Veteran writer' Journalist Ganesan dead

Chennai, Mar 28 (UNI) Veteran writer-journalist P C Ganesan, a close associate of rationalist leader Periyar E V Ramasamy and late chief ministers C N Annadurai, K Kamaraj and M G Ramachandran, died here today after a prolonged illness.

Mr Ganesan, who had penned more than 500 books in Tamil and English, was 79.

He is survived by his wife, a son and four daughters.

Hailing from Thanjavur district, Mr Ganesan started writing during his college days and became a fulltime writer and journalist at the age of 30 after resigning as HeadMaster of the Tiruvarur High school.

He started his journalistic career in the 1950s when he began writing a column on ''Manithanin Kathaigal (stories of mankind)," in the DMK organ Murasoli, popularising the ideals of the Dravidian movement.

Later, he became the editor of Tamil daily Navasakthi run by the Congress party when Kamaraj was the Chief Minister. He then served as Editor of the DMK's Rising Sun and Namadhu MGR, when Ms Jayalalithaa was Chief Minister during 1991-96. Mr Ganesan became popular for his writings in ''Home Land'' run by DMK founder and late Chief Minister C N Annadurai.

Hailed as a powerful political commentator, Mr Ganesan served as media advisor for MGR. His association with national leaders like Mr V K Krishna Menon, K T Malaviya and former prime minister Chandrasekhar not able.

Ganesan also shone in the Tamil film industry as a screen play and dialogue writer for a number of films. He earned fame through his screenplay and dialogues in Sivaji Ganesan's ''Rathathilagam''.

UNI WS AA PK RS2017