Message on Karunanidhi's casket was scripted by him 33 years ago

The message written on the golden casket of late DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi today are the words that he had spoken of thirty-three years ago. Engraved in Tamil, the casket reads: "Oivu edukamal uzhaithavan, idho oivu eduthu kondu irukiran, meaning "one who worked hard without taking rest, is resting in peace here." 

On Wednesday morning as emotional crowds swelled up from all corners of the state to pay homage to the leader, Karunanidhi's son and working president MK Stalin also had penned down an emotional tribute for his late father. In a poem on his Twitter account, he had mentioned that the late DMK leader had wished to have this message on his grave. "Thirty three years back, you had said your grave should have the words... the person who had worked without rest is resting here. Have you departed with the satisfaction of having worked hard for the Tamil community," Stalin had written.

Karunanidhi will be buried adjacent to mausoleum of former Chief Minister and his mentor CN Annadurai on the sands of Marina. His final journey from Rajaji Hall will proceed through Sivananda Road and Thanthai Periyar Road to reach Anna Square.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Tamil Nadu government had turned down the DMK request for Karunanidhi's burial at Marina Beach. However, the Madras High Court ruled in favour of the party and allowed the DMK leader a place next to his mentor CN Annadurai's grave. The DMK had claimed that the AIADMK's refusal to give ''six-feet land'' to bury the five-time chief minister "reeks of pettiness and political vendetta".

Known for his trademark baritone, Karunanidhi lost his voice owing to a tracheosteomy procedure, and he subsequently faded away from active politics with his public appearances becoming rare till his death aged 94 last evening. The illness forced the ever accessible nonagenarian leader to confine himself to his Gopalapuram residence as his son M K Stalin took charge of the day-to-day affairs of the party, assuming a new post of Working President.