Draft:Kannan Rajarathinam

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Kannan Rajarathinam
Kannan Rajarathinam in 2024
Born	(1962-08-23) 23 August 1962 Chennai, IN
Nationality	Indian
Citizenship	Indian
Alma mater	University of Georgia Tufts University Madras Law College New College
Occupations	Adjunct professor at University of Georgia School of Law Writer diplomat politician former international civil servant
Years active	1978–present
Works	Bibliography
Political party	Indian National Congress (2008–present)
Spouse	Usharani Kannan ​ ​ (m. 1981, divorced)​
Children	2

"Kannan Rajarathinam", born 23 August 1962 is an Indian political commentator, author and former United Nations political official. He is currently an adjunct faculty at the University of Georgia School of Law. He served the United Nations for twenty-eight years in various capacities in three continents from 1993 to 2022. He has three books to his credit on the Dravidian movement. Born in the north of Chennai, Kannan graduated from The New College,Chennai , in 1983 and studied law at Madras Law College, where he graduated in 1986. Kannan pursued an LLM at the University of Georgia School of Law in 1987-88 and taught briefly at Madras Law College before returning to the US to pursue a doctorate in International Relations between 1989 and 1993.

In 1993, Kannan joined the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Croatia. He publicly credits Shashi Tharoor with bringing him to the United Nations. In 1995, Kannan returned from the United Nations to pursue a public career. Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi launched his work during his time in the former Yugoslavia and its breakup in March 1996. However, after a sixteen-month hiatus, he returned to the United Nations and continued with the organisation until 2022. During his sixteen months in India, he began to pen op-eds for Dinamani and wrote for the Frontline, edited by N. Ram. When Ram took over The Hindu Kannan penned op-eds three years in a row in The Hindu on DMK founder C.N. Annadurai's birthdays. This led to his biography in English on Annadurai on his birth centenary brought out by Penguin Random House which was launched by Shashi Tharoor in Chennai in 2010. This was followed by his biography of MGR launched by Shashi Tharoor and received by R.M. Veerappan in 2017 in Chennai.

Early life and education

Kannan was born on 23 August 1962 in Chennai to S.K. Rajarathinam and R. Abaranji, a Tamil couple. Kannan has a younger sister. Kannan's paternal grandfather was M. Ramasamy, a man who had made his fortune as a commission agent. Kannan's father, originally from Aruppukottai shifted to Chennai after his marriage and set up a small cloth store. Kannan's father dropped out of middle school at form six and his mother at sixth standard. Kannan grew up in north Chennai, a hotbed of political activity and where the DMK was founded.

Kannan studied up to tenth grade at St. Mary's Anglo Indian High School and later his higher secondary education at Doveton Corrie Boys Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School. Despite his wish to pursue a non-science arts degree, his father's wishes prevailed, and he ended up doing a BSc in Chemistry at New College.

After his plus-two and before joining college, Kannan sought out T. Ramalingam, an advocate and public speaker, to initiate him into public speaking. Kannan has referred to Ramalingam as his first angel. He has debated in both Tamil and English and won many competitions. In 1982-83, Kannan was elected secretary of the students council in New College at the University of Madras. In 1983, Kannan joined Madras Law College and graduated with a B.L. degree in 1986. A year later, Kannan went to the United States to obtain an LLM degree at the University of Georgia School of Law, Athens, GA, and returned to teach briefly at Madras Law College before returning to the United States to pursue a PhD in International Relations from The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford,MA,in 1989.

Diplomatic career

Beginning

Kannan's career in the United Nations began in 1993 as a staff member of the UN Protection Force in Zagreb, Croatia and Sector North, one of the four UN Protected Areas in that strife-torn country. After a brief two and a half year stint where he physically helped move a Croat family from the rebel held area to the government controlled area, Kannan quit UNPROFOR and returned to India to pursue a public career which never took off. It was during these sixteen months that he began writing for Frontline and Dinamani. His book titled 'After Separation' in Tamil on the break up of Yugoslavia was launched in March 1996 in Chennai by DMK leader Kalaignar M. Karunanidhi. Kannan returned to the UN after a sixteen-month hiatus. From 1996 to 2022 Kannan served in North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cyprus, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Sudan until 2022. In Cyprus, Kannan headed the office of civil affairs of the UN, vetting civilian projects in the UN buffer zone. It was during this time in 2003 the crossings between the Greek Cypriot side and the Turkish Cypriot side were opened for Cypriots after a thirty year closure. Kannan helped the UN's efforts to facilitate these crossings and obtained permission to open a Greek Orthodox Church for worshippers from the government-controlled side for a day.

Speeches

Kannan is known as a good speaker and is sought-after by Rotarians and on YouTube platforms. His interview on MGR on a YouTube channel has over half a million views. He regularly speaks on Dravidan politics, India, and world affairs.

Literary career

Kannan has written for The Hindu and writes on Tamil Nadu's politics for The Times of India's South Pole column. As of 2021, Kannan has written three critically acclaimed books in English. He is currently working on a biography of his state and has said that he would like to write a readable book on comparative philosophies at some point in time. Kannan's writing career began in his thirties and he has lamented that he was not drawn to write sooner.

Personal life

Kannan met his wife Usharani in 1988, whom he married a year later. In 1989, she accompanied him to the United States and helped complete his PhD there. She joined him in Croatia where she worked with Care Canada in Zagreb. In January 1996 their first child Thaenpaavai was born. In 2000 their son Iniyan was born. Kannan is agnostic but he has said that he is "proud of being a Hindu," the only faith that accepts that there are many ways. Kannan's mother tongue is Tamil.

Bibliography

• Anna: The Life and Times of C.N. Annadurai (2010)
• MGR: A Life (2017)
• The DMK Years (2024)

External links

• Kannan Rajarathinam on LinkedIn
• [1] review of R.kannan The DMK Years at The Hindu
• [2] stalwart of the Dravidian Movementat The Hindu
• [3] book review of DMK at The New Indian Express
• [4] review of MGR A Life at The Hindu
• Works by Kannan Rajarathinam at Open Library
• Exchange of notes Kannan Rajarathinam Speaks about the future of the united nations at UGA law