Express News Service
NAGAPATTINAM: Resolve of the residents of Thirukkuvalai, Karunanidhi’s birthplace, shattered to
smithereens once visuals of his mortal remains being carried out of the hospital flashed on television channels.
It was a nerve-wracking 11 days for the residents as they sat glued to television screens hoping against hope to hear news of the beloved son spring back to health. But that was not to be. On Tuesday evening, there was a groundswell of emotions as the villagers gathered at Muthuvelar Library, the place where Karunanidhi was born, and since been converted into a library in memory of his father.
The gathering shed caste, religion, or political affiliation and raised slogans praising the departed soul. Many were disinterested to speak to media who arrived in the village for a ground report.
E Jothibasu, a DMK functionary, told Express, “Many of us held back our emotions as news of his death came. But, we were overwhelmed by the visuals of our beloved leader inside a casket and we could
not control our tears. There was almost nothing that he did not do for the people of Tamil Nadu and Tamil literature. Our leader always had a special place in his heart for our village.”
A section of villagers rushed to board buses to Nagapattinam for onward journey to Chennai to pay their last respects. A police inspector summed up the day, “We heard only sound of wailing from almost every house in the town as we patrolled through the streets.”
Elsewhere in the district, a few incidents of road rokos were reported and were immediately cleared by police. Bus services were withdrawn after 7 pm on Tuesday evening. Cinema theatres cancelled shows for the night. A large number of people could be seen in fuel bunks and vegetable and supermarkets to stock up essentials for the next few days.
