Kannadasan
Kannadasan | |
|---|---|
Kannadasan's Portrait at Kannadhasan Pathippagam | |
| Born | Muthiah Sathappan Chettiar 24 June 1927 |
| Died | 17 October 1981 (aged 54) |
| Pen name | Karaimuthu Pulavar Vanangamudi Kanakappriyan Parvathinathan Arokiyasamy |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, lyricist, politician, film producer, literary editor |
| Citizenship | Indian |
| Subject | Poetry and literature |
| Notable works | Arthamulla Indhu Madham Yesu Kaaviyam |
| Notable awards | National Film Award for Best Lyrics 1968 Kuzhanthaikkaga Sahitya Academy Award 1980 Cheraman Kadali |
| Spouses | Ponnammal (m. 1950–1981; his death); Parvathi (m. 1950–1981; his death); Valliammai (m. 1976–1981; his death) |
| Children | 15 |
Muthiah Sathappan Chettiar, better known as Kannadasan (ⓘ; 24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981), was a poet, film song lyricist, producer, actor, script-writer, editor, philanthropist, and is heralded as one of the greatest and most important lyricists in India. With over 5,000 lyrics, 6,000 poems, and 232 books, Kannadasan is widely known by the sobriquet "Kaviarasu" ("king of poets") and he is also considered to be the greatest modern Tamil poet after Subramania Bharati. including novels, epics, plays, essays, his most popular being the 10-part religious book on Hinduism, Arthamulla Indhu Matham (Meaningful Hindu Religion). He won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Cheraman Kathali in the year 1980 and was the first to receive the National Film Award for Best Lyrics, given in 1969 for the film Kuzhanthaikkaga. Like many great poets he also suffered from cyclothymia, which comes under the bipolar disorder spectrum.