Kannan Rajarathinam

Kannan Rajarathinam
Kannan Rajarathinam in 2024
Born (1962-08-23) 23 August 1962
Chennai, India
CitizenshipIndia
Alma mater
Occupations
Known forWriting about Tamil leaders and working with the United Nations
Children2

Kannan Rajarathinam (born 23 August 1962) is an Indian writer, commentator, academic, and former United Nations officer. He held positions in peacekeeping missions across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. He wrote biographies of Tamil Nadu political figures including C. N. Annadurai and M. G. Ramachandran. He is an adjunct faculty member at the University of Georgia School of Law.[1]

Early life and education

Kannan was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. He completed his BSc from New College, Chennai and obtained a law degree from Madras Law College. He later pursued an LL.M. at the University of Georgia and a doctorate in international relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.[2][3]

Career

Kannan began his career with the United Nations in 1993, working in civil affairs during the UNPROFOR peacekeeping mission in Croatia, and went on to become the head of civil affairs in Cyprus and a senior political officer in Darfur/Sudan. He later served in various roles in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Cyprus, Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia, North Macedonia, and Sudan.[4]

In Cyprus, he was responsible for coordinating civilian projects in the UN buffer zone. During his tenure, he facilitated access to religious sites, including reopening a Greek Orthodox church for worship after a 30-year closure.[5][6][7]

Writing

Kannan has contributed opinion essays to The Hindu, Times of India, The News Minute, and Hindustan Times, covering Indian politics and international affairs.[8][9][10][11]

His first book, Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai (2010), was published by Penguin Random House.[12] It was followed by MGR: A Life (2017), a critical biography of actor-turned-politician M. G. Ramachandran.[13] In 2024, he authored The DMK Years, analyzing the history of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam political party.[14][15]

  • Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai (2010)[16][17]
  • MGR: A Life (2017)[18][19]

As for MGR's political career presented by Kannan, reviewer K. Venkataramanan had critically observed, '[MGR's] three successive stints as chief minister can be seen as sketchy. As this part is narrated mainly through public events and major political developments, the reader does not get a full insight into the functioning of MGR as an administrator.'[19]

B. Kolappan, reviewing 'The DMK Years' for the Hindu newspaper had complimented Kannan's even handedness on his chosen theme for not suffering from any ambivalence towards his chosen subject. To quote Kolappan, author Kannan 'minces no words while pointing out the failures of the DMK and Karunanidhi even as he highlights the strengths and achievements of the party and its (long time) leader."[22]

References

  1. ^ "Kannan Rajarathinam | University of Georgia School of Law". law.uga.edu. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  2. ^ "Kannan Rajarathinam | University of Georgia School of Law". Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  3. ^ "Georgia Law Professor Kannan Rajarathinam (LL.M. '88) interviewed by Hindustan Times". Dean Rusk International Law Center. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  4. ^ Tamil Palam – Interview on UN service. 29 June 2024. Retrieved 2 April 2025 – via YouTube.
  5. ^ "Anna was able to tap into Kamaraj's success: Tharoor". The Hindu. 19 March 2010. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  6. ^ Ramaswamy, Sumathi (21 April 2024). "Unclear if the DMK is still the party of the modest, or is for the modest". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  7. ^ Team, Education Plus (12 February 2025). "News from the world of Education: February 12, 2025". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  8. ^ "R-Kannan: Read Latest News from R-Kannan - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
  9. ^ "திமுக பெரியாருடன் முரண்பட்டாலும் அவரது சித்தாந்தங்களை ஆதரிப்பது ஏன்? ஓர் ஆய்வு". BBC News தமிழ் (in Tamil). 18 January 2025. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  10. ^ Bhowmick, Soumya (28 September 2024). "'The DMK Years: Ascent, Descent, Survival' book review: When in TN, do what the Dravidians do". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  11. ^ "A stalwart of the Dravidian movement". The Hindu. 20 April 2010. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  12. ^ Kannan, R (2010). Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai. Penguin. ISBN 978-0143429036.
  13. ^ Kannan, R (2017). MGR: A Life. Penguin. ISBN 9789386495884.
  14. ^ Kannan, R (2024). The DMK Years. Penguin. ISBN 9789357087322.
  15. ^ Venkatesh, M. R. (3 July 2017). "Book review: Pulling MGR out from destiny's red and black boxes | Book review: Pulling MGR out from destiny's red and black boxes". www.deccanchronicle.com. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  16. ^ Kannan, R (2010). Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai. Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14342-903-6.
  17. ^ "TOI Crest: QUICK REVIEW". The Times of India. 27 March 2010. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  18. ^ Kannan, R (2017). MGR: A Life. Penguin. ISBN 9-78938-649-588-4.
  19. ^ a b Venkataramanan, K. (16 September 2017). "K. Venkataramanan reviews MGR: A Life by R. Kannan". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
  20. ^ Kannan, R (2024). The DMK Years. Penguin. ISBN 9-78935-708-732-2.
  21. ^ MGR shooting incident revealed. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2025 – via YouTube.
  22. ^ a b Kolappan, B. (13 September 2024). "Review of R. Kannan's The DMK Years: In the Dravidian age". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 23 April 2025.
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