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A.S. Panneerselvan
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Karunanidhi Hardcover – March 15, 2021

by A. S. Panneerselvan (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 157 ratings
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Writer-turned-politician Muthuvel Karunanidhi is amongst the most important political figures India has ever seen. He was the chief minister of Tamil Nadu for five terms and leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) for over five decades. Still remembered for his controversial but fruitful career as a regional leader, his contribution to Tamil history and culture has been invaluable. Meticulously researched and deeply engrossing, Karunanidhi: A Life delves into the life and times of this unforgettable man.
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    420 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    India Viking
  4. Publication date
    March 15, 2021
  5. Dimensions
    8.5 x 5.31 x 1.11 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0670082945
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0670082940
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

A.S. Panneerselvanis the readers' editor at The Hindu, an adjunct faculty at Asian College of Journalism and the executive director at Panos South Asia.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ India Viking (March 15, 2021)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 420 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0670082945
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0670082940
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.36 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 5.31 x 1.11 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 157 ratings

About the author

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A.S. Panneerselvan

A.S. Panneerselvan

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4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
157 global ratings

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Top reviews from other countries

IR
5.0 out of 5 stars Well researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2021
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Does not feel like an autobiography, well written and touches most of the misconceived and illrepresented points of MK's life
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Santhosh Guru
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read book to understand Tamilnadu and Dravidian politics
Reviewed in India on April 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
This is a phenomenal book. Extremely well researched and eloquently written.

I am a Telugu-mother-tongued Tamil person living in Chennai. I am a non-Brahmin but have always been fed a Brahmin-centric media diet in Tamilnadu (Vikatan, Kalki, The Hindu, and Thuglak) in my formative years. I have not heard any praise about DMK, DK, or Karunanidhi from the media or the people around me.

It took a lot of time for me to realize the works of Periyar in Tamilnadu. But even in Dravidian circles and Left-centric media, Annadurai and Karunanidhi are not recognized at all. I have heard people abusing them because they are corrupt, indecent, violent, and blah blah. But the narrative about MGR and JJ was different. I was told MGR and JJ are heroes, but DMK and Karunanidhi are the villains. I am sure the popular narrative is built around this even now. JJ is a strong lady with great conviction; MGR is a good-hearted man with great compassion for the poor and social upliftment. But Karunanidhi is corrupt, sly, nepotistic.

For the economic revolution that has happened in Tamilnadu, the story goes like this. Kamaraj was the kalvi-thanthai, MGR brought in the mid-day meal scheme, JJ ably administered the state which bought so many industries and set up the economic revolution in TN. All Karunanidhi did was squander the wealth, built Sun TV media empire, 2G scam, and did "scientific corruption."

But the story didn't add up for me because of this. The Congress party led by Kamaraj went out of power in 1967. MGR was in power from 1977 to 1987. How did magically the TN transform in these decades? None of the popular narratives gave a good answer for this. I could see more stories spun out on MGR and JJ but not one credible story of Kalaignar.

This book is a great window to understand the history of Tamilnadu, the uprising of the Dravidian movement through the life of Kalaignar Karunanidhi. This book is a master class on how the seeds for affirmative action and social justice were planted early in the political minds of Tamilnadu. How KK was a true flag bearer for the Dravidian principles but shunned away from the radical methods of Periyar or Communists. He shrewdly understood the leverage he had and like a true Stoic, he changed only what he could change. He did a damn great job with it by working within the constitutional framework and yet demanding for decentralization of power from central government.

What I learned from this book is his statesman-like view of things. While Periyar demanded Dravida Nadu, Anna and KK used Dravida Nadu as leverage and bargained for more power to the states. He envisioned the same for Srilankan Tamils but things went beyond his control. I truly appreciated the chapter on his nuanced approach to Srilankan Tamils but almost everyone in India and the media failed to understand it.

I felt a bit ashamed to view him always in a bad light and thinking highly of JJ and MGR and their impact. Now I understand the power of Brahmin-dominated media (with the likes of Cho Ramasamy and SS Vasan) shaping the narrative of Tamilnadu but consciously editing DMK and KK out of it.

If you want to understand why Tamilnadu is different, why we have strong opinions about Hindi imposition or NEET or reservation, you need to read the book. Or if you simply want to know why we don't have people like Arnab Goswami in Tamil news media, this book has an answer for this.

If you are someone like me: Who respects Periyar but had viewed DMK and Kalaignar with skepticism, this book is for you.

If you are someone who believes the answer for social welfare is in the Left and the principles of Marx, this is a story of an intellectual who has done a great experiment in the Indian context and succeeded in it. You should read it too.
83 people found this helpful
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5.0 out of 5 stars A lesson perseverance
Reviewed in India on October 26, 2021
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I liked the narrative and documented well, the book should have been completed till the great man demise. The author has well written about an out of box person who was not educationally qualified himself but he had to compete with his peers who were invariably well qualified educationally, he is not from a favoured caste or his family had a big social background nor he was from a metropolitan town, he is from a village which is far off from any major urban set up, Thus a man who rose from a non descript background has made to the Pinnacle of glory. The author has seamlessly provided the readers a good biography, which our youngsters must read to fight with perseverance and dedication to make it to the top.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Well written Biography
Reviewed in India on July 25, 2021
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It is a great writing by an eminent Journalist Mr A.S. Panneerselvan about Late Chief Minister M.Karunanidhi. It covers the uprising, struggle and setbacks faced by Mr M.Karunanidhi with the factual information and empirical evidence. Overall, it was a great reading!
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Anon
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book to learn not only about Kalaignar but the entire Dravidian movement
Reviewed in India on June 27, 2021
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Found the book very easy to read. Breezed through all the content in a day. The chapters are structured well and elaborates each of the phases of MK's life with equal fervour. Lots of lesser known facts are presented in the book which gives a who new perspective in historical context. Loved the way how the author perfectly captured the tension during emergency period.

The book is NOT A hagiography. Those who have intrinsic hatred for MK might consider the book to be a hagiography. I would recommend this to all my friends.
4 people found this helpful
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