Kalaignar Muthuvel Karunanidhi – The architect of the Tamil Deal

Muthuvel Karunanidhi (fondly called Kalaignar) died on 7th August 2018 at the age of 94. His death brings to end the generation of people who saw the transformation of politics in Tamil Nadu through the Dravidian movement. The Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu which spread to most parts of India was the Tamil version of ‘New Deal‘. In my mind, it was also a movement that anticipated and prevented a massive civil war between the North of India and the South.  Muthuvel Karunanidhi was one of the key architects of this deal. I do not want to write this as a Tribute as I do not revere or worship him as an individual. I want to intertwine my adulation of the Dravidian movement with his contribution.

For many like myself, Karunanidhi or Kalignar was a writer, an activist, a politician and an orator par excellence. The millennials and the brainwashed caste addicts of Tamil Nadu might have a different viewpoint from mine. For his detractors, Karunanidhi was also a typical politician, a hypocrite, a pseudo-atheist, a corrupt leader who was charged with both bribery and nepotism. I want to acknowledge these facts. Karunanidhi is definitely guilty of nepotism, corruption, self-indulgence and in some instances abetting political crimes including murder. However, I also see a partisanship in some of his detractors. His detractors mostly support others who do the exact same mistakes. Irrespective of what one thinks of him, his impact on the political arena in Tamil Nadu cannot be overstated.

The Dravidian movement started with the formation of the Justice Party which was predominantly non-brahmin elites. However, it wasn’t until EV Ramasamy and Annadurai joined hands did the movement get any direction and traction. Actor turned politician Kamalhasan rightly pointed out that the people who led the Dravidian resurgence movement during the mid-twentieth century were actually the men of the hour. The situation was ripe to fight the status-quo. However, someone has to still fight the battle. I want to highlight a few critical aspects of the movement.

Revolution through literary arts

The early Dravidian movement also created a resurgence of Tamil literary arts. The beauty in the words of Annadurai, Kannadasan and Karunanidhi captivated and mesmerised the readers. They used the performing arts sectors like stage plays and movies to gravitate people towards this renaissance of Tamil Literature. Their ability to combine revolutionary ideas with humour and realism was mindblowing. Annadurai’s Velaikari, Oru Iravu and Karunanidhi’s Kagithapoo, Thookkumedai were stage plays which transformed the field of their times. They harnessed the power of literature to send a message that resonated with oppressed classes. Their philosophy resonated with women, people belonging to discriminated castes and working communities. It was a movement to emancipate the communities. There is also a part of me which feels for their speeches not becoming as famous as the ones of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, even among the Tamil speaking people of today. I fear more know about ‘I have a dream’ than the words of Annadurai.

Fight without destroying the democratic fabric

Most of the revolutions of their times destroyed the democratic fabric of the society. When the Dravidian movement started gaining momentum, India and with that Tamil nation had recently obtained the rights of self-determination from the British. While the movement in its early stages was definitely separationist, it was never non-democratic. Annadurai was always in favour of contesting elections and winning the hearts and minds of people. This brought him at loggerheads with his partner E.V. Ramasamy.

Just for history, E.V. Ramasamy affectionately called Periyar and  Annadurai, parted ways firstly on India gaining Independence from British Rule. Periyar felt that being ruled by the British will be better for the oppressed castes and Annadurai was fundamentally opposed to that. Annadurai was for the rights of the people federate and self-determine. Annadurai broke from the parent organisation Dravidar Kazhagam to form Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, a political movement which later became a political party.

While Freedom from aliens was ringing in the air, the Dravidian community wanted freedom of identity. Post Independence, the Madras Presidency or the State of Madras was ruled by the Congress Party under Chakravarti Rajagopalachari. Much like what Periyar feared, South of India also referred to as Madras State was ruled by Brahmins and people in support of the North Indian rule.  The imposed learning Hindi and caste-based vocational training. The Dravidian movement opposed the status-quo. However, they didn’t do it by going out of the systems. It was never a call to move out of the social democratic structure being set up. It was a call for national identity and federated powers without destroying what worked.

Project the federated nature of the Indian union

As I mentioned in my previous point, the movement was a call to federate the country. Surprisingly, the rejection of the federal structure was the primary reason behind the creation of both Pakistan and Bangladesh(East Pakistan). Jawaharlal Nehru wasn’t the one to relinquish the powers. He had a vision with him in the lead. It was much like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore. Once people get a sense of freedom, it can be addictive and dignifying. The underrepresented communities of India started to call for federation. The Dravidian movement called for a separate Dravidian state. The central government under Jawaharlal Nehru had to give up its powers to keep the Indian Union intact. The process continued to reorganise states on a quasi-linguistic basis.

Once the Indian Union federated its structure, the Dravidian struggled continued to fight for identity and representation. The ruling members didn’t represent the culture, views and aspirations of the people. The Dravidian movement was a correction phenomenon. It was a correction which intended to

1. Fight for the Right to self-determine for the ethnic Dravidians
2. Fight against the mandatory learning of Hindi as a second language and move focus to learn the native languages
3. Fight against the rule of the minority Brahmin community
4. Fight against the educational system promoting caste-based vocational training

Non-violent rationalism

I am neither a pacifist nor a Gandhi follower. However, I appreciate a non-violent struggle where appropriate, especially in a democratic setting. The Dravidian movement started as a movement for rationalism in a non-violent fashion. It is true that there were elements of violence by some members, but the movement overall didn’t have strands of extremism. Their brand of rationalism encompassed secular pluralism and individual liberty. It utilised freedom of speech, expression and protest to drive the philosophy. I have to appreciate their approach.

In conclusion, I want to pay my respects to the literary works of a great writer in a language I love and hold dear. I will wrap up by sharing his words.

“வீழ்வது நாமாக இருப்பினும், வாழ்வது தமிழாக இருக்கட்டும்.”

Even if he has disappeared into eternal solitude, the words of Kalaignar Muthuvel Karunanidhi and Annadurai will remain with the Tamil lovers for generations.

“தனிமை போன்ற ஒரு கொடுமையும் இல்லை; அதைப்போல் ஒரு உண்மையான நண்பனும் இல்லை.”