DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, one of India's most senior politicians, bowed 87 Thursday.
A key proposal from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Karunanidhi began the day by cutting a cake at his dwelling in Gopalapuram area here so close aides and family members cheered him.
A day earlier, he had formally transferred his house to a trust with a request that the property be rehabilitated into a hospital after he and his wife Dayalu Ammal die.
From his home, went to Karunanidhi memorials of DMK founder and former chief minister CN Annadurai and EVK Periyar, who founded the Dravid Kazhagam, DMK which arose.
At the memorial, he gave out white doves.
The chief minister also visited the DMK headquarters here, where a large number of party members and other leaders greeted him and gave him a shawl as a token gift.
Leaders of various political parties expressed their greetings to Karunanidhi, who has been Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu five times and has won every election he fought Assembly since 1957.
Although a regional satrap Karunanidhi has played a major national role as India began to experiment with coalition governments from 1989.
His eldest son M.K. Azhagiri's minister for chemicals and fertilizers in the Manmohan Singh government. Youngest son M.K. Stalin's deputy minister and daughter K. Kanimozhi a Rajya Sabha MP.
His grand nephew Dayanidhi Maran, minister for textiles in the central government.
Karunanidhi entered politics as a student activist at the age of 14, he is also a renowned playwright and director in Tamil cinema, and has written dozens of books and plays.
He took responsibility for the DMK after Annadurai's death in 1969. Although the parties have lost influence in recent years in Tamil Nadu, it is still a force to be reckoned with.
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