Know My Favourites No:33 Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan

Preface
In today's fast world, we hardly give enough time to give think on various aspects in life related to human values. A good diet and good attitude is always very important. Thenkachi's Radio programs have given us tips on how to make everyday of our life, a special day.

Initially I started listening to the program to keep up my time. The broadcast was my breakfast time during school days. By this way , I became a big fan of the program for its short and sweet stories. His voice suits a grandfather's voice who tells bedtime stories to his grand children. Though I am not blessed to see my grand parents, Thenkachi Iyya truly admired me with his thousands of small stories. The Morals and teachings in the program come a long way in ones life.

In his speech one can feel as to how he had a fine skill to make you laugh, reflect, think every noble thoughts. He did it with his each and every speech. Some of them I have imported from the internet.

Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan is popularly known as Thenkachi (his village). He was very famous for his "Indru Oru Thagaval" name which was aired in ALL INDIA RADIO every day at 7.40 AM for nearly 20 years. He has carved a niche for himself, with this Radio program broadcast daily on ALL INDIA RADIO. After completing his B.Sc. agriculture from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University in Coimbatore, Thenkachi Ko Swaminathan worked as a Agricultural Extension Officer for a few years. He joined the AIR in 1977 and retired as Deputy Station Director. He presented a morning radio talk called "Indru Oru Thagaval" (i.e. Today One Message). The show, giving a message, was a hit and was broadcast for 12 years from 1988. A humorous piece at the end of the programme was something for which the listeners looked forward to. A simple man, he delivered messages that provoked one to reflect, think and make personal mends to oneself. Later when TV became popular, on Sun TV, a popular Tamil language channel, he gave a similar program in the morning called Indha Naal Iniya Naal (i.e. It's a Good Day Today). Each day he gives a small meaningful speech for approximately 5 minutes. He is admired for his simple, fun filled and thoughtful short stories Currently his programme "Indha Naal Inia Naal" in SUN TV has won him huge appreciation. Now, he is going to treat all his fans all over the world with is thought provoking short stories every day. He made a guest appearance in a Tamil movie named 'Ilakkanam'. His popular quote is "Every human on this earth dies, not every human really lives". He hails from a small hamlet called Thenkachi "Inrou oru thagaval", was a popular AIR program on weekdays at 7:40 am during my school days. I am not sure if the program is being aired even today. It is s a 5 min program and the agenda was pretty straight forward. One of the nice stories that I still remember goes like this. " There were 2 buddhists monks . They were crossing a river. They saw a beautiful woman who was struggling to cross the river. She asked the monks to help her cross the river by carrying her in their shoulder. One of the monks said it was a sin to carry woman. but the other monk carried her along and helped her cross the river. The woman thanked the monk and left on her own way. After about 10 mins , the monk did not help the female told the other."Our Guru has asked us not carry woman". For this the monk just replied , "I have left the woman in the bank, but it seems you have carried all until here ". This monk realised his folly. A small story with a big message and the program ended with a small joke.

Know My Favourites No:34 Swaroop Kishen

Preface

Everybody can recall about his bulky stature as a cricket umpire but only few can visualise his immense skills as a cricket umpire at a time when there was hardly any technological support to facilitate this tough job. I feel proud to be his office colleague at the o/o Director of Audit (Central Revenues) New Delhi functioning under Comptroller & Auditor General of India. He was so humerous that he never talks cricket at office and cracks jokes every ten minutes to make the office lively. He used to raise his index finger giving us 'OUT" when we commit any audit errors. Though he was a reputed and popular sports personality himself, he never used to shirk away from official responsibilities and always sticks to office discipline and punctuality.

On the other hand, I hardly recall any occasion when he kept his face grim or sedate though he was affected by the dreaded disease. He is my clear favourite just because he had helping tendency to support even juniors and kept himself cheerful till his last days. His humming of Md.Rafi songs still rings my ear.

I salute this gentleman who is a great human being.

Swaroop Kishen Swaroop Kishen Reu (13 July 1930 - 21 November 1992) was an Indian Test cricket umpire . He was born in Srinagar , Jammu and Kashmir . He played cricket as a wicketkeeper batsman for Delhi University . He became a lawyer, working in the Auditor-General's Office . He umpired in first-class cricket from 1969 to 1984, including the final of the Duleep Trophy in 1981/2 and of the Ranji Trophy in 1982/3. He also umpired in List A cricket, including the final of the Deodhar Trophy in 1980/1. He stood in 17 Test matches between 1978 and 1984, equalling the Indian record set by B. Satyaji Rao in 1979, but subseuqently surpassed by VK Ramaswamy (26 matches between 1985 and 1999) and Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan (73 matches between 1993 and 2004). All of the Test matches he umpired were played in India. His bulky white-coated body and habit of chewing tobacco made him instantly recognizable. He first stood as a Test umpire in the 2nd Test between India and West Indies at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in December 1978, with Mohammad Ghouse . He also stood in the 4th Test, at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk , Madras , in January 1979, with Jiban Ghosh . He also stood in the 1st and 5th Tests against Australia later in 1979, and the 1st, 4th and 5th Tests against Pakistan in 1979/80. The first day of the first India-Pakistan Test, also in Bangalore, was interrupted when a swarms of bees flew over the field, and the players and umpires threw themselves to the ground to escape. Controversy attended the final day of the rain-affected 1st Test against Pakistan in Bangalore in September 1983. A minimum of 77 overs were due to be bowled, but Kishen and Madhav Gothoskar informed Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas that all 20 of the overs due when the final hour of play started had to be to be completed. However, Zaheer Abbas led his team off the field after the 14th over (the 77th over of the day) but was persuaded to return to allow Indian captain Sunil Gavaskar to reach his 28th Test century. India only lost two of the Tests he umpired, both against West India in 1983. He was standing at the other end at Bombay in November 1983 when Desmond Haynes was given out " handled the ball " - the fourth in Test history. His last Test, and also his last first-class match, as an umpire was played between India and England at Wankhede Stadium in Bombay in November 1984. He also stood in 6 One-day Internationals between 1981 and 1985, including 3 in Sharjah , and umpired one Women's Test , played between Australia and India at Feroz Shah Kotla in Delhi in January 1984. He was awarded the Padma Shri for his services to cricket. He died in Delhi from cancer.

Know My Favourites No:35 Randor Guy

Preface

If you are regular readers of leading newspapers in the country we often get attracted to some writers like Mr.Shekar Gupta and Arun Shourie from Indian Express, Mr.Swaminathan A.Iyer from Times of India, Amitha Malik from The Statesman, Shobha De from Hindustan Times, Mr.Vinod Mehta, MJ Akbar, Ayaz Memon,Rajan Bala, ... and the likes. But if you are regular reader of The Hindu newspaper, you would have surely admired the contributions from Randor Guy. His articles on various controversial topics really expose his courage and journalistic prowess to remain as one of my favourites.

Since I am born and brought up at Ayanavaram, Chennai I had few chances to meet him during his morning walks when I used to fetch milk from Aavin Booth near Sayani Theatre. At that time, I never knew that he is a leading columnist and a renowed lawyer.

Randor Guy

Randor Guy is the pen name of Madabhushi Rangadorai (b. November 8, 1937 or according to his profile at galatta.com , March 13, 1945), a prominent Indian lawyer, columnist and film and legal historian associated with the English language newspaper The Hindu .

Early life

Guy graduated in B.Sc and B. L. from Madras University and commenced his career as a lawyer . After practicing as a lawyer for a short time, he quit his job and joined a firm called Paterson and Co. where he worked for 5 years. In 1976, he resigned to devote all his time to writing.

Work as a film historian

Guy has been writing books on history and films since 1967. However, he became popular when his article on Frank Capra was purchased by the United States Information Agency for use as a reference work. Randor Guy remains the only non-American whose work has been acquired as reference material by the Government of the United States of America .

Guy is a regular columnist for newspapers as the Mylapore Times, The Hindu and The Indian Express . He also writes for the film magazine Screen. He writes on a variety of topics though he is mainly popular as a film historian and critic.

Films

Guy has also written the screenplay for a few short documentaries and feature films. He has also produced a few advertisement films. In 1999, he made a 100-minute feature film in English titled Perfumed Garden for a Hollywood film company. The film was also subsequently dubbed into Hindi , Tamil and Telugu as Brahmachari . He has also written a Sinhalese film called Paradise Peak based on a best-selling crime novel written by him. Currently, he is working with the screenplay for an English film called Maya starring Kollywood actress Namitha . Maya is Namitha's first film in English.

Awards and felicitations

On November 12, 2007, during a function commemorating the fifth anniversary of Samudra , a magazine dedicated to art and culture, Guy was awarded the Gnana Samudra award in recognition of his contributions to arts.

Personal life

Guy is married to Dolores Guy. He lives with his family in Ayanavaram , Chennai .

Books by Randor Guy

• While the Breakers Roared . 1967. (Fiction).
• Chaya . 1980. (Fiction - Telugu)
• Kasi . 1981. (Fiction - Telugu)(Fiction - Telugu)
• Madhuri Oru Madhiri . 1982. (True Crime-Tamil)
• B.N. Reddi: a monograph . National Film Archive of India. 1985. A History of Tamil Cinema . 1991. (Film History - Govt. of Tamil Nadu)
• Starlight, Starbright: The Early Tamil Cinema . Amra Publishers. Murder for Pleasure . 1972. (Fiction)
• Chitale (Biography)
• Monsoon . 1997. (Novelization of a Hollywood movie shot in India)

Know My Favourites No:36 Sivaji Ganesan

Preface

I have nothing to write a preface about Late Sivaji Ganesan as I could only recall a Radio Interview of Ilayaraja during the year 1978 when he was asked to comment on this legend. I quote his comments as under:

"A Rose has its own fragrance. Just because Ilayaraja has told that Rose has a special odour it will never get supplemented. If I talk anything about him, it would be exaggeration, else even if I don't say anything about him, his ledendry is not going to fall.

Shri. SIVAJI GANESAN IS A CLASS OF HIS OWN"

I want to maintain the same status quo except for telling the fact though I never watch movies, I can proudly say that Sivaji Ganesan is the only actor who was born to stay permanently in the hearts of millions of fans all over the world.

Sivaji Ganesan

Viluppuram Chinnaiahpillai "Sivaji" Ganesan (October 1, 1928 - July 21, 2001) was an Indian film actor and one of the first method actors in India , active during the latter half of the 20th century. His fame came from his versatility and expressive prowess in Tamil cinema . He was the first South Indian film actor who won a best actor award in an international film festival, the Afro-Asian Film Festival held in Cairo , Egypt during 1959. Sivaji's legacy of acting is still admired today, also being an influence to many other Indian film actors. Many contemporary actors in South India have confirmed that their acting styles were influenced by Ganesan.

Acting career

Debut as a lead artist

Apart from his immense success and reception in Tamil cinema , he has also acted in Hindi , Telugu , Malayalam , Bengali , and Kannada-language films. Ganesan's first film was the Tamil film Parasakthi in 1952, co-starring actress Pandari Bai . The script for the film was written and directed by the now- Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu , M. Karunanidhi . He took his stage name from Emperor Shivaji , one of the roles he had once enacted.

Donning versatile roles

In most of Ganesan's films, he played multiple roles, commercial roles, and roles of a Hindu deity specially the Lord Shiva role. The portrayal of Lord shiva in the movie Thiruvilayaadal won him lot of accolades in and around the film industry. In the film Navarathiri (1964), Ganesan donned nine different roles that represented the nine emotional states of a person. Hindi actor, Sanjeev Kumar , was inspired by this film and reprised the nine roles in Naya Din Nayi Raat in 1974. Ganesan could strike a balance between commercial cinema,Mythological cinema and experimental cinema. Sivaji was always unique when compared to other actors in India during his generation. Expert analyst from cinema admitted the three best versatile actors from India at that time were Shivaji, Dr.Rajkumar and N. T. Rama Rao . He experimented in films like Thiruvilayaadal , Thiruvarutselvar , Thirumal Perumai , Karnan , Veerapandiya Kattabomman , Thillana Mohanaambal and Raja Rishi . His role in the film Veerapaandiya Kattabomman made him the first South Indian actor recognized outside India in the Afro-Asian film Festival at Egypt. He was also applauded for his acting in the film Aalyamani which was remade later by N. T. Rama Rao .

Appealing to the masses

Sheer variety of Ganesan's roles gave him much acclaim and honour. He co-starred with his counterpart, M. G. Ramachandran in one film, which was Koondukkili . He has worked with many of the leading actresses of his time, including Savithri , Padmini , B. Sarojadevi , K. R. Vijaya and J. Jayalalitha . He also co-starred with other lead actors such as Gemini Ganesan , Muthuraman , M. R. Radha , and many more.

Though he accumulated awards throughout the '50s and '60s, it was in 1972 that Ganesan delivered his first all-time blockbuster Vasantha Maaligai . In 1979, he delivered his second and final all-time blockbuster Thirisoolam , adapted from the Kannada film Shankar Guru in which Dr Rajkumar had played the lead role. After this, Sivaji Ganesan began acting in supporting roles. Due to his popularity and his rival MGR's success in politics Shivaji entered politics and had to face big setback as he lost consecutive elections. But due to his proximity with the then prime minister Indira Gandhi he was made the member of Rajya Sabha in 1983. Indira Gandhi's death in 1984 also brought Sivaji's political career to an end.

Nearing retirement

In the 1990s, as Ganesan was aging, he co-starred with several other actors. His notable films supporting roles were Veerapaandiyan , Jalli Kattu , Pudhiya Vaanam , Thevar Magan , Pasumpon and En Aasai Raasaave . His last film before his death was Padayappa in 1999 which was also a blockbuster.

Apart from his numerous roles as a single star on screen, Ganesan has acted in supporting roles with many leading actors from different eras. Ganesan has co-starred with M. G. Ramachandran , M. N. Nambiar , Gemini Ganesan , Kamal Haasan , Rajinikanth , Prabhu Ganesan , Sathyaraj , Vijayakanth , Mohanlal , Ramarajan , Y. G. Mahendran , Sivakumar , K. Bhagyaraj , Karthik Muthuraman , Arjun Sarja , Joseph Vijay and Abbas . He has also worked with a vast amount of directors and producers. His legacy continues to be remembered today and is looked upon by many leading film actors.

Death

Suffering from respiratory problems, Ganesan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai on July 21, 2001. He also had been suffering from a prolonged heart ailment for about 10 years. He died at 7:45pm (IST) on July 21, 2001 at the age of 73. A documentary, Parasakthi Muthal Padayappa Varai was made to commemorate Sivaji Ganesan's legacy. His funeral was attended by thousands of viewers, politicians and personalities from the South Indian film fraternity.

Legacy

Statue

A statue was erected in Chennai , Tamil Nadu to honour the actor in 2006. It was unveiled by the Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi .

Actors' Day

The former South Indian Film Artistes' Association president Vijayakanth declared that October 1, the birth day of Ganesan, would be observed as Actors' Day in the Chennai film industry .

Domestic popularity

Sivaji Ganesan has remained as the most popular Tamil actor with the most of number of fans. This fact has been confirmed by many independent surveys conducted.

The popular Tamil magazine Kumudam conducted a survey in 1990. Sivaji Ganesan was voted as the most popular actor with (35%) votes followed by M. G. Ramachandran (30%), Rajinikanth (20%) and Kamal Haasan (15%). Though the survey was conducted in 1990, when Sivaji Ganesan had almost retired from acting and Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan were rising stars in Tamil cinema.

Popularity in the US

During a visit to the U.S. in June 1995, Sivaji Ganesan found himself in Columbus, Ohio . Mayor Greg Lashutka named him honorary citizen of Columbus at a special dinner.

In 1962, Ganesan toured the U.S. , where he was given the honour of being the mayor of Niagara City for one day. He along with the former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru were the only two Indians to be honoured this way.

When actor Marlon Brando visited India, he was shown film footage of Sivaji Ganesan. From then on Brando admired Sivaji Ganesan for his acting style. He also stated that "Sivaji Ganesan may act like me but I cannot act like Sivaji Ganesan."

Awards and honours

Sivaji Ganesan's most prestigious award was the 'Chevalier' in 1995, awarded by the National Order of the Legion of Honour in France . This is one of the main decorations of the French Republic which is conferred to honour the most original and talented personalities, for their remarkable contributions in the field of Arts and Literature in France and all over the world. On April 22, 1995, at a ceremony held at the MAC Stadium, Chennai , Sivaji Ganesan was presented the Chevalier title and medallion by the French Ambassador to India, Philip Petit. J. Jayalalitha , the entire Tamil film industry and representatives of all other Indian regional film industries were present at the ceremony.

Other awards

• Afro-Asian Film Festival Best Actor Award, 1959
• Padma Shri , 1966
• Padma Bhushan , 1984
• National Film Award - Special Jury Award for Thevar Magan , 1993
• Chevalier (Knight of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres , France ), 1995
• Dadasaheb Phalke Award , 1996
• Kalaimamani , 1997
• NTR National Award , 1998
• Honourary doctorate

Know My Favourites No:37 Baba Amte

Preface

I came to learn about Baba Amte from a documentary film telecast in Doordarshan during the year 1981. We have never seen Mahatma Gandhiji in our life time but this man was really an incarnation of our Father of Nation who professed and practiced true Gandhian values through his selfless service to humanity without seeking political mileage.

In those days, leprosy was associated with social stigma and the society disowned people suffering from leprosy. There was also a widespread misbelief that leprosy was contagious. Amte strove to dispel the misbelief and once allowed bacilli from a leprosy patient to be injected into him while participating in an experimental test aimed at proving that leprosy was not contagious.

I recall his interview to a British Journalist Graham Turner where: (I Quote as under)

"I don't want to be a great leader; I want to be a man who goes around with a little oil can and when he sees a breakdown, offers his help. To me, the man who does that is greater than any holy man in saffron-colored robes. The mechanic with the oilcan: that is my ideal in life."

"I am leaving to live along the Narmada. Narmada will linger on the lips of the nation as a symbol of all struggles against social injustice." (About going to the Narmada valley to support Narmada Bachao Andolan)

Some of his quotes are:

"One can live without fingers, but not self-respect."

"I sought my soul, but my soul I could not see, I sought my god, but my god eluded me; And then I sought my sisters and my brothers, and in them I found all three."

"The air is not thin yet, so keep climbing."

Baba Amte

Murlidhar Devidas Amte , popularly known as Baba Amte (December 26, 1914 – February 9, 2008) was an Indian social worker and social activist known particularly for his work for the rehabilitation and empowerment of poor people suffering from leprosy.

Early life

Amte was born to Devidas and Laxmibai Amte in the town of Hinganghat in Wardha District of Maharashtra. The family was a wealthy jagirdar Brahmin family. His father was also a British official with responsibilities for district administration and revenue collection. Amte had acquired his nickname Baba in his childhood

Dedicated work

Trained in law, Amte developed a successful legal practice at Wardha . He soon got involved in the Indian struggle for freedom from the British Raj , and started acting as a defense lawyer for leaders of the Indian freedom movement whom the British authorities had imprisoned in the 1942 Quit India movement . He spent some time at Sevagram ashram of Mahatma Gandhi , and became a follower of Gandhism for the rest of his life. He practiced various aspects of Gandhism, including yarn spinning using a charkha and wearing khadi .

Amte founded three ashrams for treatment and rehabilitation of leprosy patients, disabled people, and people from marginalized sections of the society in Maharashtra , India .

In 1973, Amte founded the Lok Biradari Prakalp to work among the Madia Gond tribal people of Gadchiroli District .

Amte devoted his life to many other social causes, the most notable among which were generating public awareness of importance of ecological balance, wildlife preservation, and the Narmada Bachao Andolan .

Dedicated work of family members

In 1946, Amte married Sadhana Guleshastri. She actively participated in her husband's social work with equal dedication. Their two sons, Vikas and Prakash, and two daughters-in-law, Mandakini and Bharati, are all doctors. All four have dedicated their lives to social work and causes similar to those of the senior Amtes.

Son Prakash runs "Maharogi Sewa Samiti" (Leprosy Service Society). He and his wife Mandakini also run a school and a hospital at Hemalkasa village in the underprivileged district of Gadchiroli in Maharashtra where people belonging to the "Madia Gond" tribe live. After marrying Prakash, Mandakini left her governmental medical job and moved to Hemalkasa to eventually start a hospital, a school, and an orphanage for injured wild animals, including a lion and some leopards. Their two sons, Digant, a doctor, and Aniket, an engineer, have also dedicated their lives to the same causes as their parents. In 2008, Prakash and Mandakini were given the Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership.

Baba Amte's elder son Vikas and his wife Bharati run a hospital at Anandwan and coordinate operations between Anandwan and satellite projects.

Today, Anandwan and Hemalkasa village have one hospital, each. Anandwan has a university, an orphanage, and schools for the blind and the deaf. Currently, the self-sufficient Anandwan ashram has over 5,000 residents. The community development project at Anandwan in Maharashtra is recognized around the world. Besides Anandwan, Amte later founded "Somnath" and "Ashokwan" ashrams for treating leprosy patients.

Gandhism

Amte followed Gandhi 's way of living, and led a spartan life. He wore khadi clothes made from the looms at Anandwan. He believed in Gandhi's concept of a self-sufficient village industry that empowers seemingly helpless people, and successfully brought his ideas into practice at Anandwan. Gandhi had conferred on Amte the title Abhayasadhak ("A Fearless Aspirant")for his fight against leprosy.

Amte also used Gandhian principles to fight against corruption, mismanagement, and poor, shortsighted planning in the government. Thus, he used non-violent means to fight the Indian government in the fight of independence.

In spite of his emulation of social and political work, unlike Gandhi, Amte was an atheist.

Narmada Bachao Andolan

In 1990, Amte left Anandwan for a while to live along the Narmada river and join Medha Patkar 's Narmada Bachao Andolan ("Save Narmada " Movement), which fought against both unjust displacement of local inhabitants and damage to the environment on account of the construction of the Sardar Sarovar dam on the Narmada river.

Death

Amte had not been keeping well for several years in his later life. He was compelled to lie down on a bed for much of the time due to a severe spondylosis condition. In 2007, he was diagnosed with leukemia .

Amte died in Anandwan on February 9, 2008. According to his wishes, his body was buried, and not cremated in accord with the traditional Hindu practice.

Upon Amte's death, the 14th Dalai Lama , said, "Amte's demise is a great loss to all of us. I am an admirer of Baba Amte. I vividly remember my visit to his thriving community of handicapped people at Anandvan in 1990"

Awards from the Government of India

• Padma Shree , 1971
• Padma Vibhushan , 1986
• Welfare of the Disabled Award, 1986

Honorary titles

• D.Litt., 1980: Nagpur University , Nagpur , India
• Krishi Ratna, 1981: Hon. Doctorate, PKV Agricultural University , Akola , Maharashtra , India
• D.Litt., 1985-86: Pune University , Pune , India
• Desikottama, 1988: Hon. Doctorate, Visva-Bharati University , Santiniketan , West Bengal , India

Other awards

• Dalit Mitra Award, 1974: Government of Maharashtra
• Rashtriya Bhushan (Pride of the Nation), 1978: F.I.E. (India) Foundation
• Jamnalal Bajaj Award, 1979
• N.D. Diwan Award, 1980: National Society for Equal Opportunities for the 'Handicapped' (NASEOH), Bombay
• Ramshastri Award, 1983: Ramshastri Prabhune Foundation, Maharashtra, India
• Indira Gandhi Memorial Award, 1985: Government of Madhya Pradesh for outstanding social service
• Raja Ram Mohan Roy Award, 1986: Delhi
• Fr. Maschio Platinum Jubilee Award, 1987: Bombay
• G.D. Birla International Award, 1988: For outstanding contribution to humanism
• Mahdeo Balwant Natu Puraskar, 1991, Pune, Maharashtra
• Adivasi Sewak Award, 1991, Government of Maharashtra
• Kusumagraj Puraskar, 1991
• Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Dalit Mitra Award, 1992, Government of Maharashtra
• Shri Nemichand Shrishrimal Award, 1994
• Fr. Tong Memorial Award, 1995, Voluntary Health Association of India
• Kushta Mitra Puraskar, 1995: Vidarbha Maharogi Sewa Mandal, Amravati, Maharashtra
• Bhai Kanhaiya Award, 1997: Sri Guru Harkrishan Education Trust, Bhatinda, Punjab
• Manav Sewa Award, 1997: Young Men's Gandhian Association, Rajkot, Gujarat
• Sarthi Award, 1997, Nagpur, Maharashtra
• Mahatma Gandhi Charitable Trust Award, 1997, Nagpur, Maharashtra
• Gruhini Sakhi Sachiv Puraskar, 1997, Gadima Pratishthan, Maharashtra
• Kumar Gandharva Puraskar, 1998
• Apang Mitra Puraskar, 1998, Helpers of the Handicapped, Kolhapur, Maharashtra
• Bhagwan Mahaveer Award, 1998, Chennai
• Diwaliben Mohanlal Mehta Award, 1998, Mumbai
• Justice K. S. Hegde Award, 1998, Karnataka
• Baya Karve Award, 1998, Pune, Maharashtra
• Savitribai Phule Award, 1998, Government of Maharashtra
• Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry Award, 1988:
• FICCI, for outstanding achievements in training and placement of disabled persons
• Satpaul Mittal Award, 1998, Nehru Sidhant Kendra Trust, Ludhiana, Punjab
• Adivasi Sevak Puraskar, 1998, Government of Maharashtra
• Gandhi Peace Prize , 1999
• Dr. Ambedkar International Award for Social Change, 1999, "in recognition of outstanding work done in pursuing the cause of the exploited and the underprivileged, reconciling differences among conflicting social groups and contributing significantly to social change"
• Maharashtra Bhushan Award , 2004, Government of Maharastra
• Bharathvasa award, 2008

Know My Favourites No:38 Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan Preface Music is the only source of God's creation which makes human beings engrossed to all his six senses. We must have come across many musicians in our life. Music is never created, it is just mapping up of human's physical intervention into nature's readily available Saptha Swarangal which has no description. We only make permutations and combination of such musical entities already designed by the nature. Musicians play with instruments to produce music but Kunnakudi is blessed with an unique God Given Gift to make his violin talk. I was privileged to watch him at close quarters when he performed a musical concert in our Kasiviswanathar Temple at Ayanavaram where he made the audience spell bound for more than 10 hours during an Arudhra festival during the late 70s. We all stayed at the temple throughout the night to watch his concert . He also played even devotional film related tunes at the request of every music lover in the audience. Violin is the truly synonumous with Kunnakudi and his demise left a big void to fill in. Early life Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (March 2, 1935 - September 8, 2008) was an Indian classical music violinist. He was born to Sri Ramaswamy Sastri and Smt. Meenakshi at Kunnakudi , a temple town of Lord Murugan in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu . His father was an erudite scholar in Sanskrit and Tamil besides being a great composer and exponent of Carnatic Music and Kathakalakshepam. Vaidyanathan started learning South Indian Classical Music from his father at a very young age. Vibhuti or sacred Ash and a big Vermilion dot smeared prominently on his forehead were his trademark symbols. Career The Violin was his forte. Known for the dexterity and subtlety in handling the violin, he catered not only to the music scholar but also to the layman. His play reflected his own different moods and the demands of his audience with whom he established and enjoyed a good rapport. He dwelled with ease and competence in the high as well as the low octaves. At the young age of 12, he accompanied great stalwarts like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar , Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and Maharajapuram Santhanam in concerts. He also performed with legendary Nadaswaram vidwans like T.N.Rajarathinam Pillai and Thiruvenkadu Subramania Pillai. He stopped accompanying vocal artistes in 1976 to concentrate more on solo concerts. He was famous for his fingering techniques on the violin. His interest in new attempts and innovations led him to work with veteran thavil vidwan Valayapatti Subramanian. They performed over 3,000 shows together which were also very successful. Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan had deep faith in the therapeutic merits of music. Film Music & Films He also made a significant contribution to Tamil devotional music. A. P. Nagarajan giving him his first break in the movie Vaa Raja Vaa . He had several hits such as Agathiyar and Raja Raja Chozhan , for which he scored music. Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan made a special appearance in the 2005 Tamil blockbuster movie Anniyan directed by Shankar , on the Tyagaraja Aradhana festival sequence for the song Iyengaaru Veetu which is a recreation of the real festival. He had guest appearances in many other films too. He tried his hand at film production with a feature film in Tamil Thodi Ragam , with T. N. Seshagopalan in the lead, which failed enthuse the audience. Awards He was awarded the prestigious " Padma Shri " title by the Indian government , Kalaimamani award, Sangeet Natak Akademi Award by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 1993, and the Karnataka Isaignani award . He has also won Best Music Director awards for his background scores for films. Other Associations Vaidyanathan, had a long association with the All India Radio . An able administrator, Mr. Vaidyanathan served as Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nadaga Mandram. As the Secretary of Thyagabramha Sabha , Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district he also conducted the Tyagaraja Aradhana for several years. He also served as president of the Raga Research Centre. Death Vaidyanathan died at 8.45pm on September 8, 2008 at a hospital in Chennai.