Karunanidhi’s explanation for his concerns regarding social justice and federalism came from literature, namely from his perusal of certain Tamil writings. Nearly all of the accolades made to M. Karunanidhi in the days that followed his passing included the words “social justice” and “Tamil literary enthusiast.” This is not unexpected. Up to almost the very end of his life, Karunanidhi took great pride in his work as a writer. He contributed nearly every day to Murasoli, the DMK newspaper. His letters to his legion of brothers-in-arms. Naturally, his greatest-known credit is that of a stage and movie writer. However, he wrote in a variety of genres, including poetry, short stories, literary essays, novels about history and society, and sharp journalism. He had also been an actor in his teens. He had an extensive understanding of music. Writing was an integral part of Karunanidhi’s politics. His literary and cultural works, which primarily drew on the Sangam corpus of poetry, were celebrations of the value of Tamil civilization, which was one of the key ways in which his writerly personality informed his political selfhood. His capacity to refer to this poetry and even quote directly from them during social or political speeches made him a respectable heir to a bygone era free from the taint of caste and Brahminical Hinduism. His evident pleasure in reading Tamil works from antiquity to the present day, as well as the speed with which he articulated it, distinguished him as a mentor and an exemplary figure for his fellow Tamils.