Kalaignar: demise is the end of Dravidian politics era in Tamilnadu...

image from the web

Dravidian politics ruled Tamilnadu between the 60s and the 2000s. It was not strongly contested till the onset of globalization and arrival of the hindutva politics in the centre, both are of course related. Kalaignar built that Dravidian politics, through his oratory, tenacity, steadfastness, efficiency and conviction. A voracious reader, writer and diverse interest person, he was perhaps the most efficient CM of Tamilnadu - Kamaraj was the most creative one and MGR was the most charismatic one. What he lacked in charisma (because of which he couldn't come back to power as long as MGR was alive) to MGR, he made up through efficiency, institution building, instilling discipline and creating relationships that held the institution together. DMK party is his biggest legacy, an institution that today stands today as the biggest road block in the way of the BJPs juggernaut rolling out in southern India, the only party with the cadres in every constituency in Tamilnadu that can overcome his demise and continue, he built an institution that can last beyond his time. Neither MGR nor J could do it. MGR left a legacy that was confusion, if not for the strong personality and dominance of J, it would have ended with the next few elections and J was even worse, her party today is a shade of what it was during her time and will not be a force in the next elections, if it lasts that long.

Karunanidhi had several contradictions of course,  never challenged the colonial english language even as he fought hindi imposition tooth and nail. an atheist who reserved his  worst barbs for blind faiths in indian culture, he never hesitated to reach out to the minorities in appeasing manners, even some shady ones; opposing caste differences and promoting social justice, he could not assure the land rights be provided to the dalits in the state and even today the marginalized dalits and the tribals in the state are deprived of basic access to lands that belongs to them; an opponent of the centralization of powers and votary of decentralization, his party has not done much to ensure the strengthening of the panchayat system in tamilnadu.

Personally, he carried himself in a politically old fashioned dignified manner. He is probably the best visual media manager of a politician from the old school, the one visual of his arrest during the J period had left a huge mark on the watching public much before the onslaught of the 24x7 news television started in full form in India. He respected public sentiments as long as it didn't seem to be in conflict with his ideology.  I personally know one occasion when he changed a policy when he learnt of its possible negative effect. He has been known to be a disciplinarian in his later life and practice pranayama, strict diet and time regulations to sustain himself in the old age.

Of course, every Tamil person will never forgive him for the mess that was the last days of the war in Sri Lanka,2009. But, the more one gets to know the complexity of it, the more I am not sure what were the perceived options at his level during that time. I was hopeful and did look forward to someday him writing the obit for Prabhakaran. it would have been the best obit written to Prabhakaran in the language if he had done it. Other weakness that became even more pronounced during the last decade of his life was the fixation with the family and dependence on the family and immediate circle for everything. some of them have shown to be extremely corrupt and conviction less in their behaviour. while corruption in itself is a larger issue, the  lack of another rung with convictions must have been deeply telling for him. dravidian history may be in a shaky wicket always, but, the politics was built on deep convictions that created a history out of a colonial contentions myth, in the process it created for tamilnadu the roadmap of success through efficient education, private industrialization and progressive civil society creation. authoritarianism that was brought in by J in the last 15 years of tamilnadu politics also rubbed off on DMK, but, this cannot take away from the party and the state its deep commitment to democracy and democratic principles.

today, when the wearers of nationalism badge often want to portray everyone into polar opposites, commitment to democracy ensures an appreciation of diversity even if it is not always complimentary. that has been sustained by the dravidian movement in the state. today despite its brahmin bashing, anti-hindi and rationality rhetorics for 50 years, many of the media houses continue to be brahmin dominated as much as other institutions, almost all commercial industries employ and communicate with people who can only speak hindi across tamilnadu and tamilnadu has the widest diverse denomination of prominent religions. maybe that's why it is difficult for some agencies to find entry here.

RIP Kalaignar. you will be missed in this state as a leader and a pillar for commitment to your convictions and nationalism even as you asserted the regional identity and its relevance as strength for nationalism.