A stalwart of the Dravidian movement
A. R. VENKATACHALAPATHY
From being a Periyar protégé, Anna developed a style of his own in
politics and won a big following
ANNA — The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai: R. Kannan; Penguin/
Viking,11, Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi-100017. Rs.
550.
C. N. Annadurai (1909–1969), with a balding pate, tobacco-stained
teeth, stubble chin and a captivating husky voice, stood barely five
feet and two inches. But he strode Tamil Nadu politics like a
colossus. Anna, as he is widely known, harnessed the ideas and
energies unleashed by his mentor Periyar E.V. Ramasamy and securely
accommodated Tamil nationalism within the Indian nation-state. His
imprint on the Tamil language, both in print and on the platform, was
distinct, with numerous emulators and imitators. Unfortunately, Anna
has been ill-served by biographers. For want of a competently written
biography in English, the non-Tamil readers were hugely handicapped in
understanding the man who made a lasting impact on Indian politics. In
bringing out this book, R. Kannan has addressed this long-felt need.
The author traces the eventful life of Anna from his birth in a modest
weaver family in Kanchipuram. Getting a degree throughPachaiyappa's
College, he chose a career in politics and cut his political teeth in
the Justice Party that had a non-Brahmin base. His moment came when he
was spotted by Periyar and groomed as his lieutenant.
Anna-Periyar bond
The best part of the book is the detailed treatment of the
relationship between the two. From being Periyar's protégé, Anna
developed a style of his own in politics and public-speaking, won a
big following, struck an independent political path, and took the
non-Brahmin castes to the seat of political power. He played a leading
part in the first anti-Hindi agitation (1937–39), wrested the
non-Brahmin plank from the conservative Justicites and, using his
unmatched propagandist skills, rallied the Dravidian movement under
Periyar. However, there was a rift growing between the two leaders on
the issue of pursuing political goals. While Periyar was firm about
staying out of electoral politics, Anna spearheaded a strand that eyed
state power as an instrument of reform and change. Using Periyar's
mismatched marriage as a pretext, he led a split and formed the
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (1949).
Even though Periyar lambasted the DMK, Anna maintained his composure
throughout and, in 1967, when he became Chief Minister — after the
DMK's historic triumph at the polls — even dedicated his ministry to
his mentor.
Career record
Kannan deftly charts the high growth graph of the DMK and Anna during
the immediate post-Independence decades. The narrative is particularly
informative where he deals with the inner-party dissensions, the
factional tussle between E.V.K. Sampath and M. Karunanidhi, the split
in the wake of Sampath's fast, and the rise of MGR.
The abdication of the secessionist 'Dravida Nadu' demand; Anna's
memorable stint in the Rajya Sabha, where he held his own against
Parliamentarian stalwarts while expounding the principles of
federalism and opposing the imposition of Hindi; and the momentous
anti-Hindi agitation (1965) that propelled the DMK to the seat of
power — all these get adequate treatment. When, within two years of
his chief ministership, Anna fell a victim to cancer, a sense of
tragedy was palpable all round.
It is no easy task to write on the life of Anna. Not only Anna but
many of the DMK's stalwarts revelled in flowery language but not
without subtleties, nuances, and innuendoes. It takes an insider to
follow the allusions. The author is quite up to this task, especially
as evinced in the way he reads the allegorical stories and essays that
Anna penned during the run up to his break with Periyar.
The publication is however not without shortcomings. Biography is the
art of portraying a personality in context. While Anna emerges as a
gentle leader moved by emotions, accommodating divergent views,
preferring to be led rather than chart the course of history, the
historical and political context is not adequately delineated. The
names of Tamil politicians, often with their highfalutin sobriquets,
are likely to confuse the non-Tamil readers.
The last two decades have seen the emergence of a new body of writing
that can be termed 'the new social history of the Dravidian movement'.
Unfortunately, the author has chosen to ignore this and has remained
content with repeating shibboleths about the Dravidian movement. His
frequent recourse to quotations from the writings of P. Ramamurti,
Kannadasan, and Jayakanthan has served neither to illuminate the
narrative nor enhance its readability.
Kannan has made a thorough use of Anna's voluminous writings to tease
out biographical details. Yet some research into the archival material
from government sources and newspapers would have undoubtedly helped
in giving the much-needed variety and depth to the narrative.
This is not to gainsay the importance of this biography of Anna.
Competent biographies of Tamil personalities are rare in English.
Hopefully this will not be the lone sparrow in that biographical
summer.
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