KANNADASAN

Lyricist KANNADASAN

A.L. .Muthiah, popularly called kaviarasu Kannadasan (kaviarasu  -  King of poets), a Tamil poet and lyricist  was born on 24 June 1927 in Sirukudalpatti near Karaikudi, Tamilnadu. He was most familiar for his song lyrics in Tamil films and contributed around 5000 lyrics besides 6000 poems and 232 books including novels, epics, plays, essays.  He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Cheraman Kadali in the year 1980 and was the first ever to receive the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, given in 1969 for the film Kuzhanthaikkaga.

There is no doubt that he had a penetrating eye and keen observational powers. He also did not live a cocoon-type of life. He dipped into everything that Tamil Nadu could offer - wine, women, politics, polemics, atheism and religious sanctuary. After enjoying everything, what he did was remarkable - he composed verses about all his experiences, with reflective self-deprecating humour, irony, and biting sarcasm. These verses touched the sympathetic chords of Tamils allover the world, from all walks of life - school boys, undergrads, housewives, farmers, manual labourers, plantation workers, middle class representatives and even upper class elites.

He died at the age of 54, on 16 October 1981. Even those who couldn't read the poetry of Kamban or the maxims of Valluvan, could hum the compositions of poet Kannadasan.

Film: Kaathiruntha Kangal

Film: Panathottam

Film: BHAGYALAKSHMI