On the occasion of the 118th birth anniversary of renowned freedom fighter and former minister P. Kakkan, Madurai District Collector P. Akash paid floral tributes to his statue at the memorial hall located in Thumbaipatti village of Melur taluk on Thursday.
Kakkan was born on June 18, 1908, in Thumbaipatti village near Melur in Madurai district. He actively participated in India’s freedom movement during his student days and later served as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha as well as a Minister in the Tamil Nadu Government. He was widely recognized for his dedicated efforts toward the welfare of marginalized and oppressed communities.
In recognition of his contributions to public service and social justice, the Tamil Nadu Government established a memorial hall in Thumbaipatti, which was inaugurated on February 13, 2001. His birth anniversary is observed annually as an official state function.
As part of the commemorative event, the District Collector, on behalf of the Tamil Nadu Government, garlanded Kakkan’s statue and paid homage at the memorial.
Following the tribute, the Collector visited the exhibition section of the memorial, where rare historical photographs depicting Kakkan’s life, public service, political journey and social contributions were displayed.
The event was attended by Melur Revenue Divisional Officer Sangeetha, District Public Relations Officer P. R. Vettrivendan, Assistant Public Relations Officer (News) V. P. Vinoth, Melur Tahsildar Muthupandi, Kottampatti Block Development Officer Rama Moorthy and other government officials.