Patience pays

When mountaineer Edmund Hillary was asked why he climbed the Everest, his reply was a candid ‘Because it is there’. If you ask a Tamilnadu voter why he voted for the DMK his reply would very much be the same. Though nothing could really take away the glory from the DMK’s spectacular performance at the hustings there can be no dispute that DMK chief M. Karunanidhi’s endurance has landed him on top of the world.

In the rough and tumble of politics fortune favours the one who is patient. In a career spanning five decades Mr Karunanidhi has seen several ups and down. While the ups have been shortlived, the downs have been quite prolonged. That Mr Karunanidhi has withstood the onslaught of innumerable political setbacks and betrayal from enemies within and could still rise from the ashes like the proverbial Phoenix speaks volumes of the man’s commitment to public life. There can be no better example than him to prove that while tough times do not last tough men do.

There is the adage that wise politicians become wiser after the event. In the case of Mr Karunanidhi, his uncanny knack of sensing the slips ahead before others could detect them has helped him not only to survive but also to progress from one grade to another. As Leader of the Opposition. Chief Minister in waiting and then Chief Minister in office.

To be in the arena and to remain fighting fit without fading away from the limelight comes easy for only a handful. For them, the dark corridors of political wilderness measure up to nothing more than a challenge leading to the success ahead. Mr Karunanidhi is one of them. His special ability consists in keeping in the corridor all his flock intact with the assurance that they will all be on center stage at the nearest opportunity which they create or others create for them.

The overwhelming mandate given to him by the people signifies the reiteration of faith in him and his abilities despite rejecting him in 1991. We are sure his enormous experiences will stand him in good stead.

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