Rs 39-cr memorial to imbue legacy of Karunanidhi as architect of modern TN

CHENNAI: A pair of imposing semi-circle arches, etched by using Vietnam white marble, symbolising the ‘Rising Sun’ stands tall, while a silhouette of former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi carved in a semi-circle wall on the marble stands as the centrepiece at ‘Kalaignar Memorial’.

The memorial, which is all set to be inaugurated by Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday, is designed to carry the legacy of the former CM as the “architect of modern TN.”

The memorial was designed and built by infusing modern technology to educate the younger generation on the contributions of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi. The memorial was built next to his mentor and DMK founder C N Annadurai at a cost of Rs 39 crore. What comes as a highlight as part of the memorial is an underground museum that has come up at a cost of Rs 29.5 crore. It was segregated into ‘Kalignar in picture’, ‘Kalaignar the Writer’, ‘Kalaignar the Champion of people’s right’, ‘Politics and Art’, ‘Footprint of Kalaignar’, ‘Women Empowerment’ and ‘Kalaignar the Visionary’

“It is more than just a memorial. It has been designed in such a way to educate future generations about the invaluable contributions of the former CM in empowering women and marginalised sections of the society,” said an official attached to PWD, preferring anonymity.

State Public Works Department Minister EV Velu took special interest in conceptualising the central theme - Kalaignar, the creator of modern Tamil Nadu - by roping in domain experts and private firms to visualise the concept that should be entertaining, educative and informative to all age groups.

“We have taken extra efforts to build the memorial. We imported white marble from Vietnam for the arches (Rising Sun). For the floor, we used marbles carved out of a single block of rock from a place in Rajasthan,” said the PWD Minister while interacting with reporters.

The PWD would maintain the Kalaignar Memorial. The department held meetings with top police officers on crowd management. “The memorial will be opened for public within two or three days, but it will take a week to open the museum for the public. Though entry will be free, the visitors should book their slot online well in advance as we can accommodate only 200 people at a time,” he said.

As per his wish, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi’s letter, dated on November 8, 2005, informing him that the Union Government had declared Tamil as a classical language was engraved in English and Tamil in front of his resting place. It indicates his untiring efforts to secure the Classical language status for Tamil.

Animated train travel like documentary

Beyond the murals, pictures and illustrations that reflect Kalaignar’s toughness in different spheres of lives, the 10 minutes train journey titled ‘Kalaignar’s Epic Journey’ was a cynosure of all. The animated documentary was created using Stereoscopic 3D technology. Visitors can experience the documentary in a real train-like travel during which they will have a glimpse into key events of his political life.

“The train will stop in front of a group of protesters headed by Karunanidhi, who placed his head on the rail track, in protest to change the name of Dalmiapuram into Kallakudi. The voice of the leader synchronised with a sequence of events, will give a real life experience,” said founder of Fusion VR C SS Bharathi, who headed a 40 member team to develop this high end animated documentary. It took six months to transform the concept and facts given by the PWD Minister, he said.

Apart from this, various high-end technologies on par with international standards have been installed in the museum. Selfie-points, hologram projectors of the late DMK leader speaking on securing the rights for the CMs to hoist the national flag on Independence Day since 1974 also feature in the museum.

The museum has a mini-theatre screening a short film and how Karunanidhi played a vital role in the growth of heroes and heroines of yesteryears, including former CMs MG Ramachandran and J Jayalalithaa.

Yet another salient feature of the museum is that anamorphic illusion with hi-end LED display. Venkata Krishnan of DB Production developed a theme based on a treasure hunting video game. Whenever the explorer unearths a diamond, it will reveal the milestone of Karunanidhi as the CM and administrator.

“The explorer character jumps from one screen to another TV screen that is displayed nearly two feet away. It is synchronised using two televisions and a projector using 3D animated content with projection mapping technology,” he said.