Karunanidhi distributes awards

Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi on Tuesday distributed the state awards to the best artists of Tamil cinema. Addressing the function organized to distribute the awards for 2007 and 2008, the Chief Minister spoke against attributing dignity to a language and claiming supremacy for it over other languages. Explaining that Tamil was not a language intended to reign over others, Karunanidhi said there was no need for other languages to stand aside for Tamil as English was portrayed in the skit.

Reiterating that his association with the film world had always been a source of rejuvenation whenever he was physically and mentally exhausted in public and political life, the Chief Minister said it was that affinity that made him reject the doctors' advice to participate in the festival. "That is why I never bothered about my life and I remain active in political life. It is a better medicine to my worries," he added.

Karunanidhi, who received the best dialogue writer award for 2008 for the film Uliyin Osai, from actors Rajnikanth and Kamal Hassan, said that the occasion made him recall the days he worked together with Sivaji Ganesan and MGR. Actor Rajnikanth said he and Kamal Hassan were proud that they were given a chance to present the award to the Chief Minister.