Former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M Karunanidhi, who was one of the two poles in the state and was in public life for more than seven decades, died on Tuesday evening after waging a grim battle for life in a city hospital, leaving a void in the Dravidian politics and triggering nationwide mourning for an essentially regional leader.
"With deep anguish, we announce the demise of our beloved Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi at 6.20 p.m.," said a statement from Kauvery Hospital in the heart of Chennai where thousands of DMK cadres and fans had been camping for days hoping for a miraculous recovery.
"Despite the best possible efforts by a team of doctors and nurses to resuscitate him, he failed to respond. We profoundly mourned the loss of one of the tallest leaders of India and we share the grief of family members and fellow Tamilians worldwide," read the statement.
Over the years, his presence in the state defined the direction of politics and the shape it would take in coming years. His oratory played a major role in it.
Here are five of his political slogans that changed the way people of Tamil Nadu looked at local politics:
1. Odinaal odinaal, vazhkaiyin orathikae odinal (She ran, she fled to the very end of life).
2. Pathavienpathu oru mul keeridam ponrathu (Political position is like a crown of thorns).
3. Thunivuirunthal thookamillai, thunivuillathavanukkam thookamillai (The courageous have sleepless nights, and so do cowards).
4. Ezhivu seyium nanbargalaividai ethirthu nirkkum pakhaivar evalavo mel (The adversary who openly challenges you is far better than a friend who harms you on the sly).
5. Thanimai pondra oru kodimai illai... (Solitude is the worst torture...)
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