i met kalaignar for the very first time in 1975 he was the chief minister then and was heading a poetry festival i was one of the poets reciting their poems at the event i was 23 a student of pachaiyappas college then after that the two of us were taking part in another poetry festival in 1977 at that time i had remarked that his writings were an inspiration and were what turned me into a writer he wanted me to write about it in kungumam magazine which was published as idhuvarai naan the friendship that began that day facilitated my frequent interactions with kalaignar i have been beside him during his victories and also during his defeats the friendship never changed course and did not suffer a breakonce i invited him to come to madurai to release my poetry book he was chief minister then he quipped but i wouldnt be the chief minister on the day when you want me to come i told him im inviting kalaignar not the chief minister he held my hand and remarked how much love you have for me my palms still remember the strength of his grip he eventually came to madurai and released five of my books i had gotten a library built in my native vadugapatti with a donation of mine and with assistance from the government i wanted him to inaugurate that small building by protocol a chief minister need not open such a building in fact he should not but he respected my invitation and came to the place i was born in and inaugurated it i expressed my wish of having it named after my other idol kaviyarasar kannadasan and he gave the order right there on the stage it is a moment i will never forget in my life the library still functions and the people of my village still talk about his visitof the life i have lived so far i have spent more than half of it alongside him our friendship was entirely built on our love for literature and was one of mutual respect love and understanding our friendship grew with us celebrating each others talents like how the lungs take in oxygen from air i absorbed ideals values and goals from his organisation and his life kalaignar had released 18 of my 37 books i do not think he has bestowed such an honour on anyone else and he honoured me by giving me the privilege of writing the foreword to two of his books meesai mulaitha vayadhil and vaan pugazhum konda valluvamhis writing has fascinated me ever since i was a 12yearold boy i realised the flavour of tamil listening to his dialogues in parasakthi at that age there is a line that sivaji ganesans character gunasekaran utters in the film en suyanalathile podhunalamum kalandhirukkiradhu adhu eppadi theriyuma aagarathirkkaga azhukkai saapittu thadaagathai sutham seigiradhe meen adhai pola i had never read a better metaphor at that agein fact