After being portrayed as Lord Ram, Shiva and even Azhagar, it was Pope Benedict XVI who inspired a bunch of sycophantic Azhagiri followers this year. But the Madurai clergy, said to have some pro-DMK leanings, was not exactly enthused.

Last week, posters of M K Azhagiri, son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, who will turn 57 on January 30, appeared on the city walls in a few main streets of Madurai, including Aanakkaal and Munisalai, depicting him as Pope Benedict, complete with the soutane (ecclesiastical robe), the crown and the orb.

While a few Christians protested and brought up the issue before the Madurai Archbishop, an embarrassed clergy squirmed, thrown into a dilemma as to whether “suffer” quietly this “offense to religious sentiments” or raise the issue with the DMK high command. Finally, religion won over political niceties and the posters disappeared a couple of days back.

For a few years now, every January 30, the Madurai landscape gets crowded with posters hailing Azhagiri as the “anjanenjan” (the brave heart) of the DMK family and the district’s uncrowned king.

Last January 30, posters and graffiti hailed Azhagiri as Lord Ram and Lord Shiva. Even a court directive to pull down the “offending” posters on an objection filed by Janata Party president Subramanian Swamy did not work. So, while some senior DMK rationalists looked aghast, enthusiastic Azhagiri fans went about putting up the “divine” Azhagiri posters all over Madurai, widely considered his turf.

A few months later, shortly after the DMK’s poll victory and during the 12-day Chithirai festival culminating with the New Moon day, followers plastered vinyl posters across Madura depicting Azhagiri as Lord Kalazhagar (an incarnation of Lord Vishnu riding on a horse), the presiding deity of the Azhagar temple in the town. The posters hailed M K “Azhagar” instead of Azhagiri.

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