Kumari Anandan Wins ‘Thagaisal Tamilar’ Award

Chennai: Veteran Congress leader and Tamil literary figure, Kumari Anandan, was declared winner of the fourth annual ‘Thagaisal Tamilar’ (Distinguished Tamilian) award, which will be presented to him at the Independence Day celebrations on August 15 by Chief Minister M K Stalin.

A committee, headed by Stalin, chose 91-year-old Anandan for the award, whose earlier winners are K Veeramani, president of the Dravidar Kazhagam and Communist leaders R Nallakannu and N Sankariah.

A five time MLA and one time MP, Anandan was born in Agastheeswaram in Kanyakumari district. After starting his career in the Congress party as a youth, he made a mark as a literary genius and eloquent orator.

However, later he started his own Gandhi Kamaraj Congress and successfully contested elections. Later he merged the party with the Congress and continues to be a distinguished member of the party that honoured him on his 91^st birthday in March by organizing a celebration at the State headquarters, Sathyamurthy Bhavan.

Anandan, whose real name is Anandakrishnan, is the father of Tamilisai Soundararajan, who was the Governor of Telangana and Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry before she decided to contest the recent Lok Sabha polls as the BJP candidate from South Chennai constituency.

The official press release announcing the selection of Anandan for the award described him as a politician who was friends with all. Tamilisai Soundararajan’s wedding was attended by both DMK president M Karunanidhi and AIADMK founder M G Ramachandran.