C. N. Annadurai
1909 – 1969
Orator and writer who helped turn the Justice Party into the Dravidar Kazhagam in 1944, founded the DMK in 1949 and became the first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai (15 September 1909 – 3 February 1969), known as Perarignar Anna, worked as a school teacher and journalist before entering politics. He was a celebrated Tamil orator and writer, and wrote and acted in plays, some later filmed.
As a young follower of Periyar he was a prominent speaker in the 1937–40 anti-Hindi agitation. Wikipedia credits him with helping the Justice Party make inroads among students, and with an important role in passing the resolutions at the Salem confederation of 1944 that created the Dravidar Kazhagam, of which he became general secretary.
Differences with Periyar led him to found the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam in 1949. The DMK won the 1967 election by a landslide. As Chief Minister he legalised self-respect marriages, enforced a two-language policy and renamed Madras State as Tamil Nadu, becoming its first Chief Minister before his death in office in 1969.
Key contributions
- Prominent speaker in the 1937–40 anti-Hindi agitation
- Helped pass the 1944 Salem resolutions; general secretary of the Dravidar Kazhagam
- Founded the DMK in 1949
- Renamed Madras State as Tamil Nadu and legalised self-respect marriages