C.N. Annadurai
- In full:
- Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai
- Byname:
- Arignar Anna (“Anna, the Scholar”)
- Born:
- September 15, 1909, Conjeevaram [now Kanchipuram], Madras Presidency [now Tamil Nadu], India
- Died:
- February 3, 1969, Madras [now Chennai], Tamil Nadu (aged 59)
- Founder:
- Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
- Political Affiliation:
- Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
C.N. Annadurai (born September 15, 1909, Conjeevaram [now Kanchipuram], Madras Presidency [now Tamil Nadu], India—died February 3, 1969, Madras [now Chennai], Tamil Nadu) was an Indian politician who served as the last chief minister of the erstwhile Madras state from 1967 to 1969 and as the first chief minister of Tamil Nadu (renamed from Madras) from January 14 to February 3, 1969. He founded the Dravidian Progressive Federation (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; DMK) party in 1949. He is called Arignar Anna (“Anna, the Scholar”), a term of respect, in Tamil Nadu. He was a prolific writer, and orator, known to captivate audiences with his powerful speeches on social and political issues. He was also vocal against the caste system and the attempts by the national government to make Hindi the sole official language of India.
Early life
Annadurai was born in Conjeevaram (now Kanchipuram), Madras Presidency (now Tamil Nadu), to a family of weavers. He was fostered by his maternal aunt Rajamani Ammal, who supported his education through school and college. He honed his public speaking skills at college, where he won numerous awards for debates and elocution contests in Tamil and English. During this time he was inspired by the policies of the Justice Party and its president E.V. Ramasamy (popularly known as Periyar [“Revered One”]), who spearheaded the Dravidian movement. Annadurai joined the Justice Party in 1935 and served as the subeditor (copy editor) of the party’s English-language newspaper Justice.
The movement, which started in the early 20th century in Tamil Nadu, aimed to dismantle caste-based discrimination, promote equality, and increase non-Brahmin representation in education and employment. The term “Dravidian” reflects the movement’s emphasis on the cultural and linguistic heritage of the Dravidian-speaking communities in South India, especially Tamil culture and identity. The movement opposed the imposition of Hindi as the sole official language of India.
In 1936 Annadurai contested the election to the Madras City Corporation as a Justice Party candidate but lost. He became the editor of the Tamil weekly Viduthalai (“Freedom”) and was associated with Kudi Arasu (“Republic”) newspaper, in 1938. In the same year, he was imprisoned for four months for participating in an anti-Hindi movement led by Periyar. In 1939 he was elected the general secretary of the Justice Party. In 1942 he started his own weekly, Dravida Nadu (“Land of the Dravidians”). He would also later found the English-language weeklies Homeland and Home Rule and authored several books.
Split with Periyar and the rise of DMK
Periyar believed that the Justice Party’s participation in elections shifted its focus from forging direct social development to relying on legislative action. As a result he renamed the Justice Party, forming Dravida Kazhagam (DK; Dravidian Federation) in 1944, with Annadurai as a founding member. DK withdrew from electoral politics to focus on bringing change directly to communities.
Annadurai was not opposed to participating in elections and differences emerged between the two. Periyar’s controversial marriage to a significantly younger woman in 1949 is also alleged to have further strained their relationship. Annadurai parted ways with the DK in 1949 and founded the DMK. He transformed the DMK into a formidable political force in Tamil Nadu and became the political mentor of future chief minister Muthuvel Karunanidhi. He was also instrumental in bringing matinee idol M.G. Ramachandran into the DMK fold, a move that catapulted the party’s political prospects and popularity. A talented screenplay writer, Annadurai effectively used Tamil cinema as a key propaganda tool to promote DMK’s political ideals.
Annadurai won the Kanchipuram seat in the 1957 assembly elections to enter the Madras Legislative Assembly. He lost the Kanchipuram seat in the 1962 assembly elections but was elected to the Rajya Sabha (upper house of the Indian parliament) later that year, where he advocated for a separate country for South Indians called Dravida Nadu (“Land of Dravidians”). Following the India-China war of 1962, he abandoned the DMK’s demand for a separate nation of Dravida Nadu, which envisioned a union of all Dravidian-speaking people in South India. Instead, he began advocating for the state of Tamil Nadu for Tamils within the framework of the Indian Union. He also shifted his stance because of the enactment of the Indian Constitution (Sixteenth Amendment) Act of 1963, which made calls for secessionism illegal and punishable by law.
In 1965 he was imprisoned for leading anti-Hindi agitations, which included the burning of sections of the Indian Constitution that contained provisions to make Hindi the sole official language of India. These provisions were set to take effect that year.
Chief ministership
The DMK swept the 1967 assembly elections in Madras state and Annadurai was sworn in as chief minister on March 6, 1967. After taking charge, he advocated renaming Madras state as Tamil Nadu. On July 18, 1967, the Madras Legislative Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution to that effect. Accordingly the Madras State (Alteration of Name) Act (1968) was passed by the parliament and came into force on January 14, 1969, making Annadurai the first chief minister of Tamil Nadu.
During his short tenure as chief minister, Annadurai implemented several popular policies. He launched a landmark scheme to subsidize rice at one rupee for 3.3 pounds (1.5 kg). He legalized Periyar’s concept of “self-respect marriages,” which are conducted without traditional Brahmin rituals. His government was the first in India to promote inter-caste marriages by awarding gold medals to every inter-caste couple who got married. He also made pre-university (equivalent to the final two years of high school in other educational systems) education free for students whose parents’ monthly income did not exceed 1,500 rupees. He is known for devising the two-language formula, which advocates teaching English and the regional language Tamil, omitting the need for Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.
Conceptualized by E.V. Ramasamy, known as Periyar, self-respect marriages were designed to eliminate caste-based distinctions in Indian marriage ceremonies. These marriages did not involve Brahmin practices such as the requirement for a Brahmin priest to officiate the ceremony or a ritual fire, which were traditionally considered necessary for a marriage to be legally recognized. Annadurai legalized self-respect marriages, allowing people from different castes to marry in a caste-neutral environment. These marriages discouraged the dowry system and upheld women’s rights, including the right to divorce.
Death and legacy
Succumbing to oral cancer, Annadurai died at age 59 on February 3, 1969, 20 days after Madras state was officially renamed Tamil Nadu. His funeral was a reflection of his popularity in Tamil Nadu: it was attended by an estimated 15 million people. His remains were buried at Marina Beach, Chennai.
Annadurai’s impact on the politics of Tamil Nadu was profound. Since he became chief minister of Tamil Nadu, the Dravidian movement has continued to thrive, dominating the politics of the state. When Ramachandran split from the DMK, he named his party Anna Dravidian Progressive Federation (Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam; ADMK) for Annadurai.
The DMK’s current headquarters in Chennai is named Anna Arivalayam (“Anna’s Abode of Knowledge”). Anna Salai, the second longest road in Chennai and previously known as Saint Thomas Mount Road, was renamed in honor of Annadurai. The prestigious Anna University in Chennai bears his name. Anna Nagar, one of the most prime real estate areas in Chennai, is named for Annadurai. Other important public institutions bearing his name include the Anna International Terminal of the Chennai airport and the Arignar Anna Zoological Park on the outskirts of the city.
Annadurai was also the first non-American to be awarded the Chubb Fellowship at Yale University in 1967. In 2002 the president of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, unveiled a life-size bronze statue of Annadurai at the parliament complex in New Delhi.