Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin officially opened the Kalaignar Centenary Bus Terminus in Chennai, named in honor of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, during a ceremony on Saturday. Stalin took a moment to pay homage to the late Chief Minister, affectionately known as ‘Kalaignar’ (scholar of arts) for his significant literary contributions.
The inauguration of the bus terminus is part of the centenary celebrations commemorating the birth of the former Chief Minister, who also served as the leader of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). In September, Stalin announced the commencement of a quiz competition on September 15 as another facet of the centenary birthday festivities. The competition, organized by the DMK women’s team under the leadership of DMK Deputy General Secretary Kanimozhi, was introduced to honor Karunanidhi’s legacy.
Furthermore, the DMK arranged the Karunanidhi Memorial International Marathon in August as part of the centenary celebrations. This marathon achieved recognition as Asia’s largest such event and secured a place in the Guinness World Records. A remarkable 73,206 participants took part, surpassing the previous record of 39,000 participants. The Guinness World Record certificate was presented to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin by Rishi Nath, Aggregator, Guinness World Record, in the category of the largest running race series.
Born on June 3, 1924, Karunanidhi entered the Tamil Nadu assembly in 1957 and assumed the role of chief minister in 1969 following the demise of then-chief minister and DMK leader CN Annadurai. Karunanidhi passed away in 2018.