V. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. He was known for his versatility and the variety of roles he depicted on screen, which gave him also the Tamil nickname Nadigar Thilagam. In a career that spanned close to five decades, he had acted 288 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.
C. Viruthachalam, better known by the pseudonym Pudhumaipithan, was one of the most influential and revolutionary writers of Tamil fiction. His works were characterized by social satire, progressive thinking and outspoken criticism of accepted conventions. Contemporary writers and critics found it difficult to accept his views and his works were received with extreme hostility. He as an individual and his works have been extensively reviewed and debated for over sixty years since his death. His influence has been accepted and appreciated by the present day writers and critics of Tamil fiction. In 2002, the Government of Tamil Nadu nationalised the works of Pudumaippithan.
Bhanurekha Ganesan, better known by her stage name Rekha, is an Indian actress who appears predominantly in Hindi films. Acknowledged as one of the finest actresses in Indian cinema, she has starred in more than 180 films and is the recipient of several accolades, including one National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. She has often played strong and complicated female characters—from fictional to literary—in both mainstream and independent films. Though her career has gone through certain periods of decline, Rekha has gained a reputation for reinventing herself numerous times and has been credited for her ability to sustain her status. In 2010, the Government of India honoured her with Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian honour.
Bhanupriya is an Indian actress, Kuchipudi dancer, and voice artist. In a career spanning 37 years, Bhanupriya has appeared in 155 feature films, predominantly in Telugu, Tamil,Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada languages, in a variety of roles. She has garnered three state Nandi Awards, two Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two Filmfare Awards South and two Cinema Express Awards.
Fahmida Riaz was a Urdu writer, poet and activist of Pakistan. She authored many books, of which some are Godaavari, Khatt-e Marmuz, and Khana e Aab O Gil the first translation in rhyme of the Masnavi of Jalaluddin Rumi from Persian into Urdu. The author of more than 15 books of fiction and poetry, she remained at the center of controversies. When Badan Dareeda, her second collection of verse, appeared, she was accused of using erotic, sensual expressions and sometimes islamist undertone in her work. The themes prevalent in her verse were, until then, considered taboo for women writers. She also translated the works of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai and Shaikh Ayaz from Sindhi to Urdu. Fleeing General Zia-ul Haq's religious tyranny, Riaz sought refuge in India and spent seven years there.
Sugathakumari was an Indian poet and activist, who was at the forefront of environmental and feminist movements in Kerala, South India. Her parents were the poet and freedom fighter Bodheswaran and V. K. Karthiyayini Amma, a Sanskrit scholar. She was the founder secretary of the Prakrithi Samrakshana Samithi, an organisation for the protection of nature, and of Abhaya, a home for destitute women and a day-care centre for the mentally ill. She chaired the Kerala State Women's Commission. She played a prominent role in the Save Silent Valley protest.
Manoj Das was an Indian author who wrote in Odia and English. In 2000, Manoj Das was awarded the Saraswati Samman. He was awarded Padma Shri in 2001, the fourth-highest Civilian Award in India, Padma Bhusan in 2020, the third highest Civilian Award in India for his contribution in the field of Literature & Education.
C. Radhakrishnan is a writer and film director in Malayalam language from Kerala, India.
Sundara Ramaswamy was an Indian novelist, poet, and literary critic, widely considered to be a pre-eminent figure in post-Independence Tamil literature. Born in 1931 in Nagercoil, then part of the princely state of Travancore, he grew up in Kottayam and, later, central Travancore until the age of eight, when his family moved to Nagercoil. His notable works include Oru Puliyamarathin Kathai, J.J. Sila Kuripugal and Kuzhanthaigal, Pengal, Aangal. A key figure in Tamil modern literature, the translations of his novels and short stories have brought him international acclaim. Sundara Ramaswamy has been praised for his versatility, his skillful negotiation of various literary forms: poetry, short fiction and the novel.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress and the winner of the Miss World 1994 pageant. Primarily known for her work in Hindi and Tamil films, she has established herself as one of the most popular and influential celebrities in India through her successful acting career. Rai has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards, and was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2009 and the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the Government of France in 2012. She has often been cited in the media as "the most beautiful woman in the world".
Lalgudi Saptarishi Ramamrutham was an eminent Tamil novelist, who authored 300 short stories, 6 novels and 10 collections of essays. He won Sahitya Akademi Award for his contributions to Tamil literature. He died on his ninety-Second birthday.
D. Selvaraj was a Tamil writer from Tamil Nadu, India. He was the author of a number of novels, short stories, and plays in Tamil. He was a lawyer by profession and was involved in various Communist and left leaning writers' organisations like Democratic Writers Association India and the Progressive writers association of Tamil Nadu (TNPWA). He was an executive committee member of the TNPWA.. He received the Tamil Nadu Government's literary award for the best novel of 2011 for his work on tannery workers of Southern Tamil Nadu titled "Thol". He did the field work for Thol for a decade before writing it. The novel was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for Tamil in 2012.
Cinnamanur Subramaniam Chellappa was a Tamil writer, journalist and Indian independence movement activist. He belonged to the "Manikodi" literary movement along with Pudhumaipithan, Ku Pa Ra, Va. Ramasamy, N. Pichamoorthi and A. N. Sivaraman. He also founded Ezhuthu, a literary magazine His novel Suthanthira Thagam won the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2001.
Batlagundu Subramanian Ramiah was a Tamil writer, journalist, and critic from Tamil Nadu, India. He was also a script and dialogue writer in Tamil films.
M. V. Venkatram, was a Tamil, writer and translator from Tamil Nadu, India.
S. D. Subramania Yogi was a Tamil director, playwright, screenplay writer and poet from Tamil Nadu, India. He was born in a family of poets and published his first collection of poems, while still a student at the Erode Mahajana High School in 1924. He became involved in the Indian Independence Movement and wrote many poems in support of the Indian nationalist cause. He was given the title "Bhala Bharathi" in appreciation of his Tamil literary skills. Among his noted works are Bhavani Kuravanji, a translation of Omar Kayyam's works into Tamil and the life stories of Mary Magdalene and Ahalya. After becoming well known in the field of literature, Yogi started writing scripts for Tamil films. His first film as script writer - Iru Sahodarargal (1936) was a success and the literary magazine Manikodi praised him for his dialogues. He went on to write scripts and song lyrics for a number of Tamil films till the 1950s. He also directed two films - Adrishtam (1939) and Krishnakumar (1941). Yogi translated many of film related English technical terms into Tamil and published a model screenplay using the terms in the magazine Gundoosi.
Kuppuswami Srinivasan, popularly known as Stalin Srinivasan, was an Indian journalist and Indian independence activist who founded the journal Manikodi in 1932. He was also one of the founders of the Free Press Journal. Upon India's independence, he served as the first chief film censor of Madras state. Acclaimed civil lawyer Radha Srinivasan is Stalin Srinivasan's daughter.
Periyakulam Govindaswamy Sundararajan was an Indian writer who was associated with the Manikodi. At the time of his death in 2006, he was the last surviving contributor to the Manikodi magazine.
Chandrasekhar, also known as Vagai Chandrasekhar, is an Indian stage, film and television actor working in Tamil language films, known for his histrionics. He is currently the Chairman of Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Mandram. He played lead or supportive roles in Tamil films of the 1980s. He won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 2002 film Nanba Nanba. He contested and won from Velachery constituency in State legislative assembly election 2016 from DMK party.
