It is true Anna was in the forefront of EVR'shate campaign against Hinduism in general and Brahmins in particular, it is also a fact that he was gradually transforming into a saner element over the years. It is not correct to say that he left EVR'sDK over personal feud; when EVR wanted his partymen to observe August 15, 1947 a day of sorrow, Anna vehemently condemned EVR'sstand and called it a day of rejoice. When EVR justified his wedlock with Maniammai in his old age as a measure of safeguarding the party'sassets, Anna severely criticised EVR talking like a feudal lord and treating the party his personal fiefdom. Anna wielded more influence among the members of the party at that time and had he wished, he could have easily taken over the leadership isolating EVR. Instead, he retired from public life dejected and went back to his hometown Kanchipuram. His staunch followers Nedunchezian, Mathialgan, N.V. Natarajan, EVK Sampath (son of EVR'selder brother E.V. Krishnasamy) and numerous thambis (younger brothers!) pleaded with him to launch a separate party so that they could continue in public life.
Thus came DMK into being. However, there was a mark difference between EVR'sDK and DMK. EVR'sDK stood for Dravidar Kazagam, meaning the party of Dravidians while Anna'sDravida Munnetra Kazagam dropped the letter ?R? and called it Dravida only clearly indicating it is the region they meant and not the race. He requested Brahmin youth to join DMK, assuring it was not against their community. EVR was an atheist but Anna declared Onrey Kualm, Oruvaney Devan (There is only one community that is mankind and one God, a saying of an ancient Tamil saint Tirumoolar) was his ideology.
There is also one more anomaly in Haran'sarticle: Karunanidhi was never with Anna when he came out from DK and launched DMK. As a clever cat on the wall, Karunanidhi waited to watch on which side the wind blew and then jumped into Anna's bandwagon of DMK, as it was gathering momentum. Anna had very categorically stated many a time that his party was not against Hinduism or any other religion for that matter; he used to describe himself as a Hindu without wearing saffron, a Mohammedan without sporting a scalp cap, and a Christian without wearing a cross.
In fact, when the then Congress government of Tamil Nadu objected to proposal of Sri Vivekananda Rock Memorial at Kanyakumari yielding to the pressure from the powerful Christian lobby since the district of Kanyakumari has been a stronghold of Christian population, Anna supported the project saying Swami Vivekananda was a great social reformer to be revered and remembered; he signed the memorandum to the President of India demanding clearance of the project, overlooking the objection raised by the Tamil Nadu State Government. He also directed DMK Members of Parliament to follow suit. He asked Nedunchezian, the then Leader of Opposition in Tamil Nadu Assembly to be a member of the Vivekananda Rock Memorial Reception Committee to indicate his party'ssupport to the cause.
Anna was not anti-Hindu and he did not want his party to be identified so. As Karunanidhi deviated from every step of Anna, his attitude towards Hindu religion is no exception. As he advanced in age, Anna became more and more sober and polite, calm and quiet, gentle and generous, very careful in not hurting anybody. That is why he could receive love and affection from all quarters in abundance and the entire state wept and grieved when he died. Here I would also like to remind that both Anna and Atal Behari Vajpayee were mutual admirers. They came in close contact when both were in the Rajya Sabha during 1962-66. You may also remember when he last visited Chennai as the PM Atalji wished Anna'sbirth centenary in 2009 to be celebrated nationwide, officially.
(The writer can be contacted at 19/21, Sriramnagar Main Road, Near IIT, Chennai-600 113.)
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