Kanimozhi poem stirs few DMK hearts

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In all that high-decibel welcome that the DMK gave for the 2G accused A. Raja coming home on his maiden trip since the Tihar incarceration, the party and the people seemed to have missed out on a lovely poem penned by RS member Kanimozhi to praise her father Karunanidhi in the special journal brought out for his 89th birthday.

A few party seniors, however, read the poem, Vizhuppungalai Virushkamakkuvom, meaning ‘we’ll convert the wounds of war into trees (of new life)’ and wondered if the poetess, accused in 2G scam and spent six months in jail, even while expressing bitterness at the “false accusations and prison torture” was trying to send out a message that her silence should not be taken for granted.

There is widespread belief that dad Karunanidhi forced Kani to take all the spectrum blame upon herself—apart from Raja within the DMK—just to protect a few important members of the family.

She was perhaps reflecting that bitterness, of being the ‘fall guy’ while the ‘others’ went about their lives as if nothing happened.

The final stanza of her long praise of her father is quite revealing in that sense and it goes like this: Ungal kanavugal meyppada, veen pazhigal, kazhumarangal, kaaraakrigangal, ethaiyumerpaen! Vizhuppungalai mounathil puthaithu uyir viruchchangalukku vidaiyaakkuvom! Vazhiyum kuruthippunalai athan uramaakkuvom!

Translated, it would read, ‘For your (dad Karuna) dreams to come true, I shall accept false accusations and even torture in prison; anything for your dreams to be realized! We shall bury the wounds of war deep in silence, to make them the seeds of life-giving tree and the flowing blood shall be its strong manure.’

There was speculation that Karunnidhi would give his daughter some senior party position after her release on bail, but nothing of that sort happened.

With the LS elections due in two years, the DMK patriarch might have to soon enlist her services to prepare for the big battle. Kanimozhi was not available for comment.