TIRUNELVELI: Tamil orator, politician and author Nellai Kannan passed away at the age of 77 due to age-related illness in Tirunelveli on Thursday. He had recently received the Ilangovadigal Award from the Tamil Nadu government for his contribution to the development of the Tamil language.
He was born to Subbaiah Pillai and Muthulakshmi Ammal in 1945 and joined the Congress party inspired by former Chief Minister K Kamaraj. Kannan contested against former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in the 1996 assembly elections but lost. He later joined AIADMK for a short term after an invitation from the party’s then general secretary J Jayalalithaa. In his last days, Kannan was an ardent supporter of Chief Minister MK Stalin.
Kannan, also known as Tamil Kadal, was a multi-faceted personality with great oratory skills in a range of subjects such as politics and Tamil literature. He showed merit as a ‘Pattimandram’ speaker and a judge since his youth, authoring many books later, including ‘Kurukkuthurai Ragasiyangal’. Kannan was arrested in 2020 for his controversial remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.
Chief Minister MK Stalin said he was deeply saddened to hear of Nellai Kannan’s demise. “I convey my deepest condolences to his bereaved family members and the Tamil community,” he added. TNCC President KS Alagiri, CPI State Secretary R Mutharasan and CPM State Secretary K Balakrishnan also expressed grief. Ministers KKSSR Ramachandran, Rajakannappan, Collector V Vishnu and MDMK Chief Vaiko visited Kannan’s home and paid tributes. His last rites would be held on Friday. The deceased is survived by his wife Malathi, sons Suresh Kannan alias Suga and Arumugam Kannan.
Multi-faceted personality
Kannan, also known as Tamil Kadal, was a multi-faceted personality with great oratory skills in a range of subjects such as politics and Tamil literature. Kannan was arrested in 2020 for his controversial remark against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah