DHEEKSHITHAR THAATHAA ( 7 )

                              DHEEKSHITHAR   THAATHAA (  7  )  

                                            As informed  earlier G's monthly salary was  rs 250/  as MLA which he was supposed to get from the Ambasamudram Taluk Treasury signing a prescribed form .G used to sign the papers and  hand them  over to his son G M  and the amount will be added towards family expenses. During the first stint of office as MLA  ( 1957 -62 ) I had finished my PUC  in VOC College B.Sc Degree in National C ollege  Thiruchi  and the  MSc Ist year in Vivekanandha Collehge Madras.Knowing that I am grandson  of G ,the Secretary of VOC College Thiru.A P C Veerabahu pillai arranged not to collect fee for my PUG studies in addition to admitting me to pursue the course. During my stay in Madras as  an M Sc student I had a lot of opportunities to go and meet G in his hostel  during  session times..Since he continuously won the election in1962 and 1967 also , even after finishing my P G and joined the MDT Hindu college as Lecturer ,I had a lot of opportunities to be in Madras.I made it a point to meet him. On such occasions I could meet a number of politicians ,officials rarely some ministers .I had occasion to attend  a number of dinner parties too  with the then  Governor and Ministers hosted under some  pretext.  I could meet Karunanidhi also, when the DMK party had just 15 members in the Assembly.A young tall hand some fair wellcombed K was talking to me in Tamil only irrespective of my language.He had a very great respect for G . 

                                          In 1967 ,the DMK party wrested power from the Congress party which was hitherto ruling the Madras State since Indepedence..    The veteran Congress leader and the then Chief Minister of the State Thiru. Kamaraj tasted defeat   competing with a student leader  Srinivasan  of  his own native place Virudhunagar  ,in the backdrop of the " Anti Hindi Agitation " ,sponsored by the DMK in 1965,which saw students entering direct politics ,unleashing campus unrest and vilence in the educational instituitions resulting  their periodic  closure . Thiru C N Annadurai became the Chief Minister of the Madras State with the thumping  majority enjoyed by the DMK.Thev number of Congress MLAs was reduced from the previous 18 in Thirunelveli ditrict  to the single digit 6 !  G was one of the six winners with a comfortable margin over his next rival.CNA made tour over the State and ultimately to G's constituency Cheranmaadhevi He asked G to next to him on the dias.at the victory meeting held there He praised G and paid best tribute.  He said " If Congress  had some more people like G , I could not have become the  C M and addressed today. from this sacred place..The name of the State was  subsequently changed to Tamilnadu..The two languages Hindi and Sanskrit were driven out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                In 1969  CNA died and  K succeeded him as  the Chief Minister of the State. He celebrated the Shathaabhishekam of G when G  had completed his 80th year in 1969.in a grand manner.inside the four walls of the Assembly halll.

                                                                                                                       ( to be continued  )