Poet Kannadasan: a creative mind that enriched Tamil cinema with exquisite, philosophical songs

Kannadasan, whose birth centenary is being celebrated, was born as Muthaiah at Sirukoodalpatti in present day Sivaganga district. An atheist in his early years while active in the Dravidian movement, the Tamil poet later turned spiritual.

Published - September 30, 2026 06:00 am IST - CHENNAI

Late Tamil poet Kannadasan | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Many people shuttle between what they perceive as a better past and a less satisfying present, forever dwelling in nostalgia. And nothing triggers those painful, bittersweet feelings more powerfully than songs — particularly those they listened to in their teens.

For a generation of Tamils, that nostalgia is invariably evoked by the film songs penned by the late poet Kannadasan, whose birth centenary is being celebrated. His songs offered solace and caressed the listener like a peacock feather. Gandhi Kannadasan, his son, once recalled how IT professionals at the turn of the millennium would constantly listen to the song, “Amaithiyaana Nathiyinile Odum Odam, Alavillatha Vellam Vanthaal Aadum” (A boat that sails smoothly on the still waters of a river will sway when the river is in spate).

Born Muthaiah in Sirukoodalpatti in Chettinad in 1927, in the erstwhile Ramanathapuram district (now Sivaganga district), he was given for adoption, a long-practised custom among the Nattukottai Chettiars. He studied only up to class VIII. He left for Chennai in search of a job and, after a few unsuccessful attempts, found employment with Ajax Company in Tiruvottiyur. A few yards away stood the memorial of Pattinathar, one of the great Tamil philosopher-poets, who also happened to be a Nagarathar.

In his memoir, Vanavasam, Kannadasan recalled how after his work was over, he would go and sit near the memorial. He would think and delve into his imaginary world. In fact, it was Tiruvottiyur that created the conducive atmosphere for him to become a poet. The memoir, incidentally, is often quoted by critics of the DMK to target its leaders, particularly the late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi. Yet, Kannadasan also recorded his admiration for Karunanidhi as a writer, saying his dialogues for the film Veera Abimanyu continued to ring in his ears.

Vanavasam is a forthright and honest portrayal of men and matters, including Kannadasan himself. He never sought to hide his past or his wayward life. Who, after attaining a position in society, would be ready to recall an encounter with a sex worker who asked him to marry her and promised to quit her vocation? When he met her after a long time, she could recognise him only as a renowned personality in the film world.

The things used by Kannadasan as a child kept on display at the memorial in his native village in Sirukoodalpatti of Sivaganga district. File | Photo Credit: K. Ganesan

The name ‘Kannadasan’ was conceived in a flash in Pudukkottai, when the owner of a magazine he was about to join asked him his name. The name stuck. He delved deep into the Tamil classics, Hindu philosophy, the Puranas and the Vedas, absorbed their richness and gave them expression in his poetry.

Even today, many villages in Tamil Nadu wake up to ‘Krishna Ganam’, the album that includes “Pullankuzhal Kodutha Moongilkale.” Consider the imagery in the lines, “Margazhi Pani Naalil Mangaiyar Ilam Tholil Karkuzhal Vadivaga Kannan Vanthan” — Kannan (Lord Krishna) arrives in the form of a dark cloud, like long tresses falling over the young shoulders of women, an image that aptly captures the misty early mornings of Margazhi (a Tamil month), when young girls observe Paavai Nonbu.

There is a line in Kambaramayanam: “Nathiyin Pizhai Anru Narum Punal Inmai” (If there is no water, it is not the fault of the river). Kannadasan adapted the idea in a simple, evocative line for the film Thyagam: “Nathi Vellam Kaainthu Vittal Nathi Seitha Kuttram Illai” (If the river runs dry, it is not the river’s fault).

“Aattuvithal Yaroruvar Aadathare Kanna” has its origins in both Thirunavukkarasar’s Thevaram — “Aatuvithal Yaroruvar Aadathare” — and Vallalar’s Arutpa — “Aatuvithal Aadukindren”.

Maestro Ilaiyaraaja was never tired of extolling Kannadasan’s creative mind and recalling how he would come up with exquisite lines, steeped in beauty and philosophy, as he listened to the tunes. “Azhagu Miguntha Rajakumari Megamaga Pogiral; Jarikai Nezhiyil Selaikondu Malalai Moodaparkiral” (The beautiful princess is moving like a cloud, seeking to cover the mountain with her saree adorned with zari) from the song Senthazham Poovil is etched in the memory like a line from an ancient Tamil classic.