Annadurai's 109th birth anniversary: Celebrating Tamil Nadu's first CM

Anna's father Natarajan, according to his biographer R Kannan, was a village scribe who wrote property documents for a living. His mother was Bangaru Ammal. It was his mother's younger sister Rajamani Ammal, a portly woman with kind eyes and the wife of a village doctor according to Kannan's biography, who brought Anna up and educated him. In Pic: Anna can be seen having a conversation with his mentor Periyar E V Ramaswamy.

After completing his schooling, Anna, thanks to difficult circumstances, was forced to take up his first job - that of a clerk, a job he held for six months. But the lover of books was able to return to his studies and completed his BA and MA in Economics and Politics from Pachaiyappa's.

After completing his schooling, Anna, thanks to difficult circumstances, was forced to take up his first job - that of a clerk, a job he held for six months. But the lover of books was able to return to his studies and completed his BA and MA in Economics and Politics from Pachaiyappa's.

Five years later, Anna's party won 50 out of the 143 seats it contested and he became the leader of the Opposition. In Pic: Anna can be seen gifting a ring to M Karunanidhi.

Five more years later came the landslide win - a thumping 137 seats out of 174 contested - that saw him form the first majority non-Congress government in the whole of India. He would go on to be the last Chief Minister of the Madras State and first Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu (as it was renamed on January 14, 1969, just 20 days before his death). In Pic: Anna with M Karunanidhi and MG Ramachandran.

A few interesting facts about Anna. Mathematics was not his forte and he failed twice in the subject in his final year at school before succeeding the third time. In Pic: Anna can be seen with Indira Gandhi and other national leaders.

But when it came to languages, he was good not just in Tamil, where he made a name for himself, but also in English. His English Essay 'The Moscow Mob Parade' won him the first prize in a competition in 1932. Kannan also quotes Anna himself saying that in his student days 'he had a great reputation for oratory in Tamil and English'. In Pic: Anna can be seen addressing his followers.

Anna, who married Rani Annadurai when he was 21, was childless and adopted his cousin Nagarathinam's grandchildren Parimalam, Ilangovan, Gowthaman and Babu. In Pic: Anna can be seen with former CM, MG Ramachandran.

Anna died of cancer on February 3, 1969 at 12:22 AM, according to Tamil Nadu government records.

Anna's funeral was attended by a record, 15 million people.