Chola Nadu - Important Personalities

Important Personalities

The Chola Nadu region has produced a umber of noteworthy personalties in the fields of arts, science, film and politics. Long recognized as a hub of Carnatic music, the region is home to most of India's renowned Carnatic musicians. There have also been important individuals in the field of politics. In British times, civil servants and lawyers from Chola Nadu like Sir T. Madhava Rao, Sir A. Seshayya Sastri, Sir Mohammad Usman, Sir A. T. Panneerselvam, Sir T. Muthuswamy Iyer, Sir P. S. Sivaswami Iyer, T. Ananda Rao, V. S. Srinivasa Sastri, V. P. Madhava Rao and R. Raghunatha Rao dominated the bureaucracy. The maternal ancestors of Sir C. P. Ramaswami Iyer hailed from Kumbakonam. Tamil writers V. V. S. Aiyar and Kalki Krishnamurthy, journalists Kalki Sadasivam, G. A. Natesan and Kasturi Ranga Iyengar, Indian independence activist G. Subramania Iyer who founder The Hindu, politicians M. R. Sethuratnam Iyer and S. Muthiah Mudaliar and Indian media mogul S. S. Vasan were some prominent individuals from the Chola Nadu region. Yesteryear film actors Sivaji Ganesan, M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar, Gemini Ganesan and T. R. Rajakumari, Indian scientist and Nobel Prize winner Sir C. V. Raman and mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan were other important people from the region.

Recent time politicians include the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi, former President of India R. Venkataraman, late Tamil Nadu Congress leader G. K. Moopanaar and Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar. Film personalities such as directors K. Balachander, S. Shankar and Mani Ratnam and actors Arvind Swamy and Hema Malini hail from the region.