August 07, 2018
Muthuvel Karunanidhi, one of India's longest serving politicians, died Tuesday at the age of 94.
Indian political icon Muthuvel Karunanidhi dies at 94
Karunanidhi, chief of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in southern Tamil Nadu state, was admitted into hospital on July 28 after a drop in his blood pressure.
A statement released by the hospital said that "despite the best possible efforts of our team of doctors and nurses to resuscitate him, he failed to respond".
"We have lost a deep-rooted mass leader, prolific thinker, accomplished writer and a stalwart whose life was devoted to the welfare of the poor and the marginalized," tweeted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Thousands gathered outside Kauvery hospital in the city of Chennai to offer their condolences.
Karunanidhi, a former scriptwriter in the Tamil film industry, has served as the state's chief minister five times in the past.

Early years
Born June 3, 1924 in Tamil Nadu's Tiruvarur district, Karunanidhi took to social activism during his early teens.
He was a follower of Periyar E.V. Ramasamy, a social activist and politician who started the Self-Respect Movement that fought to end discrimination against the lower castes.
As a high school student, Karunanidhi founded the Tamil Nadu Tamil Manavar Mandram, the first student wing of the Dravidian Movement, which campaigned against the notion that Brahmins, the highest caste in Hinduism, in Tamil Nadu and Hindi speakers from northern India were considered superior.
Karunanidhi also started a school newspaper that mushroomed into the 'Murasoli', now known as the DMK's official newspaper.
After dropping out of high school, he went on to work as a scriptwriter.
He soon became close to fellow screenwriter C.N. Annadurai, who also happened to be the founder of the DMK and later went on to become the first chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

Changing minds through movies
Through their work, the pair began to use film to push their political agenda.
"In the early years of the party, film was used to promote the message of social reform and Dravidian "self-respect", themes arising out of the earlier non-Brahmin movement and especially from the Self-Respect Movement, with whom the DMK leaders had been associated before breaking away to form the political party. Of these early films, Karunanidhi's "Parasakthi" ("The Goddess") stunned Tamil audiences," Robert L. Hardgrave Jr., Temple Professor Emeritus of the Humanities in Government and Asian Studies at the University of Texas, told CNN.
Several DMK figures were involved in the film industry before venturing into politics.
Actors S.S. Rajendran won a seat in local elections in 1962 and M.G. Ramachandran became chief minister after he left the DMK to set up his own party, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK), following differences with Karunanidhi.
"Film artists brought glamor and electoral support to the DMK. Fan clubs mobilized support for the party and voter turnout during elections," according to Hardgrave Jr.
"As the DMK began to engage in electoral politics, the hard edge of social reform in its films was softened and the films increasingly became vehicles for promoting the party as such rather than reform ideology."

Political rise
Popularly known as "Kalaignar", Tamil for artist, Karunanidhi made his foray into politics in 1957 when he was elected to the legislative assembly of what was then known as Madras state.
In 1961, he was made treasurer of the DMK and deputy leader of the opposition when the party made its debut in the state assembly the following year.
Karunanidhi swiftly rose up the ranks. Following the death of Annadurai in 1969, he took over as leader of the DMK and as chief minister, a post he would hold for nearly 18 years over five separate terms.
In the years that followed, the state government alternated between Karunanidhi and its main political rival, the AIADMK.
The DMK will now be led by M.K. Stalin, Karunanidhi's son and successor.
He is survived by four sons and two daughters.
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.