List of people from Tamil Nadu

List of people from Tamil Nadu

This is a list of notable people from Tamil Nadu, an Indian state.

Administrators and Heads of State

Heads of other countries
Veerasamy Ringadoo (19202000), was Governor-General & President of Mauritius. Angidi Veeriah Chettiar, Acting President of Mauritius (Feb 15, 2002 - Feb 18, 2002). Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay, Acting President of Mauritius (Feb 18, 2002 - Feb 25, 2002). Sellapan Ramanathan, President of Singapore (September 1, 2002 August 31, 2011).

International positions
Navanethem Pillay - High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN. Radhika Coomaraswamy - Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict James Appathurai - Spokesperson for NATO. Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar - served as the first President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council,Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council.

Presidents of the India

Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, 2nd President of India Ramaswamy Venkataraman (born 1910), 8th President of India (July 25, 1987 July 25, 1992) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (born 1931), 11th President of India (July 25, 2002 2007)

Dewans of princely states

Ramayyan Dalawa, Dewan of Travancore from 1737 to 1756 A. Seshayya Sastri (18281903), Indian administrator. Dewan of Travancore from 1872 to 1877 and Pudukkottai from 1878 to 1894. Ramiengar, Dewan of Travancore from 1881 to 1887 K. Seshadri Iyer, longest serving Dewan of Mysore state Shungrasoobyer, Dewan of Travancore from 1892 to 1898 P. Kalifulla, (1888 - 1950) Khan Bhadur - Dewan of Pudukottai,Madras Legislative Assembly from Tiruchirappalli in the 1937 elections. P. Rajagopalachari, Dewan of Cochin from 1897 to 1901 and Travancore from 1904 or 1906 to 1914 V. T. Krishnamachari, Dewan of Baroda R. K. Shanmukham Chetty, Dewan of Cochin from 1931 to 1945 C. P. Ramaswami Iyer (18791966), Advocate General of State of Madras in the 1920s, penultimate Dewan of Travancore Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, last Dewan of Mysore state

List of people from Tamil Nadu

Indian independence movement

Dheeran Chinnamalai (17561805), Polygar chieftain who fought the British in the Second Polygar War. Kattabomman (17601799), polygar chief of Panchalakurichi who fought the British in the First Polygar War. Maruthu Pandiyar, brothers Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu, who fought the British in the First and Second Polygar Wars. Puli Thevar, Polygar chieftain who fought the British East India Company in the 1750s and 1760s. First general of Tamil origin to fight against the British. Rani Velu Nachiyar, a queen and freedom fighter Chempakaraman Pillai, an Indian warrior who attacked the East India Company from the Emden Submarine; formed International Cadet Corps ICC. S. Subramania Iyer (18421925), lawyer, jurist and theosophist who co-founded the Home Rule Movement G. Subramania Iyer (18551916), Freedom fighter and founder of "The Hindu" English newspaper. V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (18721936), independence fighter, who launched the first Indian ship on Indian waters under British Rule. V. V. S Iyer (18811925) Tamil scholar and freedom fighter Ramalingam Pillai, Tamil freedom fighter and poet Subramanya Bharathy (18821921), Indian freedom fighter, Tamil poet and social reformer. Often regarded as the national poet of India. V. Kalyanasundaram (18831953), scholar and independence fighter Subramaniya Siva (18841925), freedom fighter and close associate of Bharathi and V. V. S. Iyer Sathyamurthy (18871943), Indian freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress in the erstwhile Madras presidency Vanchinathan (18861911), Indian Tamil independence activist who killed General Ash and committed suicide at Maniyachi Kalki Sadasivam (19021997), singer, journalist and film producer who was one of the founders of the Tamil magazine Kalki; U. Muthuramalingam Thevar, freedom fighter and aide to SC Bose. Tiruppur Kumaran, independence fighter Lakshmi Sehgal (19142012), head of Rani Jhansi brigade, women's wing of the Indian National Army G. S. Lakshman Iyer, freedom fighter who also fought for the rights of Harijans
Subramanya Bharathi Tamil poet

Political leaders
Chief Ministers of Madras province, state and Tamil Nadu
P. Subbarayan, Premier of Madras from 1926 to 1930 P. T. Rajan, Premier of Madras in 1936 C. Rajagopalachari, Premier of Madras (1937 to 1940) and Chief Minister of Madras state from 1952 to 1954 P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, Premier of Madras 1949 to 1952 K. Kamaraj, Chief Minister of Madras state from 1954 to 1962 M. Bhaktavatsalam, Chief Minister of Madras state from 1962 to 1967 C. N. Annadurai, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1967 to 1969 M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 1969-1977, 19881991, 19962001, 20062011 M. G. Ramachandran (19771987)

List of people from Tamil Nadu V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, Intermin Chief minister of Tamil Nadu O. Paneerselvam, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu May 14, 2001 and September 21, 2001 Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 16 May 2011 - Present

Ex-ministers in the Union government

C. Subramaniam (19102000), former Union Minister, Bharat Ratna awardee, father of Green Revolution K. S. Ramaswamy Gounder, (19222004), former Minister for Home, Education and Social Welfare R. K. Shanmukham Chetty (18921953), first Finance Minister of independent India Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, lawyer, former Union Minister and son of Mohan Kumaramangalam K. Santhanam (18951980), first Railway Minister of independent India T. T. Krishnamachari (18991974), industrialist and Indian Finance Minister 19561958 and 19641966, resigning from the position twice Satyavani Muthu, first non-congress member from Tamil Nadu along with Aravind Pajanoor to be part of the Union government Murasoli Maran, former Minister of Industry India Mani Shankar Aiyar (born 1941), former Minister of Panchayat Raj, Youth Affairs, Sports and North East Region India Anbumani Ramadoss, former Minister of Health and Family Welfare India T. R. Baalu, former Minister of Shipping, Highways and Road Transport India K. Venkatapathy, former Minister of State for Law and Justice, India S. Regupathy, former Minister of State for Forests and Environment (Independent Charge), India E. V. K. S. Elangovan, former Minister of State for Textiles of India R. Velu, former Minister of State for Railways, India V. Radhika Selvi, former Minister of State for Home Affairs, India A. Raja, Former Minister of Communications and Information Technology India M. Arunachalam, former Minister for Commerce and industries

Ministers to the Union of India

P. Chidambaram (born 1945), Minister of Home Affairs, India G. K. Vasan, Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation(Independent Charge), India M. K. Azhagiri Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers S. S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Finance, India Napoleon (actor), Minister of State for Social Justice And Empowerment S. Jagathrakshakan, Indian Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State, Culture, Planning and Parliamentary Affairs R. V. Swaminathan, Minister of state,Agriculture

Defence (India)
General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam (19132000), 7th Chief of Army Staff (June 7, 1966June 7, 1969) General Krishnaswamy Sundararajan (19301999), 14th Chief of Army Staff (February 1, 1986April 30, 1988) Air Chief Marshal Srinivasapuram Krishna Swamy (born 1943), 19th Chief of Air Staff (December 31, 2001 December 31, 2004). Admiral Sushil Kumar, 18th Chief of the Naval Staff (December 30, 1998December 29, 2001) Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas

List of people from Tamil Nadu

Award winners
Nobel Laureates
Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, for Physics - 1930 Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, for Physics - 1983 Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, for Chemistry - 2009

Ramon Magsaysay Award

M. S. Swaminathan, for Community Leadership - 1971 M. S. Subbulakshmi, for Public Service - 1974 R. K. Laxman, for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts - 1984 Aruna Roy, for Community Leadership - 2000 V Shanta, for Public Service - 2005
Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

Bharat Ratna
The Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian honour. C. V. Raman for Science & Engineering 1954 C. Rajagopalachari for Public Affairs 1954 K. Kamaraj for Public Affairs 1976 (posthumous) A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for Science & Engineering 1997 C Subramaniam for Public Affairs 1998 M.S. Subbulakshmi for Arts & Music 1998 M.G. Ramachandran for his reformation activities and support from Tamil Nadu 1988.

Padma Vibhushan
Kariamanickam Srinivasa Krishnan Science- 1954[1] Naryana Raghvan Pillai for Public Affairs - 1960 Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar for Science & Engineering - 1968 Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar for Civil Service - 1970 T. Swaminathan for Civil Service - 1973 M. S. Subbulakshmi for Arts - 1975 T. Balasaraswati for Arts - 1977 M. S. Swaminathan for Science & Engineering - 1989 A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for Science & Engineering - 1990 Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer for Arts - 1990
M. S. Subbulakshmi

List of people from Tamil Nadu

V. Arunachalam, for Literature & Education - 1990 Lakshmi Sahgal for Public Affairs - 1988 DK Pattammal for Arts - 1999 R. Chidambaram for Science & Engineering - 1999 R. K. Narayan for Literature & Education - 2000 K. Kasturirangan for Science & Engineering - 2000 C. Rangarajan for Literature & Education - 2002 R. K. Laxman for Arts - 2005 Raja Jesudoss Chelliah, for Public Affairs - 2007 Balu Sankaran, for Medicine - 2007 V. Krishnamurthy, for Civil Service - 2007 Viswanathan Anand, for Sports - 2008
Viswanathan Anand

Padma Bhushan
S. S. Vasan - Film Producer and Media Baron, Founder of Gemini Studios and Ananda Vikatan Sivaji Ganesan - Actor Alagappa Chettiar - Founder of Alagappa University, Karaikudi. A R Rahman, Indian Music Director. Ilaiyaraaja - musician and Tamil music director Rajinikanth - Actor Arogyaswami Paulraj - Professor

Padma Shri
Sivaji Ganesan - Actor Venu Srinivasan - Industrialist G. Bakthavathsalam - for medicine Kamal Hassan - Actor A. R. Rahman - Musician and Tamil music director Vivek (Actor) - Actor

Param Vir Chakra

Major Ramaswamy Parmeshwaran (19461987), awarded in 1987 (posthumous) for Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka Actor mr kamalahashan and actors ms manoramas is also winners in Padma Shri award

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

Viswanathan Anand, for chess (19911992) Dhanraj Pillay, for Hockey (19992000)

List of people from Tamil Nadu

Art, music, literature

Akilan, Jnanpith Award (1975) Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan, awarded by the National Order of the Legion of Honour of France Jayakanthan, Jnanpith Award (2002) R. K. Narayan, Sahitya Akademi

Industrialists and entrepreneurs

Annamalai Chettiar, Industrialist, Philanthropist & Educator who established Annamalai University. Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar, Industrialist, Philanthropist and First Mayor of Madras. Alagappa Chettiar (19091957), Industrialist, Philanthropist & Educator who established Alagappa University. M. A. Chidambaram, Industrialist. Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar, Industrialist & Educationist, Founder of erstwhile bank Bank of Madurai & institution Thiagarajar College of Engineering. Chenniappan, Nilgiris founder. S. Ramadorai, former CEO of Tata Consultancy Services Ayya Nadar, founder of Ayyan Group of Companies Shanmuga Nadar, founder of Standard Fireworks and other firework industries in Sivakasi Shiv Nadar, founder and CEO of HCL Technologies A. C. Muthiah, Chairman of Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation SPIC V. G. Panneerdas, founder of VGP Group of Companies R. G. Chandramogan, founder of Arun Icecreams P. Rajagopal, founder of Hotel Saravana Bhavan chain of restaurants. H. Vasanthakumar, founder of Vasanth & Co and Vasanth TV. V. R. Muthu, CEO and son of founder of Idhayam oil K. P. Kandasamy, founder of Dinakaran S. P. Adithanar, founder of Dina Thanthi N.Mahalingam Gounder, Educator, Industrialist and Philanthropist. Kalanidhi Maran, Media Baron. M. G. Muthu, founder of MGM Group of Companies and MGM Dizzee World M. A. M Ramasamy Chettiar, Industrialist, Philanthropist and Pro-Chancellor of Annamalai University. Sivasankaran Chairman, Sterling group. B Muthuraman, Managing Director, Tata Steel. Dharmaveera K Govindaswamy Naidu, Industrialist & Philanthropist KG Baalakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director KG Group of companies, Coimbatore Mani Subramanian, CEO of the Keane India Private Limited. Narayanan Vaghul, ex-Chairman of ICICI Bank

List of people from Tamil Nadu

Scholars
Academics
Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, mayor of Madras (192830), vice chancellor of University of Kerala (195161), Travancore A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, first Indian principal of the Madras Medical College and longest-serving vice chancellor of the University of Madras V. L. Ethiraj Mudaliar, founder of Ethiraj College for Women Malcolm Adiseshiah (19101994), economist, former deputy director general of UNESCO and founder of MIDS (Madras Institute of Development Studies) V. C. Kulandaiswamy, educator and technologist. Formerly vice-chancellor of Anna University, IGNOU and Tamil Virtual University. Mu. Varadarajan, Tamil scholar, winner of Sahitya Academy award and ex-vice-chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University Arjun Appadurai, contemporary social theorist, educator and founder of the School of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi H. S. S. Lawrence, educator, former director of school education, Tamil Nadu and UNESCO expert to the government of Afghanistan

Agriculture
M. S. Swaminathan, agricultural scientist, scientific father of Green Revolution in India. Ganapathi Thanikaimoni (19381986), often referred to as Thani, known for his contributions to the science of palynology.

Computer science
Madhu Sudan (born 1966), computer scientist, professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory Arogyaswami Paulraj (born 1944) wireless engineering, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University.

Finance and economics

C. Rangarajan, economist and ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (19921997) C.K. Prahalad, management expert and professor at the University of Michigan Business School Marti Subrahmanyam, finance expert and professor at New York University (NYU) and Board of Directors of Infosys and ICICI Bank Bala V. Balachandran, management expert and professor at the Kellogg School of Management Ravi Jagannathan, economist and professor at the Kellogg School of Management S. Jagannathan, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (19701975) and executive at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund M. Narasimham, banker, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1977) and executive at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund S. Venkitaramanan, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (19901992) T. N. Srinivasan (born 1933), economist and the Samuel C. Park, Jr. professor of economics at Yale University Raghuram Rajan, ex-Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund

List of people from Tamil Nadu

Mathematics
Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan (18871920), 20th-century mathematician Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai (19011950), known for his work in number theory Kollagunta Gopalaiyer Ramanathan (19201992), known for his achievements in number theory C. S. Seshadri, director, Chennai Mathematical Institute and Trieste Awardee S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan, mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society M. S. Narasimhan, mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society (1996) M. S. Raghunathan, mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society C. P. Ramanujam (19381974), worked on number theory and algebraic geometry T. S. Vijayaraghavan (19021955), worked on Pisot-Vijayaraghavan number Ravindran Kannan, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Yale University. Joint winner of the 1991 Fulkerson Prize in discrete mathematics for work on the volumes of convex bodies.

Medicine
Rangaswamy Srinivasan, ultraviolet excimer laser / LASIK. inventor at IBM Research V.S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist; director professor at UC San Diego S.S. Ratnam, pioneer in Singapore in-vitro fertilisation Ganapathi Thanikaimoni, palynologist, French Institute of Pondicherry, awarded the Fyson Prize in Natural Science Mohammed Rela, one of the world's top liver transplant surgeons at the King's College Hospital R. Venkataswami, founder of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Stanley Medical College Govindappa Venkataswamy, founder of Aravind Eye Hospital Ravi Iyengar, professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Scientists
G.D.Naidu, inventor and scientist, referred to as "the Edison of India" Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, 1930 Nobel Prize winner in physics Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, 1983 Nobel Prize winner in physics K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman of ISRO and present director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) Raja Ramanna, former Chairman of Department of Atomic Energy, presided over India's first nuclear test in 1974 P. K. Iyengar, former Chairman of Department of Atomic Energy M.R.Srinivasan, Former Chairman of Department of Atomic Energy R. Chidambaram, Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister of India, ex-Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission S.R. Ranganathan, librarian who devised the five laws of library science A. Sivathanu Pillai [2], defence scientist and the CEO of the Indo-Russian Brahmos company which developed and manufactures the world's only supersonic cruise missile G. N. Ramachandran (19222001), Indian scientist who made major contributions to biology and physics Ranjan Roy Daniel (19232005), physicist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, ex-Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Space Science at ISRO VV Thanga Thirupathy an Inventor Venkatraman Radhakrishnan (born 1929), space scientist and member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

M.Annadurai - Aerospace Engineer

List of people from Tamil Nadu Mylswamy Annadurai (born 1958), project director of ISRO's Chandrayaan-1 R. V. Perumal, former director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre P. S. Veeraraghavan, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre. W Selvamurthy, Chief Controller R&D (Life Sciences) and R&D (Human Resources), DRDO V. S. Arunachalam, ex-defence scientist DRDO and professor at Carnegie Mellon University Ramanuja Vijayaraghavan (born 1931), physicist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research Poondi Kumaraswamy (19311988), hydrologist and inventor of Kumaraswamy distribution Subra Suresh, Dean of School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

Zoologist
Mahadeva Subramania Mani, entomologist, famous for his studies in high-altitude entomology

Arts and Music

Illustrators
Gaman Palem

Tamil music
Muthu Thandavar, one of the Tamil Trinity Marimutthu Pillai, one of the Tamil Trinity Arunachala Kavi, one of the Tamil Trinity T M Soundararajan, playback singer

Carnatic music
Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar (18901967) Carnatic music vocalist; Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1954), Padma Bhushan (1958) D. K. Pattammal (1919 2009), singer of Carnatic music Dr. N. Ramani E. Gayathri Ganesh and Kumaresh, violinists Gopalakrishna Bharathi (18111896), Carnatic music composer Karaikudi Sambasiva Iyer (d. 1958) , Veena player, Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship (1952)
Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan classical music violinist

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (March 2, 1935 - September 8, 2008), violinist L. Athira Krishna Lalgudi Jayaraman (1930-), Carnatic music composer and violinist M. S. Subbulakshmi (September 16, 1916 - December 11, 2004), singer of Carnatic music, Barath Ratna award winner Madurai Mani Iyer (19121968), singer of Carnatic music Maharajapuram Santhanam (19221991), Carnatic music composer and violinist Muthuswami Dikshitar (17751835), composer. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Thyagarajar and Shyama Shastri. Nisha Rajagopalan Nithyashree Mahadevan (1973-), Carnatic music singer; granddaughter of singer D. K. Pattammal

List of people from Tamil Nadu P. Unnikrishnan (born July 9, 1966), Carnatic vocalist and National Award-winning playback singer R. Vedavalli Sanjay Subrahmanyan Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (19072003), singer of Carnatic music Shyama Shastri, composer. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Thyagarajar. Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram Sudha Raghunathan, singer of Carnatic music, Padma Sri award in the field of Carnatic vocal music (2004) T. Brinda T. M. Krishna T. Muktha T. Viswanathan Thiagaraja (17671847), composer of Carnatic music. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri. Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (1935-), musician, mridangist Vasundhara Devi, singer of carnatic music who acted in first colossal hit Tamil film Mangamma Sapatham. Veena Dhanammal

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Film music
K. V. Mahadevan, musician, composer; winner of National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1968 and 1980) M. S. Viswanathan, musician and composer Ilayaraaja (born 1943), musician, composer, winner of National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1984, 1986 and 1989) A. R. Rahman (born 1966), musician, composer, winner of Academy Award for Best Original Song (2008), National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1993, 1997, 2002 and 2003). Oscar Award winner for Best Original Score and Best Song ("Jai Ho"). Yuvan Shankar Raja, musician, composer, 'Best Musician' at Cyprus Film Festival in 2006 Harris Jayaraj (born 1975), film composer from Tamil cinema Mani Sharma Yanamandra (born July 11, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu), film composer from Tamil and Telugu cinema Karthik Raja, film composer from Tamil cinema Musiri Subramania Iyer (1899-975), Carnatic music singer and film actor; acted in the 1938 Tamil movie Tukaram Anuradha Sriram, Tamil playback singer. Her husband is also a musician. S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1946-), singer. Holds the Guinness Record for greatest number of songs recorded as a playback singer. Hariharan (1955-), Hindi and Tamil playback singer Krish, Tamil playback singer Mahalaxmi Iyer, Hindi and Tamil playback singer Naresh Iyer, male playback singer in Bollywood and Kollywood Papanasam Sivan (18901973), Carnatic music composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan, music director Usha Uthup (b. 1947), pop singer and female playback singer in Bollywood Vijay Iyer, jazz musician
A R Rahman - Oscar winner (2009)

M S Viswanathan - music director

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Western music
Harsha Iyer (b. 1991) rock musician, singer-songwriter from Chennai [3][4] Moksha, heavy metal band from Chennai

Classical dance
Vyjayanthimala T. Balasaraswati Padma Subramanyam Rukmini Devi Arundale

Cinema
Actors
Aziz Ansari, actor, writer, stand-up comedian Ajith kumar, actor Gemini Ganesan, actor Kamal Hassan, actor, producer, director, screenwriter, playback singer, choreographer, lyricist Suriya Sivakumar, actor Joseph Vijay, actor Vikram, actor, national award winner for best actor 2002 Dhanush, actor ,playback singer, national award winner for best actor 2011

Directors
A. P. Nagarajan A. Bhimsingh Balu Mahendra (born 1946) director, cinematographer, winner of National Film Award for Best Cinematography (1978 and 1983) Bharathiraja (born 1941), winner of National Film Award for Best Screenplay (2001) K. Balachander (born 1930), winner of Dada Saheb Phalke Award (2011) K. Bhagyaraj Cheran, winner of National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues (2001) C. V. Sridhar J. Mahendran Ameer Sultan, winner of Filmfare Best Director Award (Tamil) (2007) Mani Ratnam (born 1956), winner of multiple National Film Awards A. R. Murugadoss B. Lenin, winner of National Film Award for Best Direction (2002) Agaththian, winner of National Film Award for Best Direction and National Film Award for Best Screenplay (1997) Bala, winner of National Film Award for Best Direction (2010) Dharani Parthiban, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (1989 and 1999) R. K. Selvamani Selvaraghavan, winner of Filmfare Best Director Award (Tamil) (2003) S. Shankar (born 1963), winner of Filmfare Best Director Award (2005) S. P. Jananathan, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (2003)

List of people from Tamil Nadu Vasanthabalan, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil Vasanth Vikraman Kamal Hassan Gautham Menon, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (2008) Kothamangalam Subbu, poet, lyricist, writer, actor and director

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Music composers
A. R. Rahman[5] Ilaiyaraaja Yuvan Shankar Raja Harris Jayaraj M. S. Viswanathan Deva

Sports and Games

Carrom
A. Maria Irudayam, World Carrom Champion and Arjuna Award winner for Carrom (1996) R. Arokiaraj B. Radhakrishnan

Volleyball
A. Palanisamy, first Arjuna Award winner for volleyball (1961) G E Sridharan, Arjuna Award winner Kumaran, played for Indian team; currently playing for Indian Overseas Bank, Chennai Muthuraj, played for Indian team; currently playing for Indian Bank, Chennai Pradeep John, represented India in Asian Games 2006 as part of Beach Volleyball Sivaraman, played for Indian team; considered the best back row attacker during his playing time Sivabalan, played for India; currently playing for IOB, Chennai Kamaraj, represented Indian youth team which finished 2nd in the world championships

Chess
Viswanathan Anand, World Chess Champion and the first Indian to earn the title of Grandmaster Manuel Aaron, first Indian to earn the title of International Master Murugan Thiruchelvam, chess player from United Kingdom Krishnan Sasikiran, Grandmaster S. Vijayalakshmi, six-time Women's national champion of India; first female Grandmaster from India Aarthie Ramaswamy, female Grandmaster and under-18 girls' World Chess champion R. B. Ramesh, Grandmaster and National Champion of India Ramachandran Ramesh, Grandmaster, winner of the 2002 British Chess Championship V. Saravanan, International Master

List of people from Tamil Nadu

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Cricket
Buchi Babu Naidu (died 1908), father of cricket in Chennai Cota Ramaswami (born 1896, presumed dead), represented India in international cricket and tennis M. J. Gopalan (19092003), represented India in international hockey and cricket C. D. Gopinath (born 1930), batsman, Indian cricket team S. Venkataraghavan (born 1945), ex-Captain of Indian cricket team and Test and ODI umpire K. Srikkanth (born 1959), ex-Captain of Indian cricket team and current Chairman of selectors. T.A. Sekhar (born 1956), pace bowler, Indian cricket team L. Sivaramakrishnan (born 1965), spin bowler, Indian cricket team V. B. Chandrasekhar, batsman, Indian cricket team Bharat Arun (born 1962), pace bowler, Indian cricket team Murali Kartik (born 1976), spin bowler, Indian cricket team Sadagoppan Ramesh (born 1975), batsman, Indian cricket team Lakshmipathy Balaji (born 1981), pace bowler, Indian cricket team Dinesh Karthik (born 1985), wicketkeeper, Indian cricket team Ravichandran Ashwin (born 17 September 1986,Madras, India), right arm off-break bowler Indian cricket team Woorkeri Raman (born 1965), batsman, Indian cricket team

Football
Peter Velappan (born 1935), General Secretary of Asian Football Confederation and member of FIFA Strategic Studies Committee and Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup Peter Thangaraj, Olympian and goalkeeper of the Indian football team that won the Gold Medal at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games Vikash Dhorasoo, French professional football midfielder, represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Hockey
Vasudevan Baskaran, captain of the Indian hockey team that won the Gold Medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics; Arjuna Award winner (19791980) Dhanraj Pillay (born 1968), ex-Indian hockey captain, Arjuna Award winner (1995), winner of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (19992000) Adam Sinclair, member of the Indian hockey team at the 2004 Athens Olympics Raja, member of the Indian hockey team

Racing
Narain Karthikeyan, Coimbatore, India's first Formula 1 driver S. Karivardhan, Coimbatore, car constructor and National Champion N. Leelakrishnan, Coimbatore, 7-time National Rally Champion Naren Kumar, Coimbatore, 4-time National Rally Champion J. Anand, Coimbatore, 3-time National F3 Grand Prix winner

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Tennis
Vijay Amritraj Anand Amritraj Ashok Amritraj Ramanathan Krishnan Ramesh Krishnan Nirupama Vaidyanathan

Cultural icons
Thirumuruga Kirupananda Variyar, scholarly saint Vyjayanthimala, Bharatanatyam dancer & she introduce semi-classical dance in Bollywood.[6] Rukmini Devi Arundale, Bharatanatyam dancer, founder of Kalakshetra Balasaraswati, Bharatanatyam dancer Alarmel Valli, Bharatanatyam dancer Chitra Visweswaran, Bharatanatyam dancer Padma Subramanyam, Bharatanatyam dancer

Pithukuli Murugadas, musician known for his songs on Lord Murugan K. B. Sundarambal, actress, singer

Tamil language icons

Annamalai Reddiyar, a Telugu but a great exponent of Tamil poetry Arumuka Navalar (18221879), pioneer of Tamil prose, champion of Hinduism from Jaffna, Sri Lanka Maraimalai Adigal, Tamil scholar and activist Xavier Thaninayagam (19131980), from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, founder member of the International Association for Tamil Research Thiruvalluvar, ever famous Tamil poet and philosopher;Author of Thriukkural Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar, Tamil scholar, researcher and poet U. V. Swaminatha Iyer (18551942), pioneer of Tamil, popularly known as 'Tamil Thaatha' Thanthai Periyar, businessman, politician, Indian independence and social activist who started the Self-Respect Movement

Spiritual icons
Alwars: There are 12 alwars, who are devotees of Lord Vishnu and exponents of Vaishnavism Nayanmars: There are 63 Nayanmars, who are devotees of Lord Shiva and exponents of Saivism Ramalinga Swamigal (18231873), popularly known as Vallalar Ramanuja (10171137), philosopher and one of the most important saints of Vaishnavism Vedanta Desika Yamunacharya (Alavandar), Srivaishnava Acharya and most important teacher in Achara Lineage next to Ramanuja Appayya Dikshidar (15201593), philosopher, followed Advaita School of Indian philosophy Raghavendra Swami (15951671), advocated Vaishnavism (worship of Vishnu as the supreme God) and Sri Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy Ramana Maharshi (18791950) Yogaswami (18721964), spiritual leader from Jaffna, Sri Lanka Sivananda Saraswati (18871963), proponent of Yoga and Vedanta

List of people from Tamil Nadu Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy (born 1924), Cardinal Priest of S Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri, Vatican City Dayananda Saraswati, founder of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam Vethathiri Maharishi, founder of the World Community Service Center Bala Prajapathi Adikalar, the present Pattathu Ayya of Swamithope pathi and leader of Ayyavazhi religion Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual and humanitarian leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of Isha yoga Laxmisena, of the Mel Sithamur Jain Math, is the primary religious head of the Tamil Jain community.[7] Dhavalakeerthi, of the Arahanthgiri Jain Math, spiritual guide of the Tamil Jains[8]

15

Literature
Classical literature
Thiruvalluvar, poet and author of Thirukural Tholkaapiyar, author of Tholkappiyam, one of the first Tamil grammar books Illango Adigal, poet and author of Silappathikaram Kambar, author of Kamba Ramayanam Sekkizhar, author of Periya Puranam Auvaiyar, female saint and author of Aathichoodi Tirutakakatevar, author of Jivaka Chintamani Eelattu Poothanthevanar, Classical Sri Lankan poet of the Sangam period Ottakoothar, author of Saraswathi Anthathi

Spiritual literature
Nammalvar, author of Tiruvaymozhi and one of the alwars Ramanuja, author of Sanskrit manuscripts Thirumular, author of Thirumandhiram Tiruvalluvar, author of Thirukkural Arunagirinathar, author of Thiruppugazh Sekkizhar, author of Periapuranam Manikkavasagar, author of Thiruvasagam and one of the Nayanmars Thirumazhisai Alvar, author of Tiruchanda-virutham and one of the alwars Andal, author of Tiruppaavai and Nacchiyar Tirumozhi and one of the alwars Kambar, Tamil scholar, poet and author of Kambaramayanam, the Tamil version of Ramayana Avvaiyar, Tamil poet and author of Aathichoodi and Konraiventhan Abirami Pattar (original name Subramaniya Iyer; late 18th century early 19th century), poet and author of Abhirami Anthadhi V. Akilesapillai, Tamil scholar, poet and author of Thirukonasala Vaipavam from Sri Lanka Vedanta Desika, composer in Tamil, Sanskrit and Manipravala (combination of both). Manavala Mamunigal, author of Upadesarattinamalai, Arti Prabhandam and multiple commentaries Illango Adigal, Saint poet & author of Silappathikaram Umaru Pulavar (16051703), author of Sirappuranam, Islamic spiritual work on the life of Muhammad Mohammad Ibrahim, author of Muhaidin Puranam, Islamic spiritual literature George Uglow Pope, translated Tamil literature to English

Tirutakakatevar, author of Jivaka Chintamani Mandalapuruder, author of Vira Mandalaver is Sudamani Nigandhu

List of people from Tamil Nadu

16

Modern literature
Bharathidasan (18911964), Tamil poet and rationalist Pudhumaipithan (19061948), Tamil fiction writer known for his progressive thinking Karmegha Konar (18891957), Tamil poet Akilan, novelist Thi. Janakiraman, novelist Kalki Krishnamurthy (18991954), novelist and journalist Jayakanthan (born 1934), writer and novelist Prapanchan, author of Vanam Vasappadum Kannadasan (19271981), popularly called 'Kavi Arasu', poet, film lyricist, winner of National Film Award for Best Lyrics (1969) Vairamuthu (born 1953), poet, film lyricist, winner of National Film Award for Best Lyrics (1986, 1993, 1995, 2000 and 2003) Indira Soundarajan, novelist and short story writer Ashoka Mitran (born 1931), novelist and short story writer R. K. Narayan (19062001), English novelist and essayist Sandilyan, novelist Pa. Vijay, film lyricist, winner of National Film Award for Best Lyrics (2005) Vaali, film lyricist Sujatha Rangarajan (May 3, 1935 - February 27, 2008), contemporary Tamil screenplay writer Kaavya Viswanathan (born 1987), novelist S. Ramakrishnan (born 1966), Novelist, short story writer

Crime
Veerappan, Sandalwood smuggler and forest brigand Auto Shankar

References
[1] www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/PadmaAwards1954-2007.pdf [2] http:/ / www. drdo. com/ cc/ pillai. shtml [5] Times Review of Rahman's Music (http:/ / www. time. com/ time/ columnist/ corliss/ article/ 0,9565,1013198,00. html)

Article Sources and Contributors

17

Article Sources and Contributors

List of people from Tamil Nadu Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=567248987 Contributors: Aayush18, Amog, Anandprithvi, Aravindjk, Argento Surfer, AroundTheGlobe, Arpingstone, AtticusX, Auntof6, Ben Ben, Bgwhite, Bharathprime, C21K, CarTick, ChrisGualtieri, CommonsDelinker, Courcelles, Cst17, Darwinacitizen, Dialectric, Divy1996, Ekabhishek, Europe22, Finemann, General, GoingBatty, Grafen, Ground Zero, Hekerui, Hibayathullah, Hmains, J04n, Jaramarku, Jayabharat, Jevansen, Jojalozzo, Keyan20, Kgashok, Khazar2, Kjramesh, Klaksha, Kumarvm, L Kensington, Lightmouse, LilHelpa, LindsayH, Logicwiki, Lokesh8008, Magioladitis, Malcolmxl5, Malinaccier, Manokarthikeyank, Mugunth Kumar, Newcentre, Niceguyedc, Nick Number, Nonresidentindian, Pgowtham, Pravinraj, R'n'B, RHaworth, Ravichandar84, Robina Fox, Rsrikanth05, Salih, Sam Emmanuel Mallar, SchreiberBike, Scopecreep, Senthilath, Shreevatsa, Shyamsunder, Sinsen, Srithern, Sureshmaran, Tassedethe, Thomasrathnamfans, Titodutta, Toccata quarta, Topbanana, Trakesht, Traveler100, UnitedStatesian, VasuVR, Vijaykumarindia, Vivvt, Vprashanth87, Wayne Slam, Welsh, Widr, Wikiality123, Woohookitty, , 252 anonymous edits

Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors

File:Subramanya Bharathi.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Subramanya_Bharathi.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Jayarathina, Kalki, Roland zh File:Nobel Prize 2009-Press Conference KVA-08.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Nobel_Prize_2009-Press_Conference_KVA-08.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Prolineserver (talk) File:Ms subbulakshmi.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Ms_subbulakshmi.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Chandraprabha Cinetone File:Viswanathan Anand 08 14 2005.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Viswanathan_Anand_08_14_2005.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: -jha-, BanyanTree, Conscious, Fred J, Nard the Bard, Stepshep, Ygrek File:Mylswamy Annadurai.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Mylswamy_Annadurai.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Ram 121 File:Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Kunnakudi_Vaidyanathan.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Harikw File:Msv224.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Msv224.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Kumarrajendran at en.wikipedia File:AR Rahman.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:AR_Rahman.jpg License: unknown Contributors: IndiaFm/Bollywood Hungama

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