Summary:
After Periyar’s death, his statue was installed before the Simpsons building on Anna Salai, followed by the DMK Patriarch’s. The statue depicting Willingdon with one arm on his hip was once near the Gymkhana Club. In a preventive action, a day before the anniversary of Indian Independence, then chief minister Kamaraj ordered the statue to be taken to Fort Museum. “Kamaraj was the first chief minister to allow a statue to be unveiled for himself, “ he said. While several statues dot the Marina beach stretch, one statue has always been a structure of interest — the famous Kannagi statue..