Kannadasan (24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was an Indian philosopher, poet, film song lyricist, producer, actor, script-writer, editor, philanthropist, and is heralded as one of the greatest and most important lyricists in India.
Frequently called Kaviarasu, With over 5000 lyrics, 6000 poems and 232 books, Kannadasan is widely known by the sobriquet Kaviarasu (King of poets) and he is also considered to be the greatest modern Tamil poet after Subramania Bharati.
including novels, epics, plays, essays, his most popular being the 10-part religious book on Hinduism, Arthamulla Indhu Matham (Meaningful Hindu Religion).
1958
The road adjoining Natesan Park in T. Nagar, Chennai was previously called as Hensman Road is where Kannadasan resided from 1958 and it was renamed "Kannadasan street" in his honour after his demise.
It was in this house where 7 Chief Ministers from M. Bhaktavatsalam to J. Jayalalithaa had visited Kannadasan.
Kannadhasan once owned 14 cars which were parked on either side of the road in front of house and the last remaining one which was given by K. Kamaraj is still at display in this very house.
1980
He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Cheraman Kathali in the year 1980 and was the first to receive the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, given in 1969 for the film Kuzhanthaikkaga.
Like many great poets he also suffered from cyclothymia, which comes under bipolar disorder spectrum.
Kannadasan was born to Sathappan Chettiar and Visalakshi Aachi in a Nattukottai Nagarathar family in Sirukoodalpatti, near Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu and was given the birth name Muthiah.
He was the eighth of ten children to his parents.
He was adopted by Chigappi Aachi for a sum of INR 7000 at an early age, who brought him up and was responsible for his early stages of school education.
He completed his schooling till the 8th standard in Sirukudalpatti and Amaravathipudhur.
He worked for a private company in Tiruvottiyur before taking up an editorial post in a Tamil Magazine where for the first time he took up the pseudonym Kannadasan.
1981
He died on October 17, 1981.
Muthiah was a keen follower of the Dravidian atheistic movement.
He had a great love of Tamil language and its culture and excelled in Tamil literature, both prose and poetry.
He read the Thiruppaavai of Aandaal and was amazed at its mystic poetry, which had a deep and lasting impact on him.
After a lot of introspection, he decided to go back to Hinduism.
He renamed himself as Kannadaasan, meaning the servant of Lord Krishna (In Tamil, Kannan means Krishna and in Sanskrit, daasa means servant'. He dug deep into understanding Hinduism, and wrote his series of books on Hinduism titled Arthamulla Indhu Matham. .
Kannadasan's greatest contribution to Tamil culture is his songwriting.
Before Kannadasan, many lyricists like Papanasam Sivan, Kambadasan, Vindhan, A. Maruthakasi, and Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam were sought after in the Tamil music industry, but after the advent of Kannadasan, the scene changed.
He quickly became the most sought-after lyricist in the industry and remained so until his death.
Kannadasan was so popular that some songs written by other contemporary poets were considered to be written by Kannadhasan.
Though, film lyrics have come a long way since his death, many people still consider Kannadasan to be the best songwriter.
He is considered to be the greatest modern Tamil poet after Subramanya Bharathi.
He was the producer of the historic Tamil film Sivagangai Seemai portraying Marudhu Pandaiars, one of the pioneers in the Indian freedom struggle.
The song "Santhupottu" from that film remains popular.
Kannadasan was the poet laureate of the Tamil Nadu government at the time of his death.
He wrote two notable autobiographies, titled Vanavasam, a book about his past life whilst he was atheist, with the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and a sequel, titled Manavasam a book about his life after he had left DMK.
Kannadasan was a prolific writer and his writing covered a variety of forms- poems, novels, lyrics for Tamil films and books on spirituality.
His series titled Arthamulla Indhu Matham (Meaningful Hindu Religion) is known for its simplicity in explaining the principles of Hinduism.
Many of Kannadasan's poems have been translated into French.
He wrote and published several volumes of poetry.
He was an admirer of Kambar, and wrote a number of poems praising Kambar's artistry, contrary to the satire ("Kambarasam") on the same by C.N. Annadurai.
He also spoke at several of the Kambar festivals.
He sang the beauty of Sita's gait and the shoulders of Rama; he spoke of beauty intoxicating and dropped me in a vessel of amrut (nectar)" This is one of Kannadasan's tribute to the poet Kambar.
Kannadasan died on 17 October 1981 in Chicago, United States, where he had gone from India to attend a Tamil conference organized by the Tamil Association of Chicago.
He was aged 54 at the time of his death.
The song "Kanne Kalaimane" from the film 'Moondram Pirai', released a few months later, was his last song.
The Government of Tamil Nadu built a memorial hall as "Kaviarasar Kannadasan Manimandapam" at Karaikudi.
