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Kamban Adippodi '''Saw Ganesan''' (6 June 1908 – 28 July 1982) was an Indian politician and Tamil activist, writer, historian, and epigraphist. He was known for popularising the Tamil epic ''[[Ramavataram]]'' (also known as ''Kamba Ramayanam'') through his [[Kamban Kazhagam]] organization, and for initiating construction of a temple to the [[Tamil language]] in [[Karaikudi]].<br />
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== Early life and politics ==<br />
Saw Ganesan was born on 6 June 1908 in Karaikudi, [[Chettinad]] to Swaminathan and Nachiyammai, a Tamil merchant family.<ref name="dinamalar1">{{Cite news |url=http://www.dinamalar.com/news_detail.asp?id=1573055 |title=கம்பனுக்கு வாய்த்த 'கம்பன் அடிப்பொடி' |date=28 July 2016 |work=[[Dinamalar]] |language=Tamil}}</ref> His family ran a business in [[Burma]]. In 1927, he headed a volunteer group during the visit of [[Mahatma Gandhi]] to Karaikudi, and the same year he joined the [[Indian National Congress]] to participate in the [[Indian independence movement]].<ref name="hindu1">{{Cite news |url=http://tamil.thehindu.com/opinion/blogs/%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%A3%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%9A%E0%AE%A9%E0%AF%8D-10/article8696330.ece |title=சா.கணேசன் 10 |date=2 June 2016 |work=[[Tamil Hindu]] |language=Tamil}}</ref> In 1941, as part of his [[August Offer|individual Satyagraha]], he went on a [[padayatra]] to [[New Delhi]], but he was arrested by the British government for his participation in the Satyagraha.<ref name="hindu1" /><br />
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In 1942, the [[British Raj]] issued a "shoot on sight" order against him for his involvement in the [[Quit India Movement]]. He surrendered in [[Chennai]] after the instruction from [[C. Rajagopalachari]] (Rajaji).<ref name="hindu1" /><br />
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==Political career==<br />
Ganesan contested the presidential election for the [[Tamil Nadu Congress Committee]] in 1946 but lost to [[K. Kamaraj]].<ref name="Limitedசாவி2015">{{cite book|author1=Mukil E Publishing And solutions Private Limited|author2=சாவி|title=The Political Life of Kamarajar: காமராஜரின் அரசியல் வாழ்க்கை|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bkTNCgAAQBAJ&pg=PT48|date=24 October 2015|publisher=Mukil E Publishing And Solutions Private Limited|pages=48–49|id=GGKEY:HG27DYH03FA}}</ref><br />
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Following a disagreement with [[Jawaharlal Nehru]] socialist policies, Rajaji formed the liberal [[Swatantra Party]] in 1959. Ganesan became the one of the founding members of this party. He later he held the post of Madras state president of the party.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Illustrated Weekly of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L2Y6AQAAIAAJ|date=July 1975|publisher=Times of India}}</ref> He won the [[1962 Madras State legislative assembly election]] from the [[Karaikudi (State Assembly Constituency)|Karaikudi constituency]].<ref name="assembly">{{Cite book |url=http://www.assembly.tn.gov.in/archive/3rd_1962/whoiswho_1962.pdf |title=1962 Madras Legislative Assembly |work=Tamil Nadu Assembly |pages=65 |access-date=2018-03-10}}</ref> He was elected to the [[Tamil Nadu Legislative Council]] in 1968.<ref name="hindu1" /><br />
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== Contributions to the Tamil language ==<br />
[[File:தமிழ்த்தாய் திருவுருவச் சிலை.JPG|thumb|Tamil Thai Statue, Karaikudi]]<br />
Ganesan was a great admirer of the [[Tamil language]]. He took as his mission the popularisation of Kamba Ramayanam, the Tamil version of [[Ramayana]] written by Tamil poet [[Kambar (poet)|Kambar]]. Ganesan founded the [[Kamban Kazhagam]] academy in 1939.<ref name="hindu2">{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/history-and-culture/the-kamban-dream/article4484453.ece |title= The Kamban dream |date=7 March 2013 |work=The Hindu}}</ref><br />
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In 1940, Ganesan decided to construct a temple to the Tamil language with [[Tamil Thai]] (Tamil mother) as the main deity. He commissioned sculptor [[Vaidyanatha Stapathi]] to design Tamil Thai as an idol of the goddess and to construct the temple in Karaikudi.<ref name="hindu2" /><ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/op-ed/the-sound-and-fury-of-symbolic-politics/article5019582.ece |title= The sound and fury of symbolic politics |date=14 August 2013 |work=The Hindu}}</ref> Due to financial issues, construction did not begin for several years. The project proceeded with financial support from the [[Government of Tamil Nadu]], and then-[[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]] [[M. Karunanidhi]] laid the foundation stone for the temple in 1975.<ref name="Ramaswamy1997">{{cite book|author=Sumathi Ramaswamy|title=Passions of the Tongue: Language Devotion in Tamil India, 1891–1970|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Npvv-ALoQFcC&pg=PA133|date=20 November 1997|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-91879-5|pages=133–}}</ref><br />
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After the deaths of Ganesan and the sculptor Vaidyanatha, Vaidyanatha's son [[V. Ganapati Sthapati]] shouldered the responsibility of completing the temple. The Tamil Thai temple was opened by M. Karunanidhi in 1993.<ref name="hindu2" /><br />
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Ganesan delivered a speech on the history of the Tamil language in the second [[World Tamil Conference]] in Chennai. Furthermore, he submitted several research papers on [[Tamil-Brahmi]] inscriptions.<ref>{{cite book|title=Seminar on Inscriptions, 1966: speeches and papers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5r14AAAAIAAJ|year=1968|publisher=Books (India)}}</ref> He authored many books, including ''Pillaiyarpatti Thala Varalaru'', a historical book about the [[Karpaka Vinayakar Temple]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Proceedings of the First International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, April, 1966|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cXoLAQAAIAAJ|year=1968|publisher=International Association of Tamil Research}}</ref><br />
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In 1980, Justice S. Maharajan honoured Ganesan with the title ''Kamban Adippodi'', which means a devotee of Kamban.<ref name="hindu2" /><br />
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Ganesan died on 28 July 1982.<ref name="assembly" /><br />
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== References ==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
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{{Authority control}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ganesan, Saw}}<br />
[[Category:1908 births]]<br />
[[Category:1982 deaths]]<br />
[[Category:Tamil Nadu politicians]]<br />
[[Category:Swatantra Party politicians]]<br />
[[Category:20th-century Indian politicians]]</div>->TrangaBellam