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C.N. Annadurai
Sunday (September 15) marks the 110th birth anniversary of C.N. Annadurai (September 15,1909
- February 3, 1969) popularly known as Perarignar Anna - a name that has been the driving force
behind the Tamil Nadu politics ever since 1967 when the DMK was voted to rule the state
defeating the Congress party that had held sway since Independence in 1947. Anna founded the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in 1949 after he broke away from the Dravida Kazagam
(DK) floated by Periyar E.V.Ramsamy Naicker as a social reformist outfit. Anna's decision to part
ways with his mentor Thanthai Periyar was prompted by the latter's demand for a separate state of
Tamil Nadu outside the Indian Union coupled with Periyar, who was nearing 70 years of age,
deciding to marry Maniammai who was just 31 years old.
What made Anna stand above the rest of his followers as a truly great man, hero-worshipped by
the people of Tamil Nadu to this day, irrespective of caste or creed.
When the late Tamil poet Thira Karunandan approached Periyar to conduct his self-respect
marriage at Mannargudi, Periyar, who had committed himself to another party functionary
elsewhere, asked Anna to conduct the wedding ceremony on his behalf. When Anna reached
Mannargudi on the eve of the wedding, Karunandan briefed him about the arrangements.
Anna told him he would arrive at the wedding venue at 9 the following morning. After he left,
Anna made certain discreet enquiries and learnt that the bride's father was an orthodox gentleman
who was left with little choice as the groom was keen on a self-respect style wedding. Since Anna
did not want to hurt the sentiments of the bride's father who was spending lavishly for the wedding,
he sent word that he had some other engagements in a nearby town and would come only at 12
noon and asked them to go ahead with the wedding at the appointed Muhurtham time. Anna turned
up at the wedding venue only at noon.
This incident bears eloquent testimony to Anna's deep respect for sentiments and feelings of fellow
human beings and his anxiety not to hurt the feelings of others.
Within less than two years that he held charge as the Chief Minister, Anna changed the name of
the state from Madras to Tamil Nadu, legalised self-respect marriages and introduced a two
language formula, as opposed to the three-language formula followed in other southern states.
Though his DMK party won a landslide victory in the 1967 assembly elections, Anna did not relish
a great leader like Kamaraj losing to a college student from his party. He took the earliest
opportunity to get Kamaraj elected to the Lok Sabah in 1968 from Nagercoil by not putting up a
candidate from the DMK.
Further, when R. Venkataraman was appointed as a member of the Union Planning Commission,
Anna organised a grand farewell to him, extolling his contribution to the industrial development
of the state during his tenure as it's industries minister Anna had said although the Congress party
had been voted out of power in the state, the DMK government would like to carry on the
unfinished agenda of Venkataraman and would look forward to his guidance. By such gestures
Anna rose to the status of a true statesman.
Anna died on February 3, 1969. Tamil Nadu had never witnessed such a massive downpour of
people coming to Chennai to get a last glimpse of their great leader. While deaths of MGR,
Jayalalitha and Kalaignar also witnessed massive crowds, they were nowhere near what Chennai
saw in February 1969.
In fact several persons who travelled on the roof of a train near Tiruchirapalli were crushed to
death as they did not listen to the station master's warnings not to travel on the roof of the train.
Today there are several Dravidian parties in Tamil Nadu ---- DMK, AIADMK, MDMK, DMDK,
LDMK to name a few but all these political parties recognise only one person as their real leader
- Perarignar Anna. That is the legacy left by Anna. His name will continue to inspire the people of
Tamil Nadu for several generations to come.
(The writer, a retired IAS of the Tamil Nadu cadre, served as member, State Planning
Commission and additional chief secretary to the government of Tamil Nadu)
A strong advocate for a separate Tamil country, Annadurai’s debut
Rajya Sabha speech centred on the demand in 1962.
“I claim sir, to come from a country, a part in India now, but which I
think is of a different stock… I belong to the Dravidian stock. I am
proud to call myself a Dravidian. That does not mean that I am against a
Bengali or a Maharashtrian or a Gujarati,”
“I say that I belong to the Dravidian stock and that is only because I
consider that the Dravidians have got something concrete, something
distinct, something different to offer to the nation at large. Therefore, it
is that we want self-determination.”
15-09-1909-ல் பிறப்பு காஞ்சிபுரம்,
தந்தத: நடராசன் தாய்: பங்காரு அம்மாள்.
வளர்ப்பு: இராசாமணி அம்தமயார் (சிற்றன்தை)
10.08.47:
ஆகஸ்டு 15 துக்க நொள் என்ற தபரியொசர ைறுத்து அது திருநாடள எைத் ிரொவிட
நொடு ஏட்டில் தவளியிடல்
25.06.48: ிரொவிட நொடு ஏட்டில் 04.04.48, 18.04.48 ஆகிய நொட்களில் எழு ிய கட்டுசரகள்
வகுப்புக் கலவரத்ச த் துண்டுகின்றை எைக் குற்றம் ைொட்டி ரூ.3000 தபொறுப்புத்
த ொசக கட்ட அரசு ஆசண பிறப்பித் து.
18.03.49: அழகிரி ைரணத் ொல் வித் குடும்பத் ிற்கு நொடகம் நடத் ி ரூ.5000 வழங்கல்
18.06.49: தபரியொர் - ைணியம்சை ிருைண அறிவிப்பு
17.07.49: `கண்ணர்த்துளிகள்`
ீ சலப்பில் எ ிர்ப்பொளர் பட்டியல் தவளியிடல்
06.08.50: ைைநீ ி பொர்ப்ப ொகச் ைட்டைன்றத் ில் அறிவித் அரைின் முடிவுக்கு அறிக்சக
18.09.50: ஆரியைொசய நூல் எழு ியசைக்கொக ரூ700 ண்டமும் கட்டத் வறிைொல் ஆறு
ிங்கள் ைிசற வொழும் எை அறிவிக்கப் தபற்றசை.
1960: ிரொவிட நொடு விடு சல வொர விழொப் பளியில் ைொண்ட ிரு. கபணைைின்
( ிருப்பூர்) ைசைவியிடம் ரூ.5000 ை ிப்புள்ள வட்சட
ீ வழங்கல்.
17.11.63: கட்டொய இந் ி 17 வது தைொழிப் பிரிவு ைட்டம் எரித் ல் அன்பற சக ொகி, ஆறு
ைொ ம் ைிசறத் ண்டசை ஏற்றல்.
29.01.65: விடு சல ஆ ல்
26.01.66: இந் ித் ிணிப்பிற்கொகக் குடியரசு நொசளத் துக்க நொள் எைல். அ ைொல் சகது
ஆ ல்.
06.03.67: ைிழ்நொட்டுச் ைட்ட ைன்றத் ில் ம்யியருடன் 138 பபர் அைர்ந் ிட, அண்ணொ
ைிழக மு ல்வர் தபொறுப்பபற்றல். அன்பற அரசு ஊழியரிசடபய உசரயொற்றல்
09.03.67: தைன்சை ைொநகரொட்ைி வரபவற்பில் உசர
10.01.68: இரண்டொவது இலகத் ைிழ் ைொநொடு எடுத்து உலகத் ொர் உள்ளத்துள் எல்லொம்
நிற்றல்
01.12.68: ைிழ்நொடு தபயர் ைொற்றத் ிற்கு நொடொளுைன்றத் ின் ஒப்பு ல் கிசடத் சைக்கு
விழொ தகொண்டொடல்
ைை ர்ைன் , வைஸ்
ீ , வரன்
ீ , ஆணி , குறிப்பபொன்
Kudiarasu.
அறிஞர் அண்ணொவின் நொவல்கள்
9 ஞ்சை வழ்ச்ைி
ீ 1953 ிரொவிடநொடு
10 பவழ பஸ்பம் 1954 ிரொவிடநொடு
7 பவசலக்கொரி 1944
ைந் ிரபைொகன்
9 1945
(ைிவொஜி கண்ட இந்து ரொஜ்யம்)
34 கொ ல் பஜொ ி 1953
35 தைொர்க்கவொைல் 1954
56 பு ிய கொங்கிரைொர் 1965
Annadurai's first movie script, of his play Velaikkari, fetched him a fee
of ₹ 12,000, a considerable sum at that time(worth ₹ 1 crore in 2015 prices)
Apart from his stories, the names of some of Annadurai's works were used
as film titles for
பணத்த ாட்டம் Panathottam (1963),
வாலிப விருந்து Valiba virundhu (1967),
குமரிதகாட்டம் Kumarikottam (1971),
ராஜபார்ட் ரங்கதுரர Rajapart Rangadurai (1973),
நீதித வன் மயக்கம் Needhi devan mayakkam (1982).
Dravida Nadu policy
State Conference of Justice Party has commenced on February
24, 1940 in Thiruvarur.
The Resolutions:
Dravidar Kazhagam‟s
new President was Periyar E.V.R and
its General Secretary was Anna.
His Creations/Works
Drama/Plays
Or Iravu,
Velaikari,
Sivaji Kanda Hindu Samarajayam,
Needhi Dhevan Mayakkam,
Kadhal Jothi,
Paavaiyin Payanam,
Kumasthavin Penn,
Kolakariyin Kurippu.
Movies (Story-Screenplay)
Nallathambi,
Velaikari,
Or Iravu,
Sorgavassal
Novels
Rangoon Radha,
Kalingathubharani,
Parvathi B.A.,
Dhasaavatharam,
En Vazhuvu,
Kumarikottam, \
Vandikaran magan,
Kadaisi Kanavu,
Makkal Theerpu,
Vellai Maaligaiyil.
a) Bharathidasan
b) Mahatma Gandhi
c) E.V. Ramaswamy
d) Bharathiar