Kamban Adippodi Saw Ganesan (6 June 1908 – 28 July 1982) was an Indian politician and Tamil activist, writer, historian, and epigraphist. He was known for popularising the Tamil epic Ramavataram (also known as Kamba Ramayanam) through his Kamban Kazhagam organization, and for initiating construction of a temple to the Tamil language in Karaikudi.
Saw Ganesan was born on 6 June 1908 in Karaikudi, Chettinad to Swaminathan and Nachiyammai, a Tamil merchant family.[1] His family ran a business in Burma. In 1927, he headed a volunteer group during the visit of Mahatma Gandhi to Karaikudi, and the same year he joined the Indian National Congress to participate in the Indian independence movement.[2] In 1941, as part of his individual Satyagraha, he went on a padayatra to New Delhi, but he was arrested by the British government for his participation in the Satyagraha.[2]
In 1942, the British Raj issued a "shoot on sight" order against him for his involvement in the Quit India Movement. He surrendered in Chennai after the instruction from C. Rajagopalachari (Rajaji).[2]
Ganesan contested the presidential election for the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in 1946 but lost to K. Kamaraj.[3]
Following a disagreement with Jawaharlal Nehru socialist policies, Rajaji formed the liberal Swatantra Party in 1959. Ganesan became one of the founding members of this party. He later he held the post of Madras state president of the party.[4] He won the 1962 Madras State legislative assembly election from the Karaikudi constituency.[5] He was elected to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Council in 1968.[2]
Ganesan was a great admirer of the Tamil language. He took as his mission the popularisation of Kamba Ramayanam, the Tamil version of Ramayana written by Tamil poet Kambar. Ganesan founded the Kamban Kazhagam academy in 1939.[6]