Freedom fighter, veteran CPI leader R. Nallakannu turns 100 today

Veteran freedom fighter and CPI leader R. Nallakannu celebrates his 100th birthday on Thursday (December 26).

Born in Srivaikuntam in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, Nallakannu was the third of 10 children to Ramasamy and Karupai. Inspired by the freedom struggle led by Mahatma Gandhi, he began participating in Congress activities during his school days, despite opposition from his father.

Drawn to Communist ideology, he joined the CPI at the age of 17 in 1943 while studying at The Hindu College, Madurai, located in Tirunelveli.

In 1948, after the Communist Party was banned in Independent India, Nallakannu was arrested on December 20, 1949, and subjected to torture in police custody.

According to CPI Tamil Nadu state assistant secretary M. Veerapandian, Nallakannu endured inhumane treatment, including an officer burning his moustache with a cigarette.

Nallakannu was implicated in the Nellai Conspiracy Case alongside other Communist leaders, including P. Manickam and Mayandi Bharathi. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and served seven years before being released in 1956. Nallakannu played a pivotal role in establishing farmers’ movements in Tamil Nadu.

Assigned to work for Janashakti, the CPI party organ, in 1946, he requested to return to grassroots work with farmers.

He later served as the state secretary of the CPI’s farmers’ wing for 25 years. He also led the CPI’s Odukkapattor Vazhvurimai Iyakkam (Oppressed People’s Movement for Right to Live) and was a lifelong advocate against untouchability, promoting inter-caste and inter-religious marriages.

When caste riots broke out in southern Tamil Nadu, Nallakannu undertook a padayatra across the affected districts to restore peace. His father-in-law, Annasami, was murdered during the riots, yet Nallakannu used the financial assistance provided by the government for his father-in-law’s death to support children from both affected communities.

It was on his suggestion that the DMK government renamed districts and transport corporations that had been named after political leaders, helping to reduce caste-related tensions.

Known for his unwavering integrity, Nallakannu remains respected across political lines.

Former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi once remarked, “Thanthai Periyar is one eye, and Nallakannu is the other.”

Unlike many politicians, Nallakannu never sought personal wealth. When the CPI’s Tamil Nadu unit collected Rs 1 crore for his 80th birthday, he redirected the funds to the party.

Similarly, he donated the Rs 10 lakh cash prize from the Thagaisal Thamizhar Award to the Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund and shared the Rs 1 lakh cash prize from the Ambedkar Award in 2008 between the party and its farmers’ body.

Nallakannu is a voracious reader and writer who worked alongside prominent figures in Tamil Nadu’s Communist movement, including Jeevanandham, K.T.K. Thangamani, K. Baladhandayutham, and C. Subramaniam.

Today, as he turns 100, Nallakannu is celebrated as a model leader of integrity, commitment, and selflessness -- a living symbol of Tamil Nadu’s political and social history.