(This article is authored by Alar)

Tamil Nadu's famous literary speaker and bar judge Nellai Kannan passed away today due to ill health. He was 78. His body has been kept at his house in Nellai for public tribute. He was 77 years old and had been suffering from old age and illness for the past few days. Nellai Kannan, who was suffering from not being able to eat for the past one week, died at her home today. Various political party personalities, the public, Tamil scholars, and other parties are paying tribute to his body.

Who Is Nellai Kannan:
Nellai Kannan, a native of Tirunelveli, was well known for his stage Tamil debates and had close ties to illustrious figures in Tamil Nadu like Kamarasar and Kannadasan. He has two sons, one of whom, Suresh Kannan, is a co-director and writer of films; he wrote the dialogue for Vetrimaaran's 'Asuran', in which Dhanush starred, and the other is a presenter for a top Tamil television network. Notably, he ran against DMK leader Karunanidhi from the Chepakkam constituency in the 1996 Legislative Assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Karunanidhi was actively involved in the Congress party and had worked with the party since he was a young child. Later on, he held the positions of Vice President and General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Congress Party. He kept a good relationship with K V Thangabalu, Vazhappadi Ramamurthy, and GK Moopanar.

It is pertinent to note that Nellai Kannan was detained by the Tirunelveli police following former state government, AIADMK orders on January 1, 2020, after complaints were filed that he had slammed Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and incited hatred toward Muslims while citing the Bharata Janata Party at a conference against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). He was then arrested and kept in judicial custody by the Tirunelveli District Criminal Court until January 13. He was alleged to have said controversial things about Amit Shah while attending the public conference held in Melapalayam in Tirunelveli as a special invitee.

Nellai Kannan is a politically astute orator who has the knowledge to speak from the beginning to the end of any literary work, especially the epic, Kamba Ramayana. Beginning in the 1970s, Nellai Kannan's voice could be heard on Tamil platforms. Since he was as fluent in free-flow Tamil as an ocean, he was often referred to as 'Tamilkadal'. He also recently won the Elangovadigalar Award. Due to his poor health, he has visited the hospital several times for treatment. His untimely death in this circumstance shocked and saddened the Tamil literary community. Many people, including writers and politicians, are endorsing him.