DMK chief M Karunanidhi, whose party is a key constituent of the ruling UPA coalition at the Centre, turned 89 on Sunday.
Keeping to his customary style, the DMK patriarch was up early and started the day by planting a sapling to mark his birthday even as scores of supporters thronged his CIT Colony residence, which was all decked up for the occasion.
He later paid homage at the memorials of his mentors, DMK founder CN Annadurai and Dravidar Kazhagam founder EV Ramasamy here.
The cloud of 2G spectrum allocation, in which Karunanidhi's daughter Kanimozhi and junior colleague and former telecom minister A Raja are accused, also hangs over the Dravidian party.