M. Karunanidhi (3 June 1924 – 7 August 2018) was an Indian politician and writer who was Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times between 1969 and 2011 and president of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) from 1969 until his death. A celebrated screenwriter, playwright and orator in Tamil, he was known as “Kalaignar” (the artist). He won every election he contested over sixty years, thirteen times in all.
Quick Facts
| Birth name | Dakshinamurthy |
| Born | 3 June 1924, Thirukkuvalai, Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu), India |
| Died | 7 August 2018, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (aged 94) |
| Party | Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam |
| Office | Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (1969–1971, 1971–1976, 1989–1991, 1996–2001, 2006–2011) |
| Occupation | Politician, screenwriter, author |
| Known as | Kalaignar |
| Children | Including M. K. Stalin, M. K. Alagiri and Kanimozhi |
Early Life
Karunanidhi was born in the village of Thirukkuvalai in a family of temple musicians of the Isai Vellalar community. At 14, inspired by a speech of the Justice Party leader Alagiriswami, he joined the anti-Hindi agitation of 1938. He started a handwritten magazine and a students’ organisation, which became part of the Dravidian movement led by Periyar E. V. Ramasamy and C. N. Annadurai.
Writer
He began writing film scripts in the late 1940s. Parasakthi (1952), with its fiery dialogue attacking caste and superstition, introduced the actor Sivaji Ganesan and became a landmark of Tamil cinema. He wrote some 75 screenplays, among them Manohara and Poompuhar, as well as plays, novels, poetry and a multi-volume memoir, Nenjukku Needhi. His daily letters to party workers ran for decades in the DMK newspaper Murasoli, which he founded.
Political Career
A founding member of the DMK in 1949, he was first elected to the assembly from Kulithalai in 1957. He was a minister in Annadurai’s government in 1967 and succeeded him as Chief Minister and party leader on Annadurai’s death in 1969. In 1972 the film star M. G. Ramachandran left to form the AIADMK. Karunanidhi’s government was dismissed in January 1976 during the Emergency, which he had opposed.
He spent thirteen years in opposition while MGR ruled and returned as Chief Minister in 1989, 1996 and 2006. His rivalry with J. Jayalalithaa dominated the state for a quarter of a century. His governments extended reservations for backward classes, gave farmers free electricity, set up Tidel Park for the IT industry and won Tamil the status of a classical language in 2004. The DMK was a partner in coalition governments in New Delhi from 1996.
Personal Life and Death
Karunanidhi married three times: Padmavathi, Dayalu Ammal and Rajathi Ammal. His son M. K. Stalin succeeded him as DMK leader and became Chief Minister in 2021. He died in Chennai on 7 August 2018 and was buried at Marina Beach beside his mentor Annadurai.
Legacy
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was M. Karunanidhi born?
M. Karunanidhi was born on 3 June 1924 in Thirukkuvalai, Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu), India.
When did M. Karunanidhi die?
Died: 7 August 2018, Chennai, Tamil Nadu (aged 94).
What is M. Karunanidhi’s occupation?
Occupation: Politician, screenwriter, author.
Featured image: M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, New Delhi, 28 May 2007. Photo by Prime Minister’s Office, licensed under Government Open Data License – India, via Wikimedia Commons.
