The life and times of CN Annadurai

By R Sarath Kumar

On 6 March 1967, 58-year-old Conjeevaram Natarajan Annadurai became Chief Minister of Madras state, when the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam swept to power for the first time. As Chief Minister he introduced rice at 1 per kilo and 42 years later rice is still being sold for a bare minimum rate at ration shops.

It was never thought that the Dravidian movement could culminate in power and replace the Congress itself. It was Rajaji, in his personal resolve to see the Congress out of power, who put together a wide coalition under the leadership of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and brought the "Dravidians" to power in the State in 1967.

For 36 years thereafter without a break (except that of the President's Rule), the DMK and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) have administered Tamil Nadu. But before we take a quantum jump, we need to understand the Dravidian movement.

The roots of the Dravidian movement to the early 20th century political activity go back to the time when the "Non-Brahmin Manifesto" was released in December 1916 around the issue of greater representation of non- Brahmins in the political sphere. The movement worked towards the enlistment of the lower castes through education. It awakened ethnic fervour among the Tamils, linking Tamil/non-Brahmin identity. E V Ramaswami 'Periyar' the mass reformer plunged into the activities of the Congress and the struggle for Swaraj. It was during this period that Periyar started the 'Self-Respect' movement, which dealt with social reforms like widow remarriage, equality of the sexes and marriage without rituals. After the British left India, ideas were propagated through Tamil cinema. With democratic politics and the consequent democratic rule, some of the attractive agenda items of the Dravidian movement got internalised, adopted, implemented and became history.

Reservations in jobs and educational institutions were pioneered in Tamil Nadu. The Brahmins, being only 3 per cent of the population, lost their pre-eminence in the commanding heights of the post-Independence society based on political power.

When Anna led the DMK to his first electoral victory in 1967 he did not forget to pay his respects to his mentor and went all the way to Tiruchi, 300 kms away from Chennai, to seek Periyar's blessings.

It was in 1949 when Annadurai parted ways with Periyar and founded the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam party. In the 1957 State Legislative Assembly elections, he won from the Kancheepuram constituency defeating P S Srinivasan of the Congress.

The DMK fared even better in the 1962 State Legislative Assembly elections winning 50 seats out of the 143 it contested. In the 1962 State Legislative Assembly elections from the Kancheepuram constituency, Annadurai lost to a Congress candidate S V Natesa Mudaliar. It was not a narrow defeat for Annadurai because his opponent got 54.8% of the votes. However, he was nominated to the Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament.

On May 5, 1962, Annadurai stunned his fellow parliamentarians and the country by advocating the secession of the four South Indian states including Madras, the state he hailed from. Annadurai mooted that India should be turned into "a comity of nations instead of a medley of disgruntled units."

Annadurai succumbed to cancer on February 3, 1969. That day the entire population of Tamil Nadu literally crowded into the city of erstwhile Madras and the news reached every corner of Tamil Nadu like wildfire.

People were pouring into Madras to have the last glimpse of their dear departed leader. They had come from the distant towns and villages, perched on the roofs of over-crowded trains and rickety buses and on foot. In one of the worst tragedies of the time, at least 28 persons were crushed to death and over 70 persons were injured due to their journey on the rooftop, when the Madras-bound Janata Express was passing across the Coleroon Bridge between the Coleroon and Chidambaram stations. Framed by the lofty columns of Rajaji Hall, he was laid in state amidst the weeping and wailing of millions. In their single-minded determination to pay homage they were not deterred by a wait under the blistering sun, or by hunger and foot-sore weariness.

As the funeral procession went along Mount Road, now known as Anna Salai, a huge multitude of people witnessed it from the terraces, balconies and precariously perched themselves on the sun-shades of the long line of buildings on both sides. The military van carrying the body looked like a floating ferry on the surging waves of the masses. When it reached the Marina, it was once again afloat on the vast expanse of a sea of heads.

The Guinness Book of Records has it that 'the funeral of Anna' was attended by the largest number of people in the world.