Kannan Rajarathinam

Kannan Rajarathinam (born 23 August 1962) is an Indian writer, teacher, and former United Nations officer. He worked for the United Nations for 28 years in different countries. He writes books and articles about Tamil Nadu's politics and leaders. He is also a visiting professor at the University of Georgia School of Law.

Early life and education
Kannan was born in Chennai, India. He studied science at New College in Chennai and law at Madras Law College. Later, he moved to the United States to study for a Master's degree in Law (LLM) at the University of Georgia. He also completed a Ph.D. in International Relations at Tufts University.

Career with the United Nations
Kannan joined the United Nations in 1993 as a civil affairs officer in Croatia. He worked in countries like Bosnia, Cyprus, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Sudan. In Cyprus, he helped open a Greek church for worship for the first time in 30 years.

Writing and books
Kannan started writing articles in Indian newspapers like The Hindu, The Times of India, and The News Minute. He wrote biographies of Tamil political leaders like C. N. Annadurai, M. G. Ramachandran, and a recent book on the DMK political party.

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

Personal life
Kannan married Usharani in 1989. They have two children. He says he respects all religions but prefers to call himself agnostic.

References

Category:1962 births
Category:Living people
Category:Indian writers
Category:Indian diplomats
Category:United Nations officials
Category:Political writers
Category:Tamil people
Category:People from Chennai
Category:Indian academics
Category:Biographers