On the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of Poet-Laureate (Kaviarasu) Kannadasan, the Hon'ble Minister and other dignitaries garlanded his statue, offered flowers and paid their respects. On behalf of the Government of Tamil Nadu, on the occasion of the 100th birth anniversary of Kaviarasu Kannadasan, the Hon'ble Minister and other dignitaries today (24.6.2026) garlanded and offered flowers at his statue located on Kovathi Narayana Salai, T. Nagar, Chennai, and paid their respects. Kaviarasu Kannadasan was born on 24.6.1927 in Sirukoodalpatti near Tirupathur, Sivagangai District, as the son of teacher Velayudham. His birth name was Muthiah. He received his primary education at the Sirukoodalpatti school and his schooling at Amaravathipudur. From his youth, Kannadasan had a keen interest in writing and a great passion for reading books. He learnt grammar and literature under Tamil scholar Ka. Appadurai. He was deeply drawn to the Kamba Ramayanam and the songs of Bharathiyar. Kannadasan excelled distinctively in poetry, literature, short stories and drama. He served as editor of magazines such as Thirumagal, Thiraiyoli, Kathambam, Vannamarutham, Thendral, Kannadasan Monthly and Kadidham. Mangani, Aattanathi-Aadhimanthi, Kavithanjali, Thaippavai and Pandimadevi are among the finest epics composed by Kannadasan. He also wrote more than 20 novels and essay collections. His acclaimed poetry collections have been published in seven volumes. Among the plays he wrote, Anarkali, Sivagangai Seemai, Rajadandanai and Arukanadhayam stand out. His finest works, Arthamulla Indumatham (Hinduism with Meaning) and Yesu Kaviyam (The Epic of Jesus), won the acclaim of countless readers. His poem "Azhagi" has been translated into English, Hindi and Telugu. He was also a celebrated film-song lyricist and an outstanding poet. He wrote his first film song for the movie "Kanniyin Kadhali." He went on to write the story and dialogues for more than ten films and penned more than five thousand film songs. In 1970, he received the Best Lyricist awards from the Union and State governments. In 1978, he was honoured as the Government of Tamil Nadu's Poet Laureate. In 1979, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award. Through his memorable songs, poet Kannadasan, who lives on in the hearts of Tamils across the world, continues to live even after his passing. Every year on 24th June, to mark the birth anniversary of Kaviarasu Kannadasan in a fitting manner, the Government of Tamil Nadu organises grand birthday celebrations both in Chennai and at the Manimandapam in Karaikudi, Sivagangai District. The event was attended by Hon'ble Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Thiru J.C.D. Prabhakar, Hon'ble Minister for Rural Development and Water Resources Thiru N. Anand, Hon'ble Minister for Food and Civil Supplies Thiru P. Vengadaramanan, Hon'ble Minister for Finance, Planning and Development Thiru Sa. Mariya Wilson, Hon'ble Minister for Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Digital Services Dr. Ra. Kumar, MLA Thiru S. Thyagarajan, Secretary (In-charge) of Backward Classes, Most Backward Classes and Minorities Welfare Department / Tamil Development and Information Department Thiru V. Dakshinamurthy, IAS, Director of Information and Public Relations Dr. A. Arun Thamburaj, IAS, and other senior government officials. ***************** Issued By: - Director, Department of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9