K. M. Annal Thango

K. M. Annal Thango (12 April 1904 – 4 January 1974) was an Indian Tamil scholar, freedom fighter, writer, and lyricist. He contributed significantly to Tamil culture and literature and advocated for the adoption of the Thirukkural tradition in Tamil weddings.

Life K. M. Annal Thango was born as Swaminathan on 12 April 1904 in Gudiyatham, Madras Presidency, to Murugappa Mudaliar and Manickammal. Later, he adopted the name Annal Thango to align with the Thani Tamil Iyakkam (Tamil Purist Movement).

He joined the Indian National Congress in 1918 and participated in numerous protests for India's independence. In 1923, he was imprisoned twice, each time for three months, for picketing a lawyer's shop in Madurai. When the Justice Party merged with the Self-Respect Movement in 1944 to form the Dravidar Kazhagam, Annal Thango proposed renaming it "Tamil Kazhagam". In 2024, a statue in his honor was erected in Kudiyatham, Vellore District at a cost of Rupees Fifty Lakh.