Legendary orator ‘Nellai’ Kannan dies aged 77

A multifaceted personality, N. S. S. ‘Nellai’ Kannan was a great orator with the attractive ‘Tirunelveli slang’ on a range of subjects including Tamil literature and politics

Legendary orator N. S. S. Kannan, popularly known as ‘Nellai’ Kannan passed away at his residence in Tirunelveli Town on Thursday. He was 77.

While his elder son Suresh Kannan alias Suka is a film director, his younger son Arumugam Kannan is working with a television channel.

A multifaceted personality, ‘Nellai’ Kannan was a great orator with the attractive ‘Tirunelveli slang’ on a range of subjects including Tamil literature and politics. His affiliation was to the Indian National Congress that fielded him against former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in Chepauk Assembly constituency in 1996.

As a strong anti-incumbency wave against the Jayalalithaa-led government swept across the State in that election, it affected the Congress, the AIADMK’s alliance partner in that election. ‘Nellai’ Kannan suffered defeat in this election as a result of this, but also because of the tough opponent he took on.

Since he was a caustic critic of Mr. Karunanidhi, Mr. Kannan was invited by late Chief Minister and then AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa to campaign for her party candidates in the 2006 Assembly polls where the party was trounced by the DMK. However, as things changed after M. K. Stalin became the Chief Minister, Mr. Kannan even even shared the dais with Karunanidhi’s son.

His two volumes of Kurukkuththurai Ragasiyangal, a literary work narrating the stories of the people of Tirunelveli in the ‘Tirunelveli slang’ is very popular in the literary world. His poems Vadivudai Kanthimathiye, Kaathal seyyathavargal kalleriyungal, Pazham paadal puthukkavithai and Thikkanaiththum sadai veesi would be often quoted in literary meetings. Interestingly, ‘Nellai Kannan’, who failed in PUC, learnt Tamil from his father N. S. Subbiah Pillai and his voracious reading elevated him to greater heights

His hospitality was legendary among his friends. Mr. Kannan would often use the opportunity of hosting friends to consume sweets that were otherwise banned for him because he was a diabetic.