Happy Birthday, Dear Nonagenarian Poem by Dr John Celes

Ninety years of earthly life;
Seventy years of polity;
Statesmanship par excellence;
Doctor Kalaignar Karunanidhi!

President of the DMK;
Five-times’ CM of Tamilnadu!
Playwright and screenwriter fine;
Your rising sun will always shine!

Tamil speaker erudite;
Poet, scholar, author great;
Man who saw God in the poor;
Fought for justice without fear.

Born in Tiruvarur district;
Author of a hundred books;
He who gave Tamil the classical looks,
And was jailed for causes noble!

A social worker unequalled;
A song-writer of songs galore;
A man with heart and mind, Tamil;
State legislative member for many years!

A litterateur in Tamil!
May God bless you with good health!
May you live a hundred years,
With happiness, and without tears!