Based on contributions to the growth of the Tamil people, the development of Tamil Nadu, and public service achievements, the Tamil Nadu government presents the 'Thagaisal Tamilar' award every year at the Independence Day celebration.
In previous years, this award has been given to Sankaraiya, Nallakannu, Kumari Ananthan, Veeramani, and Khader Mohideen.
Along with the Thagaisal Tamilar award, a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 10 lakh will also be presented.
This year, the Thagaisal Tamilar award has been given to senior Congress leader M. Krishnasamy.

Who is he?
M. Krishnasamy is from Cheyyar taluk in Tiruvannamalai.
He initially worked as a lawyer at the Madras High Court. Later, he served as the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president for two years, from 2006 to 2008.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament from the Vandavasi Lok Sabha constituency in 1991 and from the Arani Lok Sabha constituency in 2009.
He is the father of Soumya Anbumani, wife of PMK leader Ramadoss and an MLA in the Dharmapuri Assembly constituency.
M. Krishnasamy’s father-in-law was a former Congress MLA. His son, M.K. Vishnu, is the Congress Member of Parliament from the Cuddalore constituency.
Although the family is entirely Congress, his daughter’s family belongs to a completely different party.

His responsibilities:
> As a member of the Estimates Committee in the Lok Sabha... member of the Petroleum and Industry Standing Committee!
> Member of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee for the departments of Rural Development, Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, and Agriculture,
> He participated in the United Nations General Assembly and United Nations Security Council meetings in New York City, USA, and spoke as a representative of the Government of India
He has held various responsibilities like this.
In an interview given to Vikatan, Sowmiya Anbumani shared about her father...
‘Dad was not only a politician, but also a busy lawyer. He would often fly to Delhi, meet Congress leaders, and return. Even amid all that hectic activity, whether he was in Delhi or Mumbai, he made it a habit to call home and check on the children.
No matter how late he came home, he would affectionately call my brother and me “my dear darlings.”
‘Knowing many languages helps us understand people who speak other languages... Understanding society is the foundation for understanding politics!’ Dad would say.
Even today, whenever I meet Sonia Gandhi madam, she asks after my father, saying, ‘How is your father?’ When my husband was a minister, we met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh three times. He too remembered and asked after my father. Those were the moments when I began to truly understand my father’s worth even more.” she said.
Full interview - Click here
