KARUNANIDHI

Wearing his characteristic dark glasses and draped in a yellow shawl, M. Karunanidhi was a pillar of Tamil politics for over six decades until his passing in 2018. Karunanidhi: A Life in Politics chronicles the trailblazing life of one of India's most important politicians for the first time in English. It looks at the pioneering social justice and welfare schemes that the leader was identified with, as also the work he did to champion Dravidian identity and Tamil culture. It documents the crucial role the DMK under him played in a string of central governments. At the same time, it analyses the controversies he was embroiled in, including the alleged involvement of DMK ministers in the 2G spectrum scandal. It depicts in dramatic detail Karunanidhi's relationships with the who's who of Tamil politics: from friend-turned-foe M.G. Ramachandran to bitter rival Jayalalithaa. And it considers the road ahead for the state at a time when lightweights have assumed power and demigods like Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan are waiting in the wings.