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{{Short description|Indian politician (1922–2020)}}
{{Indian patronymic|Anbazhagan|Kalyanasundaram }}
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = K. Anbazhagan
| image = Anbazhagan2006.jpg
| caption = Anbazhagan in 2006
| birth_name = Ramaiah
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1922|12|19|df=yes}}
| birth_place = [[Kattur, Thiruvarur district|Kattoor]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br />(now in [[Tamil Nadu]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|2020|03|07|1922|12|19|df=yes}}
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], India
| office1 = [[List of leaders of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|Leader of the Opposition]] in [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| 1blankname1 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata1 = [[J. Jayalalithaa]] <br> [[O. Panneerselvam]]
| deputy1 = [[Arcot N. Veeraswami]]
| term_start1 = 24 May 2001
| term_end1 = 14 April 2006
| predecessor1 = [[S. Balakrishnan (Mudukulathur MLA)|S. Balakrishnan]]
| successor1 = [[O. Panneerselvam]]
| office2 = Minister of finance in the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
| term_start2 = 17 May 2006
| term_end2 = 15 May 2011
| predecessor2 = [[C. Ponnaiyan]]
| successor2 = [[O. Panneerselvam]]
| 1blankname2 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata2 = [[M. Karunanidhi]]

| office3 = Minister of education in the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
| term_start3 = 16 May 1996
| term_end3 = 15 May 2001
| 1blankname3 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata3 = [[M. Karunanidhi]]

| term_start4 = 27 January 1989
| term_end4 = 30 January 1991
| 1blankname4 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata4 = [[M. Karunanidhi]]

| office5 = Minister for health in the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
| term_start5 = 15 March 1971
| term_end5 = 31 January 1976
| 1blankname5 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata5 = [[M. Karunanidhi]]

| office6 = Leader of the house in the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start6 = 17 May 2006
| term_end6 = 14 June 2011
| 1blankname6 = Chief Minister
| 1namedata6 = [[M. Karunanidhi]]
| predecessor6 = [[C. Ponnaiyan]]
| successor6 = [[O. Panneerselvam]]
| term_start7 = 27 January 1989
| term_end7 = 30 January 1991

| office8 = Member of [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]]
| term_start8 = 14 May 2001
| term_end8 = 12 May 2006
| constituency8 = [[Harbour (state assembly constituency)|Harbour]]
| term_start9 = 16 November 1984
| term_end9 = 26 January 1989
| constituency9 = [[Park Town (state assembly constituency)|Park Town]]
| term_start10 = 30 June 1977
| term_end10 = 15 November 1984
| constituency10 = [[Purasawalkam (state assembly constituency)|Purasawalkam]]

| office11 = [[Member of Parliament]], [[Lok Sabha]]
| term_start11 = 4 March 1967
| term_end11 = 15 March 1971
| constituency11 = [[Tiruchengode (Lok Sabha constituency)|Tiruchengode]]

| office12 = Member of [[Madras Legislative Council]]
| term_start12 = 1 April 1957
| term_end12 = 25 February 1967

| office13 = General Secretary of [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]
| term_start13 = 17 May 1977
| term_end13 = 7 March 2020
| predecessor13 = [[V. R. Nedunchezhiyan]]
| successor13 = [[Durai Murugan]]

| party = [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]]
| religion =
| otherparty = [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]]
| source = https://loksabha.nic.in/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/1710.htm Lok Sabha
| signature = திராவிட இயக்க எழுத்தாளர் சிறுகதைகள் (page 17 crop).jpg
}}
'''Kalyanasundaram Anbazhagan''' (19 December 1922 – 7 March 2020) was an Indian politician. He was part of the [[Dravidian movement]] and later joined the [[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam]] (DMK). He served as the [[general secretary]] of the DMK from 1977 to 2020. He has held several ministerial portfolios in the [[Government of Tamil Nadu|Tamil Nadu government]] when [[M. Karunanidhi]] was the [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]].

Anbazhagan was popularly referred to as ''Perasiriyar'' (professor) as worked in [[Pachaiyappa's College]] before resigning to contest elections in 1957. He was elected to the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly]] for the first time in 1957, and was re-elected on eight further occasions. He was later elected to the [[Madras Legislative Council]] twice in 1957 and 1962. He was elected to the [[Lok Sabha]], the [[lower house]] of [[Parliament of India]] from [[Tiruchengode (Lok Sabha constituency)|Tiruchengode]] in the [[1967 Indian general election]]. He served as the [[List of leaders of the opposition in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly|leader of opposition]] in the Tamil Nadu assembly from 2001 to 2006.

==Early life==
Anbazhagan was born in Kattoor near [[Thiruvarur]] in [[Tanjore District (Madras Presidency)|Tanjore district]] (now [[Thiruvarur District]]) of [[Madras Presidency]] on 19 December 1922 to M. Kalyanasundaranar and Swarnambal as Ramaiah.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/chennai-dmk-stalwart-anbazhagan-passes-away/articleshow/74521055.cms | title=DMK stalwart Kalyanasundaram Anbazhagan passes away in Chennai | work=[[The Times of India]] | date=6 March 2020 | access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref><ref name="Hindu">{{cite news |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/dmk-general-secretary-anbazhagan-no-more/article61966001.ece |title=DMK general secretary Anbazhagan no more |date=3 December 2021 |access-date=1 June 2025}}</ref> His father ran a [[khadi]] store at [[Mayiladuthurai]]. He changed his name to Anbazhagan after being influenced by the [[Tanittamil Iyakkam]]. He was drawn into politics, having influenced by the speeches of [[Periyar]].<ref name="Hindu"/> In 1942, he addressed a [[Justice Party (India)|Justice Party]] meeting in [[Thiruvarur]] as a student after being requested by [[C. N. Annadurai]] and met with [[M. Karunanidhi]] for the first time.<ref name="NIE">{{cite web | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/mar/07/from-tiruvarur-to-marina-the-platinum-jubilee-friendship-of-karunanidhi-and-anbazhagan-2113692.html | title=From Tiruvarur to Marina: The platinum jubilee friendship of Karunanidhi and Anbazhagan | work=[[The New Indian Express]] | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> He completed his college at [[Annamalai University]] and joined [[Pachaiyappa's College]] as a lecturer in Tamil in 1944.<ref name="Hindu"/>

==Political career==
=== Early career ===
Anbazhagan resigned his position from the Pachaiyappa's College to contest elections the elections to contest the [[1957 Madras State Legislative Assembly election]]. He was elected as a [[Member of Legislative Assembly]] from [[Egmore Assembly constituency|Egmore]]. He was a member of the [[Madras Legislative Council]] from 1957 to 1967.{{cn|date=March 2026}} In the [[1967 Indian general election]], he was elected as a member of the [[Lok Sabha]] from the [[Tiruchengode Lok Sabha constituency]].<ref>{{cite web |title= |url=http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1967/Vol_I_LS_67.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140718185108/http://eci.nic.in/eci_main/StatisticalReports/LS_1967/Vol_I_LS_67.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2014 |access-date=9 September 2025 |work=[[Election Commission of India]]}}</ref> In 1971, he served as Social Welfare minister of Tamil Nadu. He had given up his M.L.A. position, representing [[Park Town (State Assembly Constituency)|Park Town]] constituency, in 1984 putting forward the [[Tamil Eelam]] issue.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/perasiriyar-k-anbazhagan-passes-away-97-end-era-dmk-politics-119686 | title='Perasiriyar' K Anbazhagan passes away at 97, end of an era for DMK politics | publisher=The News Minute | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> He was elected from Harbour constituency in 1996, 2001 and 2006.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.elections.in/tamil-nadu/assembly-constituencies/harbour.html | title=Harbour (Tamil Nadu) Election Results 2016 | publisher=Elections | access-date=8 March 2020}}</ref> He served as the opposition leader of Tamil Nadu assembly from 2001 to 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|title=12th Assembly - Overview|url=https://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/12th_2001/overview.php|access-date=29 January 2022|website=www.assembly.tn.gov.in}}</ref>

=== General secretary of DMK ===
Beyond his prominent public roles, Anbazhagan was widely regarded as a principal strategist within the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Thirumurthy |first1=Priyanka |title='Perasiriyar' K Anbazhagan passes away at 97, end of an era for DMK politics |url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/tamil-nadu/perasiriyar-k-anbazhagan-passes-away-97-end-era-dmk-politics-119686 |work=The News Minute |date=6 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref> Scholars and party observers have noted that he frequently served as the chief architect behind the party’s election campaigns and policy formulations. Anbazhagan played a significant advisory role in several key areas,<ref>{{cite news |title=K Anbazhagan: Remembering Anna's brother, and a friend of Kalaignar |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/dmk-general-secretary-k-anbazhagan-profile-6303339/ |work=The Indian Express |date=7 March 2020 |language=en}}</ref> including candidate selection—ensuring caste and regional balance within the party’s electoral tickets—and in drafting speeches and framing messages, drawing upon his background in literature and rhetoric to shape the DMK’s communication style. He was also influential in policy planning, particularly in aligning welfare measures with Dravidian ideological precepts. Although his influence was less visible to the public compared to the party’s frontline leaders, party insiders have often described Anbazhagan as the “backroom strategist,”<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pandian |first1=M.S.S. |title=Brahmin and Non-Brahmin: Genealogies of the Tamil Political Present |date=2007 |publisher=Permanent Black}}</ref> whose counsel guided the DMK’s electoral tactics and political alliances.

During his tenure as General Secretary of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), K. Anbazhagan was involved in the disproportionate assets case concerning AIADMK leader J. Jayalalithaa. He filed a petition in the Supreme Court requesting the transfer of the case's trial from Tamil Nadu to Karnataka, citing concerns about ensuring a fair judicial process.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supreme Court Judgment – K. Anbazhagan vs State of Karnataka & Others |url=https://www.indianbarassociation.org/supreme-court-judgment-k-anbazhagan-vs-state-of-karnataka-others/ |access-date=12 September 2025 |website=www.indianbarassociation.org}}</ref> Anbazhagan subsequently participated as a petitioner and observer in the legal proceedings, which received extensive media coverage and concluded with a landmark judgment.

===Minister for education===
[[File:The Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu, Prof P.K. Anbazhagan meeting with the Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission, Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia to finalize Annual Plan 2008-09 of the State, in New Delhi on February 11,2008.jpg|thumb|left|Anbazhagan (left) in 2008]]
During his tenure as Minister for Education in Tamil Nadu, Anbazhagan implemented reforms that had long-term effects on the state’s academic landscape.

* Curriculum reforms: He oversaw changes aimed at modernizing school curricula, integrating science and social justice themes with Tamil cultural and literary heritage.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Govindarasu |first1=p|title=Educational Reforms in Tamil Nadu (1967–1987) |date=1989 |publisher=Madras University Press |location=Chennai}}</ref>
* Promotion of Tamil as medium of instruction: A strong proponent of mother tongue education, he expanded opportunities for students to study in Tamil, while simultaneously safeguarding access to English and other languages.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Nambi Arooran |first1=K |title=Tamil Renaissance and Dravidian Nationalism |date=1994 |publisher=Koodal Publishers}}</ref>
* Higher education policies: He emphasized the need for expanding government colleges and making higher education accessible to marginalized communities, consistent with the Dravidian movement’s social justice agenda.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=Speech of Prof. K. Anbazhagan, Minister for Finance, Government of Tamil Nadu, presenting the Budget for 2007-2008 to the Legislative Assembly on 23rd March, 2007. |url=https://www.tnrd.tn.gov.in/Announcement_pdf/budgetspeech2007_2008.pdf}}</ref>

=== Minister for finance ===
During his tenure as Finance Minister from 2006 to 2011, Anbazhagan presented several annual budget proposals that included agricultural policy reforms. His administration implemented a cooperative loan waiver program valued at ₹7,000 crore, which reportedly provided debt relief to approximately 2.2 million farmers.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Speech of Prof. K. Anbazhagan, Minister for Finance, Government of Tamil Nadu, presenting the Budget for 2007-2008 to the Legislative Assembly on 23rd March, 2007. |url=https://www.tnrd.tn.gov.in/Announcement_pdf/budgetspeech2007_2008.pdf |access-date=}}</ref>

In the 2007–2008 state budget, the government reduced interest rates on crop loans from 7% to 5% for borrowers who repaid loans within the stipulated timeframe.<ref name=":0" /> The same budget allocation included ₹2,547 crore for the "Irrigated Agriculture Modernisation and Water Bodies Restoration and Management" project, aimed at agricultural infrastructure development.

=== Later years ===
In the 2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election, Anbazhagan contested from Villivakkam constituency instead of his traditional Harbour constituency, where he had previously served as the representative. He was defeated by a margin of approximately 8,000 votes.<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 May 2011 |title=Shift spells disaster for DMK's oldest member |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/assembly-elections-2011/tamil-nadu/shift-spells-disaster-for-dmks-oldest-member/articleshow/8309403.cms |access-date=12 September 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

In the previous election in 2006, Anbazhagan had won the Harbour constituency by a margin of 400 votes.The 2011 defeat marked the end of his electoral career, which had spanned 54 years.

===Elections contested===
====Madras Legislative Council====
{|class="sortable wikitable"style="font-size: 100%"
!Year
!Election
!Party
!PC Name
!Result
|-
|1957
|[[Tamil Nadu Legislative Council]]
|[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]] 
|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|{{Won}}
|-
|1962
|[[Tamil Nadu Legislative Council]]
|[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]] 
|[[Tamil Nadu]]
|{{Won}}
|}

====Lok Sabha====
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Elections
!Constituency
!Party
!Result
!Vote percentage
!Opposition Candidate
!Opposition Party
!Opposition vote percentage
|-
| [[1967 Indian general election in Madras State|1967]]||[[Tiruchengode Lok Sabha constituency|Tiruchengode]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||55.29|| T. M. Kaliannan||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]|||43.81
|}

====Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly====
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Elections
!Constituency
!Party
!Result
!Vote percentage
!Opposition Candidate
!Opposition Party
!Opposition vote percentage
|-
| [[1957 Madras Legislative Assembly election|1957]]||[[Egmore Assembly constituency|Egmore]]|||[[Independent (politician)|Independent]]||{{Won}}||51.81||Radhakrishnan||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]|||42.2
|-
| [[1962 Madras Legislative Assembly election|1962]]||[[Egmore Assembly constituency|Egmore]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Lost}}||45.58||[[Jothi Venkatachalam]]||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]|||48.25
|-
| [[1971 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1971]]||[[Purasawalkam Assembly constituency|Purasawalkam]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||56.13||Bashyam Reddy||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]|||41.65
|-
| [[1977 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1977]]||[[Purasawalkam Assembly constituency|Purasawalkam]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||45.09||T. S. Govindaswamy||[[Janata Party|JP]]|||24.16
|-
| [[1980 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1980]]||[[Purasawalkam Assembly constituency|Purasawalkam]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||52.35||Valampuri John||[[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]]|||46.68
|-
| [[1984 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1984]]||[[Park Town Assembly constituency|Park Town]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||50.89||M. Jothi||[[Independent politician|Independent]]|||46.92
|-
| [[1989 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1989]]||[[Anna Nagar Assembly constituency|Anna Nagar]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||49.94||V. Sukumar Babu||[[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK(J)]]|||27.28
|-
| [[1991 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1991]]||[[Chepauk Assembly constituency|Chepauk]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Lost}}||43.00||Zeenath Sheriffdeen||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]|||50.62
|-
| [[1996 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|1996]]||[[Harbour Assembly constituency|Harbour]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||70.57||Earnest Paul||[[Indian National Congress|INC]]|||16.19
|-
| [[2001 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|2001]]||[[Harbour Assembly constituency|Harbour]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||46.98||D. Pandian||[[Communist Party of India|CPI]]|||46.33
|-
| [[2006 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|2006]]||[[Harbour Assembly constituency|Harbour]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Won}}||44.24||H. Seema Basheer||[[Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|MDMK]]|||43.55
|-
| [[2011 Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly election|2011]]||[[Villivakkam Assembly constituency|Villivakkam]]|||[[Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|DMK]]||{{Lost}}||44.20||[[J. C. D. Prabhakar]]||[[All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam|AIADMK]]|||52.44
|}

==Personal life and death==
Anbazhagan lived with his wife Santhakumari in Aspiran Garden, Kilpauk Chennai.{{citation needed|date= October 2022}}

In his later years, Anbazhagan was in poor health, which minimized his political activities and public appearances, with the last one being on his 97th birthday on 19 December 2019.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/dmk-general-secretary-k-anbazhagan-passes-away-97-1653317-2020-03-07 | title=DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan passes away at 97 | publisher=India Today | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=9 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/leaders-greet-dmks-anbazhagan-on-97th-birthday/articleshow/72893104.cms | title=Leaders greet DMK's Anbazhagan on 97th birthday | publisher=[[The Times of India]] | work=B Sivakumar | date=20 December 2020 | access-date=9 March 2020}}</ref>

On 24 February 2020, his health deteriorated and became "extremely critical and unstable", and he was admitted at [[Apollo Hospital]] in [[Chennai]] for treatment.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/dmk-general-secretary-anbazhagan-no-more/article31004456.ece |title=DMK general secretary Anbazhagan no more |work=The Hindu |access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> He died there at 1:05 [[Indian Standard Time|IST]] on 7 March 2020 due to complications of [[diabetes mellitus]]. The DMK declared a seven-day mourning after his death.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-dmk-general-secretary-k-anbazhagan-passes-away-at-97-in-chennai-2816341 | title=DMK general secretary K Anbazhagan passes away at 97 in Chennai | work=[[Daily News and Analysis]] | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=9 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Veteran DMK Leader K. Anbazhagan Passes Away at 97|url=https://thewire.in/politics/veteran-dmk-leader-k-anbazhagan-passes-away-at-97|access-date=19 June 2020|website=The Wire}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2020/mar/07/end-of-an-era-k-anbazhagans-demise-leaves-vacuum-in-dravidian-politics-2113607.html | title=End of an era: K Anbazhagan's demise leaves vacuum in Dravidian politics | publisher=New Indian Express | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.ndtv.com/tamil-nadu-news/dmk-general-secretary-k-anbazhagan-dies-at-97-in-chennai-2191313 | title=DMK General Secretary K Anbazhagan Dies At 97 In Chennai | publisher=NDTV | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=9 March 2020}}</ref>

His grandson [[A. Vetriazhagan]] is the current MLA from [[Villivakkam (state assembly constituency)|Villivakkam]] constituency.<ref>{{Cite web |title=DMK's Vetriazhagan to face his grandpa's rival |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2021/mar/30/dmks-vetriazhagan-to-face-his-grandpas-rival-2283350.html |access-date=5 March 2022 |website=The New Indian Express |date=30 March 2021 }}</ref>

== Posthumous recognition ==
In 2022, during Anbazhagan's birth centenary commemorations, the Tamil Nadu government established the "Perasiriyar K. Anbazhagan Award for Best Schools".<ref>{{Cite news |date=5 March 2024 |title=Two schools in district receive Perasiriyar Anbazhagan Award |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/kurumbapalayam-government-high-school-and-arasur-panchayat-union-primary-school-receive-perasiriyar-anbazhagan-award/articleshow/108223993.cms |access-date=12 September 2025 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> The award program recognizes 76 schools annually—two from each district—based on criteria including academic performance, teaching methods, infrastructure, and student welfare provisions. Chief Minister M. K. Stalin announced the award during the centenary observances.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Kumar |first=N. Vinoth |date=18 March 2022 |title=TN budget schemes: Remembering Vallalar, Periyar and K Anbazhagan |url=https://thefederal.com/news/tn-unveils-schemes-in-memory-of-three-tamil-greats |access-date=12 September 2025 |website=thefederal.com |language=en}}</ref>

The state government also announced the "Perasiriyar Anbazhagan School Development Scheme", allocated ₹7,000 crore over a five-year period for government school modernization and the construction of 18,000 new classrooms.<ref name=":1" /> The Integrated Finance Complex at Nandanam, Chennai, was renamed the "Professor K. Anbazhagan Complex".The complex includes a statue commemorating Anbazhagan.<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 December 2021 |title=Finance Department complex renamed after Anbazhagan |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/finance-department-complex-renamed-after-anbazhagan/article37993157.ece |access-date=12 September 2025 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

==Literary works==
Anbazhagan has sound knowledge of [[Tamil literature|Tamil poetry]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/anbazhagan-struck-a-balance-between-literature-and-politics/article31018446.ece | title=Anbazhagan struck a balance between literature and politics | publisher=The Hindu | work=B Kolappan | date=9 March 2020 | access-date=9 March 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.dtnext.in/News/TopNews/2020/03/07011619/1218789/DMK-veteran-leader-K-Anbazhagan-passes-away.vpf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130024744/https://www.dtnext.in/News/TopNews/2020/03/07011619/1218789/DMK-veteran-leader-K-Anbazhagan-passes-away.vpf | url-status=dead | archive-date=30 November 2021 | title=DMK veteran leader K Anbazhagan passes away | publisher=Daily Thanthi | date=7 March 2020 | access-date=7 March 2020}}</ref> He contributed to Tamil literature through a variety of works. His published writings include books on the Dravidian movement,<ref>{{Cite web |title=பேரா.க. அன்பழகன் |url=https://periyarbooks.com/collections/k-anbazhagan |access-date=12 September 2025 |website=PeriyarBooks.Com |language=en}}</ref> its leaders, contemporary social and political issues, as well as fictional novels. Some of his published works include:
*''Urimai vaazhvu''
*''Viduthalaik kavignar''
*''Pesum kalai valarpom''
*''Thamizh kadal''
*''Alai osai''
*''Thamizhar thirumanamum inamaanamum''
*Azhagurani
*Dravida Iyakkam
*Dravida Iyakkathin Thotramaum Thevaiyum
*Inamozhi Vaazhvurimai Por
*Ivarthaam Periyar
*Maamanithar Anna
*Neengalum Pechalar Aagalam
*Perasiriyargal
*Singa Ilainjyaney Silirthu Ezhuthu
*Thamizh Kadalin Alai Osai
*Thamizh Vaanin Vidivelli Thandhai Periyar
*Thamizhinakkaavalar Kalaignar
*The Dravidian Movement (in English)
*Thonda? Dhuveshama?
*Valarum Kilarchi
*Vakkupurimai Porattam
*Vazhga Dravidam (வாழ்க திராவிடம்)
*Vivekanandar - Vizhantha Manithakula Thondu
In recognition of his literary contributions, the Tamil Nadu government announced in December 2021 that all of Anbazhagan's works would be nationalized,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Service |first=Express News |date=19 December 2021 |title=Anbazhagan's works to be nationalised: TN government |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil-nadu/2021/Dec/19/anbazhagans-works-to-be-nationalisedtn-government-2397225.html |access-date=12 September 2025 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> with Chief Minister M.K. Stalin presenting compensation to his family during his birth centenary celebrations.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://loksabha.nic.in/writereaddata/biodata_1_12/1710.htm Official biographical sketch in Parliament of India website]
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anbazhagan, K.}}
[[Category:Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam politicians]]
[[Category:1922 births]]
[[Category:Dravidian movement]]
[[Category:Indian atheists]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:People from Tiruvarur district]]
[[Category:India MPs 1967–1970]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Annamalai University alumni]]
[[Category:Leaders of the opposition in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu MLAs 1996–2001]]
[[Category:Members of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council]]
[[Category:Deaths from multiple organ failure]]
[[Category:Madras MLAs 1957–1962]]
[[Category:Tamil Nadu MLAs 1985–1989]]
[[Category:Health ministers of Tamil Nadu]]

K. Anbazhagan - Revision history

Siddhant Babu at 07:16, 24 March 2026