money and power to run a systematic campagian.

The national English media which even today is watched by maybe 3 % always used to portray him as wily.

Nothing could kill his spirit . once he has joked.

why is that fellow scolding us ? we have not done any good for him yet . meaning whichever people or groups he has helped to come up some turn against him ….

former MLA of Pondicherry Thuru.Ramanathan and few others were together….

one of them has asked him a group of people keep on finding fault with you .. whatever good you do .why do you keep on thinking and working for common good ? he has replied in his usual way…

Thats the kind of people we are. if we don’t work for such people who will be easily brain washed who Will worry about them ? so let’s work and not worry about rewards.

Taking about corruption …there is a myth which was created around him that he was corrupt..for the kind of enemity he had if only he could have been convicted by a court of law will his enemies have left him alone?

while talking about him last week with a group of friends i opined .. i think kalignar retired from politics when he saw the opponents he had after the demise of Ms.Jayalalitha or Amma.

for somebody who debated and indulged in politics with towering personalities like Pandit Nehuru, Mrs.Indra Gandhi, Thiru. Rajaji, Anna, Kamarajar ayya, Thiru Kaliyannan, Thiru. Omandurar, Thiru . Subbarayan, Thiru .C.S.Subramaniam, Mr.A.B.Vajpayee, Mr.L.K.Advani, Thiru .R.Venkataraman, Thiru. Ramaswamy Padiyachi, almost 12 prime ministers of india, Thiru.M.G.R., Ms.Jayalalitha etc …he considered it a insult to deal with the present day jokers ruling Tamilnadu.

I have never heard of him enjoying a holiday or weekend rest. He always worked worked worked …

Kaliagnar rests finally…

You will never be forgotten … Until the Tamil race lives. .

#kaliagnar
– Karthikeya Sivasenapathy
08/08/2018