Chennai: Sportspersons from the State mourn the death of DMK President and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who passed away at Kauvery Hospital on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
Chess legend Viswanathan Anand in his tweet offered his condolences and remembered how he was honoured by the DMKL patriarch after becoming the World Champion.
“Saddened to hear the passing of Respected M. Karunanidhi. One of the greats of Tamil politics. I had the pleasure of meeting him a few times in my career. When I first became World Champion , he felicitated me & presented me with a chess set that I cherish. A patron of sport and achievement. I have always admired his speeches and his eloquence. My deepest condolences to his family.#kalaignar,” he tweeted.
Table tennis star G Sathiyan shared an old photo of him getting felicitated by Karunanidhi and tweeted “My deepest condolences to the Political icon & Former CM of Tamilnadu Kalaignar Karunanidhi !! People of TN will never forget your services for the welfare of the state and wil always stay in our hearts sir!! May your soul RIP. #RIPKalaignar.”
Cricketers Murali Vijay, Ravichandran Ashwin, Washington Sundar and Suresh Raina also paid tribute to the leader.
“It’s sad to hear about the demise of Dr. M. karunanidhi, may his soul RIP and my condolences to his family and friends.,” tweeted cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin.
“Massive loss – a great leader who worked all his life for the betterment of people. My deepest condolences to his family. #RIPKalaignar, tweeted Murali Vijay.
“Very sad to hear the demise of Kalaignar . RIP to the legend , fighter and a fantastic human being . Deepest condolences to his family and to all his friends and supporters all around the world #Karunanidhi,” tweeted India cricketer Washington Sundar.
“Deeply saddened by the demise of Kalaignar Karunanidhi. My condolences to the family! #Karunanidhi.” tweeted Raina.
Former cricketers VVS Laxman and Virender Sehwag also paid tribute to M Karunanidhi.