TAMIL ACTRESSES WHO BECAME HOLLYWOOD SENSATION
AIRAVATESVARA TEMPLE THE TREASURE OF RICH HISTORY TRADITIONAL CLOTHING TRENDS
VELANKANNI THE DIVINITY MEETS THE SERENITY OF THE NATURE
A classic reimagined. The new Datejust 31 in a white Rolesor version that combines Oystersteel with white gold and features an azzurro-blue, floral-motif dial
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Tamil Nadu has been achieving a very high industrial growth, Investments and employment consistently over the years. And this could be due to a combination of factors including its strategic location, robust infrastructure, skilled workforce, proactive government policies, strong educational system, and a diversified industrial base, making it an attractive destination for businesses and investments, particularly in sectors like automobiles, textiles, and engineering.
Key reasons for Tamil Nadu’s industrial growth Are:
Well Developed Infrastructure: The state boasts excellent connectivity with well-developed roads, ports, airports, and industrial parks, facilitating smooth movement of goods and services.
Skilled Workforce: Tamil Nadu has a high literacy rate and a large pool of skilled labor due to a strong emphasis on education, including technical training, making it suitable for complex manufacturing operations.
Proactive Government Policies: The Tamil Nadu government actively promotes industrial development through policies like the Tamil Nadu Industrial Policy, offering incentives and support to attract investments.
Diversified Industrial Base: Tamil Nadu has a diverse range of industries including automobiles, auto components, textiles, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, electronics, and engineering, providing stability and growth across multiple sectors.
Strong Entrepreneurial Culture: The state has a history of
entrepreneurship, contributing to the development of new businesses and innovation.
Investment Destination: Due to its favorable business environment, Tamil Nadu is considered a prime investment destination, attracting both domestic and foreign companies.
Academic Institutions: A strong presence of quality engineering colleges and research institutions provides a steady supply of skilled professionals.
Specific examples of industries thriving in Tamil Nadu:
Automobile Manufacturing: Major automobile companies like Hyundai, Ford, and TVS Motor have significant operations in Tamil Nadu, contributing to the growth of the automotive sector.
Textile Industry: Tamil Nadu is a major textile hub, producing a wide range of textile products including cotton yarn, fabrics, and garments.
Leather Industry: The state has a large leather tanning capacity and is known for its leather goods production.
Chennai, the Capital City of Tamil Nadu is known as the SaaS capital of India. Tamil Nadu has become the economic powerhouse and an ideal investment destination due to its strategic location, conducive business environment, state-of-the-art infrastructure, proactive governance and industrial ecosystem. As you are all aware; Tamil Nadu, the south Indian state comes with the natural topographical advantage surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait in the southeast, and the Indian Ocean
to its south. Chennai, the capital of the state where the economic activities thrive is one of the top cities that feature in the ease of living index.
Endowed with Resources: Tamil Nadu is a leading global hub for agri-commodities, metals and minerals. The major minerals mined in Tamil Nadu are limestone, bauxite, gypsum, lignite (brown coal), magnesite, and iron ore.
Secure Economic Foundations: Tamil Nadu is the second wealthiest state by GDP and is the most industrialised state in India. Over 60% of the state is urbanized, accounting for 10.6% of the urban population in the country, while only comprising 6% of India’s total population. It has been ranked as the most economically free state in India by the Economic Freedom Rankings for the States of India.
Industrial corridors: Tamil Nadu is the only state in India to have all its districts covered under industrial corridor projects. It is aimed at development of futuristic industrial cities in Tamil Nadu which can compete with the best manufacturing and investment destinations in the world.
The Best Business Experience: Tamil Nadu offers a prime environment for business, boasting state-of-the-art infrastructure that facilitates swift commencement of operations. Recognized exemplary governance, abundant skilled workforce, and high urbanization rates, State stands as a preferred destination. Hosting over 130 Global Fortune 500 companies, Tamil Nadu continues to attract businesses seeking a conducive dynamic operational landscape.
Progressive Infrastructure, Excellent
Connectivity: Digital Infrastructure: Tamil Nadu has built and continues to develop a robust and resilient digital infrastructure. Six submarine cable landing stations in the station with a bandwidth of 13 TBPS, 1GBPS the state is in the process of laying optic fibre network, covering 12,524 villages, 528 town panchayats, 121 cities and 15 corporation, one of the first states to come up with an ITES Policy and Fastest growth rate of 700 per cent in software exports.
Transport System: Tamil Nadu has an integrated multimodal urban transport including mass transit systems for faster mobility in cities, Tamil Nadu is well connected internationally & nationally with 6 Airports, With 15% of India’s coastline, it has 22 seaports aiding the exports and 253,510 km of roadways in the state.
Power Supply: Tamil Nadu is a power surplus state and has augmented its capacity for the exponentially growing demand for industrial usage. 38GW+ installed power capacity. Renewable sources contribute over 50% of the installed power capacity. Uninterrupted quality power supply to industries at low tariff rates. Apparently, the two biggest strengths of the State of Tamil Nadu are; its industrial ecosystem, which has always been on the forefront of transition, and diversity in the industry. In Brief; Tamil Nadu is the second-largest economy in India, Not only that; it has also been growing consistently.
“Tamil Nadu is able to maintain a growth rate of around 8 per cent across the years and in most years, ahead of the national growth rate. And, Tamil Nadu’s economy, powered by the industrial sector, is one of the greatest growth engines of India.
Dr. S. E. Alexander Global Media Chief & MD
TradiTional CloThing of Tamil nadu
healTh minisTer launChed The naTional deworming day Campaign in Chennai 26
deCorgeous lifesT yle opens iTs firsT sTore in Chennai wiTh luxury home deCor offerings
madras musiC aCademy one of The earliesT esTablished musiC aCademies in souTh india
The mosT iConiC business leaders of ‘inCredible Tamilnadu ’
a dynamiC hospiTaliT y professional who is aiming To aChieve exCellenCe in hospiTaliT y
airavaTesvara Temple darasuram, KumbaKonam is a Treasure-Trove of riCh hisTory
leT your family pamphered wiTh inTernaTional sTandard healThCare & luxury @ royal Care hospiTal, CoimbaTore
T wo Top Tamil aCTresses who beCame hollywood sensaTion
MESMERIZING Actresses Sai Pallavi’s IMPACTFUL ACTING CARRIER IN Kollywood MOVIES
An ancient land home to the tallest temples in the world and the richest silks, Tamil Nadu, deserves every bit of your attention and fascination. Tamil Nadu, occupying the southern part of India, is the tenth largest state in the country with a fascinating past. The history of this state can be traced back to the reigns of the Cholas and Pandyas, around the third century BCE. Eventually, after the fall of the Mysore Kingdom, Tamil Nadu became one of the first British colonisation in India. Formerly a part of the Madras Presidency, Tamil Nadu is a land of abundant history and culture that gave birth to the oldest classical language of India- Tamil. Home to world-renowned temples with staggering heights and inexplicable structures, this land is explored by many tourists yearly. The culture and traditions of this place are reflected in the art forms that originated here, the dance-form of “Bharat Natyam” being one, along with the Thanjavur paintings.
Tamil Nadu, a southern state of India, shares its border with the neighboring state of Karnataka to the northwest. The fashion here is exquisitely original to its south-Indian culture, and the traditional attire of the women here is none other than the saree. This six-yard-long piece of fabric is draped around the body. The pride of Tamil Nadu is in the Kanchipuram saree, which is regarded as one of the finest and purest forms of silk. Evident from its name, this saree comes from the small city of Kanchipuram, a holy pilgrimage site. Such rich silk sarees have been a traditional dress of Tamilian women for centuries, worn during ritualistic practices and important events. In contrast, small girls are dressed in “pavadai”- a skirt and blouse set made of silk. While silk is the most conventional fabric in this region, the Chettinad cotton sarees are no less of a wonder. Woven by the Devanga Chettiyars, these sarees are famous for their cooling superpowers that are much needed for the sweltering summers of South India.
A milk-white outfit with just a hint of gold on the border perfectly defines the traditional attire of Tamilian men. White, a cool and calm colour, is a staple seen on a set of lungi and shirts. A lungi is a long, rectangular piece of cloth worn on the bottom half by wrapping it around the waist. It is paired with a short-length shirt. A customary addition to this ensemble is the “angavastram”, a stole or white cloth (conventionally cotton), tidily folded and worn on the shoulder. No traditional costume of Tamil Nadu is complete without the aangvastram.
As one of the richest regions of India, gold is massive in Tamil Nadu. Gold plays a vital role in Tamil Nadu culture dress. Since the Sangama dynasty, people of this region have been strict devotees of gold jewellery, giving birth to various forms of it. The deities have been worshipped and ornamented with gold. Gold holds symbolic significance and is a sacred element in the culture of south India. A fascinating and intricate type of bijoux seemingly famous here is the “temple jewellery”. These pieces are characterised by designs inspired by monumental temples, deities
and divine figures and both heavy as well as extraordinary in craftsmanship. The most prominent piece is the “maangamalai “– a necklace with mango motifs all along the chain and a pendant hanging in the centre with a traditional peacock encrusted. Another signature piece belongs on the head; a “jadanagam” is a long trail like an ornament clipped to a neatly done braid. It is an integral accessory worn by dancers and brides. Similarly, several other pieces are true to this region’s originality and exhibit exquisite craftsmanship.
The art of embroidery is the oldest and the most diversely fascinating. No two regions of the world have the same kind of embroidery; they are all similar yet different in varying shapes, patterns and techniques. So, no wonder that in a vast country like India, the types of embroideries are countless and distinct. In Tamil Nadu, the “Toda” embroidery plays a significant role in the region’s culture and history. Locally known as “pukhoor”, which means flower,
this embroidery is specifically created by women of the Toda tribe, belonging to the Nilgiri Hills. Similar to other tribal art forms, Toda tribal embroidery is also inspired by nature and its small, beautiful elements. What is truly fascinating about this embroidery is that the handwork is so fine that one might mistake it for being *entwined with the yarns of the fabric itself or just tightly woven with the help of machines.
Originated and produced exclusively in the ancient city of temples, Kanchipuram- the Kanchi cotton textile is the true definition of simplicity in luxury. Only the finest and purest cotton threads are brought together to make this fabric. The city of Kanchipuram is no less than a land of fairy-tale with its legendary folktales and mythological history. It is believed that the Hindu gods once inhabited this place. Even the 8th-century Kailasanathar temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is believed to have lived here once. Serving justice to its nickname“City of a Thousand Temples”, Kanchipuram is also home to other temples that pay homage to various other Gods like the Varadharaja and Vaikunta Perumal temples made for Lord Vishnu and the Kumarakottam temple, where Lord Murugan is worshipped. The f textiles thus produced here are as old and considered the fabrics of the Gods worshipped here.
Decorgeous, South India’s largest home décor destination, announced its much awaited entry into the Indian market. Located in No. 40, Gandhi Mandapam Road, Kotturpuram, Chennai – 600085, the 25,000 sq.ft. store is the firstof-its-kind store in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. A one-stop-shop store with good ambience offers a complete range of premium home décor products to the Indian populace including iconic and legendary global brands Jensen, Wriver, Alsorg, Loris Zanca, Schonbek, Copenlamp, Asfour, Arte, Andrew Martin etc. from exquisite crystal lighting and timeless furniture to custom cabinetry and bed crafted for ultimate comfort, every piece is designed to transform your house into a home that’s uniquely yours. These include luxury beds and mattresses from Jensen, furniture from Wriver, modular kitchens by Alsorg, embroidered fabrics by Italy’s Loris Zanca, and chandeliers from Schonbek.
The store was inaugurated by Martine Aamdal Bottheim, Minister Counsellor and Deputy Head of Mission at the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Delhi. The event was attended by key figures such as Jensen’s Managing Director Jan Trygve, Wriver’s Co-founder Kapil Bharti, Loris Zanca President Zanca, and Decorgeous Co-Founder Prabhu Narasimhan. Global Partnerships and Market Expansion Prabhu Narasimhan expressed excitement about entering the Indian market. “We are thrilled to establish our presence in India,” he stated. He highlighted that their local expertise combined with partnerships with renowned brands like Jensen and Wriver would
be pivotal for Decorgeous’s growth in India. Vasudevan, CEO of Decorgeous Lifestyle Pvt Ltd, emphasised the need to redefine the home decor experience in India. “With the changing home decor landscape and consumer shopping habits, we strongly believe it is necessary to re-define the home decor experience in the country,” he said. Innovative Designs for Modern Consumers Jan Trygve from Jensen shared his enthusiasm about entering Chennai’s market. “Our entry into the Indian market in Chennai marks a new beginning,” he noted. He believes Jensen’s innovative designs and Norwegian sleep quality will attract young customers in Chennai.
The Chennai store aims to be a comprehensive destination for premium home decor products. It seeks to set new standards that align with international benchmarks, according to a press release from Decorgeous Lifestyle Pvt Ltd. This expansion into Tamil Nadu represents a significant milestone for Decorgeous Lifestyle Pvt Ltd. The company aims to become a major player in India’s rapidly growing home decor market through its strategic global partnerships and local insights.
Shortly after launching the National Deworming Day campaign in Chennai, the Minister said that the Medical Services Recruitment Board (MRB) had conducted the computer-based examination for the post of 2,553 assistant surgeons on January 5. About 24,000 doctors appeared for the examination. The list of qualified candidates was released recently. “We have identified another 89 vacancies. So, a total of 2,642 doctors will be recruited,” he added.
Of those who appeared for the examination, 4,585 candidates have qualified. Certificate verification for these candidates would be held from February 12 to 15 following which they would be ranked as per a Supreme Court direction. After this, communal rotation would be implemented.
Mr. Subramanian noted that cut-off marks were announced for the candidates: General category - 61, Backward Classes - 55, Backward Classes (Muslim) - 52, Most Backward Classes - 53, Scheduled Caste - 51, Scheduled Caste (Arunthathiyar) - 48 and Scheduled Tribe - 45.
“Counselling for the candidates would be held after February 20,” he said, adding that the Chief Minister would hand over the appointment orders to the 2,642 candidates by the end of the month. “Once the 2,642 posts are filled, there will not be a single vacant post (of doctors) in hospitals in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
The Minister earlier said that in line with the National Deworming Day campaign, albendazole tablets would be given at a total of 1,14,887 centres - 46,138 government schools, 12,201 private schools, 2,109 colleges and 54,439 anganwadi centres. As many as 1.30 lakh employees were engaged in the campaign. This included anganwadi centre staff, health staff, Accredited Social Health Activists and teachers.
A total of 2.69 crore persons - 2.15 crore persons aged 0 to 19 years and 54.67 lakh women aged 20 to 30 - would be covered under the campaign in the State. Those left out would be covered through a special camp on February 17, he added.
The Tamil Nadu government will appoint 2,642 new doctors across the state in a couple of weeks, Health Minister Ma Subramanian informed here on Monday. According to the Health Minister, transfer orders for 1,021 medical officers — appointed last year by the Health Department — will be issued on February20, following which Chief Minister MK Stalin will make fresh appointments in another 10 days. Stating that 1,021 doctors, who were appointed last year, have completed their one-year tenure in rural areas, Ma Subramanian pointed out that they were appointed under a condition that they would serve in rural areas for one year. They were also informed that they would not be eligible for transfer during this period.
The transfer counselling for these medical officers has been conducted by the state health department recently and over 1,000 of them will receive transfer orders. They will be posted to their preferred locations in a transparent manner, the orders for which will be issued on February 20. Stating that the certificate verification of 4,585 candidates,
selected after the January 5 exams for 2,553 doctor vacancies, has been completed, the minister said that within the next 10 days, the Chief Minister will issue appointment orders to the selected 2,642 doctors. He said that once the current recruitment process is complete, the State will have zero vacancies in the State Health Department.
A.S. Sharvaanica, an eight-year-old chess prodigy from Ariyalur, the Kanyakumari twin sisters M. Anslin and M. Akslin, who excelled at the Khelo India Youth Games, and para-athlete J. Keerthika were among the scholarship recipients. The past and present of the Tamil Nadu sports fraternity came together to celebrate the future stars, as 10 emerging athletes were rewarded at the India Cements-Tamil Nadu
Sports Journalists’ Association Scholarships 2024, held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Sunday. Each scholarship awardee received a cheque for Rs 30,000 and a trophy. A.S. Sharvaanica, an eight-year-old chess prodigy from Ariyalur, the Kanyakumari twin sisters M. Anslin and M. Akslin, who excelled at the Khelo India Youth Games, and para-athlete J. Keerthika were among the scholarship recipients. Chennai Super Kings pacer Deepak Chahar was the chief guest.
CSK CEO K.S. Viswanathan, India Cements marketing and channel growth head Shashank Singh, Tamil Nadu Cricket Association secretary R.I. Palani and assistant secretary Dr R.N. Baba also graced the gala event. Former India cricketer W.V. Raman, men’s cricket team selection committee member S. Sharath, former India women’s cricket team captain Sudha Shah, MRF Pace Foundation head coach M. Senthilnathan, hockey Olympian Mohammed Riaz, former India athlete Shiny Wilson and former India swimmer Wilson Cherian gave away the trophies. While addressing the gathering, Chahar hailed the TNSJA’s initiative to support deserving young athletes. “Obviously, I like it. I urge all the media (across the rest of India) to do the same. When you’re young, support is crucial. It’s excellent when the media provides that support. There’s nothing better than receiving a scholarship at an early stage. Congratulations to all the athletes here,” said Chahar, who is preparing for IPL 2024. Mr Shashank assured that India Cements will continue to support young talent and sponsor scholarships in the years to come. “At India Cements, we are always scouting for the next generation of athletes. We have the top-10 here, there are other athletes who were not able to make it to the elite list. Kudos to them and their families as well. What better than getting the award from Chahar, whose story in itself is inspirational,” said Shashank.
CSK CEO Viswanathan said: “India Cements is a company that has been supporting athletes for the past five decades. Knowing India Cements and N. Srinivasan (managing director), we will live up to the expectations of the sports journalists. It is a great cause which you have taken up. I would like to congratulate all the winners and wish them the very best.”
The India Cements-TNSJA scholarship winners for 2023-24 (Rs. 30,000 each): A.S. Sharvaanica (Chess), M. Anslin (Athletics), M. Akslin (Athletics), R.S. Rethin Pranav (Tennis), Barathkumar Karthi (Volleyball), Deeksha Sivakumar (Swimming), J. Hemchudeshan (Cricket), G. Kamalini (Cricket), Pooja Arthi (Squash) and J. Keerthika (Para-Athletics).
Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more commonly referred to as) Music Academy plays an important role in encouraging and promoting primarily the Carnatic Music Indian art form. It played a vital role in the revival of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam in the 1930s when it faced near extinction due to a negative connotation caused by conservative societal standards.They also run a music school called the Teachers college of Carnatic Music which has many eminent musicians on its faculty. Musicians such as Tiger Varadachariar, Appa Iyer, Valadi Krishnaiyer and Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer adorned the chair of Principal of the Teacher’s College. Madras Music Academy is one of the earliest established music academies in South India. Before the concept of infrastructure was introduced to India in the early 1920s, it was a gathering for elite musicians simply called (and is still more commonly referred to as) Music Academy plays an important role in encouraging and promoting primarily the Carnatic Music Indian art form.
It played a vital role in the revival of the Indian classical dance form of Bharatnatyam in the 1930s when it faced near extinction due to a negative connotation caused by conservative societal standards.They also run a music school called the Teachers college of Carnatic Music which has many eminent musicians on its faculty. Musicians such as Tiger Varadachariar, Appa Iyer, Valadi Krishnaiyer and Mudicondan Venkatarama Iyer adorned the chair of Principal of the Teacher’s College. The Music Academy, Madras is a landmark institution in the history of the fine arts. It emerged as an offshoot of the All-India Congress Session held in Madras in December 1927. A music conference was held along with it and during the deliberations, the idea of a Music Academy emerged. Inaugurated on August 18, 1928 at the YMCA Auditorium, Esplanade by Sir CP Ramaswami Aiyar, it was conceived to be the institution that would set the standard for Carnatic music. In the process, it began in 1929 the practice of hosting annual conferences on music, which in turn spawned the December music festival of Madras, one of the largest cultural events of the world. Founded by a group of opinion-leaders of Madras
Presidency, all of whom had their individual ideas on how the institution ought to function, the Academy soon won over the entire community of artistes. Its evolution became a collaborative exercise between the two groups. The ragas are debated upon, theory of music discussed in detail, young talent encouraged and senior artistes given a platform to present their art to the cognoscenti. A series of publications are brought out and these works have been of immense use to scholars and the lay public. In the 1930s the Music Academy championed the cause of classical dance and provided a forum for discussions on the subject and more importantly, presented dance performances with a view to getting the public to see the beauties of a traditional art that was in danger of dying. In addition to South Indian music and dance, the Music Academy has also been a venue for Hindustani music, classical dance forms from the rest of India and the world. Over the years the Academy’s organisation of the December music season became a byword for efficiency and its auditorium has seen music-lovers from all over the world flocking to it to revel in its unique artistic atmosphere.
In 1927, the Indian National Congress held the AllIndia Music Conference in Madras. At the end of the conference, it was decided that an organization be formed that helped the cause of music. The prime reason for this conference was E. Krishna Iyer who had played a vital role in reviving the south Indian dance art form— Bharatanatyam. The academy was formally inaugurated on 18 August 1928 by C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, in the Y.M.I.A. Auditorium before a large and distinguished gathering. C. P.’s grandson C. V. Karthik Narayanan would later serve as Trustee. Annual music conferences are held every December to collect all information regarding music, maintain the library and publish a journal. They also help to bring to public notice aspiring musicians and scholars by conducting competitions and other presentations. For a decade, E. Krishna Iyer worked as the Secretary of the Madras Music Academy. The first Music Festival was held in December 1927 which is before the inauguration of the Music Academy. Since then, it had become a part of the Madras Music Academy’s Activities to conduct several expositions and concerts on Carnatic
Music every December. This later came to be popularly known as the Margazhi Season or is referred to as the Madras Music Season amongst Carnatic enthusiasts. This soon became the norm for all sabhas in Madras to conduct several concerts each day during the season. There were several sabhas before the formation of the Music Academy like the Parthasarathy Swami Sabha in Triplicane which was formed as early as 1900. However, it was the Madras Music Academy that set the trend of conducting the music festival during December.
Dr U. Rama Rao was the founder President of the academy and Basheer Ahmed Sayeed, the founder vice-president. The present President is N. Murali. The six past presidents are: Rama Rao, K. V. Krishnaswamy Iyer, T. L. Venkatarama Iyer, T. S. Rajam, K. R. Sundaram Iyer, and T. T. Vasu.[4] Before the present building (T. T. Krishnamachari Auditorium) was constructed, the annual conferences and programmes were held in various locations around the city.
During the first few years, the academy conducted its activities provisionally in George Town and later moved to Mylapore. In 1955, Jawaharlal Nehru laid the foundation stone for the music academy building that exists today on TTK Road in Mylapore. It was inaugurated on 20 December 1962 by Jayachamarajendra Wadiyar, governor of Madras.
There are two buildings for the Music Academy:
• The T. T. Krishnamachari Hall
• The Kasturi Srinivasan Hall
The T. T. Krishnamachari Hall is the first building that was built in 1955. It has a seating capacity of 1600.
The Kasturi Srinivasan Hall was built in 1982. It houses a small auditorium for conferences and concerts, a library, a committee room and a recording and demonstration room. It was here that T. N. Rajarathnam Pillai’s tapes and audio CDs were produced. Kasturi Srinivasan’s nephew’s son, N. Murali, the Joint Managing Director of The Hindu, is the current President of the academy.
Following its inception in 1928, the Music Academy functioned from various premises and held its annual conference and concerts at several venues. The registered office of the Academy was from 1928 to 1935 at Gana Mandir, Thambu Chetty Street, the clinic of its first president Dr U Rama Rau. It later moved to No 8, Philips Street (1935-1938), 306, Thambu Chetty Street (1939), Kasturi Buildings, 100, Mount Road (1940-1942) and Kesari Kuteeram, Royapettah (1942-1946). During this period, the venue of the annual conference and concerts too kept changing. Thus it was the Senate House in 1929, Mani Iyer’s Hall, Triplicane in 1930, a special pandal behind Ripon Buildings at People’s Park between 1931 and 1935, ‘The Funnels’, a garden bungalow on General Patters’ Road in 1936, Lodd Govinddos Garden, General Patters’ Road in 1937, Woodlands Hotel, Westcott Road in 1938, the Senate House between 1939 and 1941 and the Sundareswarar Hall, RR Sabha from 1942 to 1954. In 1946 “Sweet Home” in Mowbrays Road was acquired by the Music Academy. Honourable Shri Jawaharlal Nehru, Prime Minister of India laid the foundation for the present auditorium on 5-10-1955.
Seven years later, on the eve of the 36th Conference H.H. Maharaja Shri Jayachamaraja Wodeyar, Governor of Madras, declared the new building open. Such a major milestone was achieved by the Academy, largely due to the sustained interest and dynamic initiative of Late Shri Kasturi Srinivasan, and Shri TT Krishnamachari. During the period of construction, 1955 to 1961, the annual conference and concerts were held at the PS High School premises. The main auditorium, completed in 1962, was air-conditioned by 1966 and it was named after Shri TT Krishnamachari in 1974. It has been repeatedly modernized in keeping with the times. The last decade has seen a sustained programme in upgrading the facilities. Between 2007 and 2008, the seats in the auditorium were all brought on par with international standards. It may be pointed out that seating
capacity of around 150 numbers had to be sacrificed at the balcony level to provide for better legroom and space. Adequate floor-level lights were provided and an efficient air-conditioning system was provided. A world class Bose acoustic system was also installed at the same time. The Academy’s main auditorium now boasts of world-class seating and air-conditioning. It is also completely suitable for the elderly and the differently abled. Its stage, following a complete refurbishment that included enhanced light fittings, lighting systems, installation of energy efficient LED lights, is suitable for performances of international standard. Apart from Indian classical music and dance performances, we have hosted internationally famous orchestras, dance troupes and other performers. The western side of the Auditorium, at the rear, has been developed as a permanent location for
the cafeteria. The Academy now has separate entrance and exit gates that help reduce congestion and traffic hold-ups within and outside our premises. The historic foyer of the Music Academy, has had a facelift. A convenient walkway now surrounds the entire auditorium. It is our dream to provide vastly improved infrastructure and ambience for the comfort and listening pleasure of our members and rasikas. This has found enthusiastic support from various sponsors. Donors have been extremely generous and spontaneous in the cause of this great institution. We are in particular grateful to the following individuals/institutions that have contributed to the improvements in the main auditorium since 2006:
• Ashok Srinivasan
• HCL Technologies Limited
• Kalpathi Investments Pvt. Limited
• Kasturi & Sons
• Mallika Srinivasan
• PT Krishnan (Architect, for all services rendered pro bono)
• R Chinnakannan
• R Jayachandran
• R Srinivasan
• Sundram Fasteners Limited
• Tata Consultancy Services Limited
• Trichy Distilleries Limited
• TVS Motors Limited
• Veeyes Charities
Academic Council:
• Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli
• Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. Ritha Rajan
• Sangita Kala Acharya Suguna Varadachari
• Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. R.S. Jayalakshmi
• Dr. Meenakshi (Sumathi) Krishnan (Convenor)
• Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli – Director
• Sangita Kala Acharya Prof. Ritha Rajan – Associate Director
Faculty:
• Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Sowmya
• Sangita Kalanidhi Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan
• Sangita Kala Acharya Smt. Suguna Varadachari
• Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. R.S. Jayalakshmi
• Vidwan Dr. Sriram Parasuram
• Vidushi Dr. Sumithra Vasudev
• Vidushi Dr. Baby Sriram
• Vidwan Sri C.R. Vaidhyanathan
• Vidushi Ms. Amritha Murali
• Vidwan Sri Delhi Muthukumar
• Vidwan Shertallay Dr. K.N. Renganatha Sharma
As part of the 115th birth anniversary celebrations of Sangita Kalanidhi Semmangudi R. Srinivasa Iyer (born 25th July 1908), his family members gifted a tambura to the Advanced School of Carnatic Music of the Music Academy, Madras, on 17th July 2023. Receiving the tambura are Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. Ritha Rajan (Associate Director of ASCM), and vidwan C.R. Vaidyanathan, flanked by vidwans Delhi Muthukumar, Sangita Kala Acharya Dr R.S. Jayalakshmi (all faculty members of ASCM) and Dr. Meenakshi (Sumathi) Krishnan (Convenor, Academic Council ASCM). The tambura is being used by the students of the Advanced School of Carnatic Music of the Music Academy, Madras.
Substantial scholarships are awarded to students out of the income from the endowments instituted by M/s L Lakshman and L Ganesh, and the Mala Ramadorai scholarships”. The Advanced School of Carnatic Music, started in August 2010, is housed in a building constructed about twenty-five years ago as an appendage behind the main auditorium. This building used to house the Teachers College of Music which the Academy was running for over seventy five years and had to be discontinued because it had outlived its utility. In its place came this Advanced School aiming at high standards of excellence. The structures at the rear of the property started to erode the ambience of the school. The noise from service activities concentrated in the area, were a severe disturbance to the classrooms which were not air-conditioned and therefore had to work with windows open.
A decision was taken to upgrade the facility and bring it in line with the other buildings in the complex. The four classrooms in the front block were air-conditioned and sound proofed. External noises were eliminated by providing air-tight UPVC windows and special doors. Ceilings and walls were covered with acoustic panelling to overcome the problem of reverberation and to improve sound quality. The floor was finished with a seamless PVC covering for the same reason. Each class room now has ample storage space specially designed for storing veenas, mridangams and violins along the back wall and a small dais and a white board in the front. Lighting was also improved by installing LED lamps in keeping with the academy’s policy of energy efficiency. Two additional rooms in the first floor of the block behind the school, but which are connected by an overhead link were also upgraded. Apart from a small lunch room for students and staff, there is a large room, also designed for good acoustics, which can accommodate an audience of about twenty persons. This gives the academy a wide range of music halls that can be used for different purposes.
This project has been made possible by a generous grant as part of their CSR initiative by Temenos India Private limited towards the enhancement and upgradation of the building and classroom infrastructure of the Advanced School of Carnatic Music. This was completed in July 2016. The architectural services and oversight for this project were provided pro bono by Shri PT Krishnan — a very fine and renowned architect with a passion for heritage conservation and who has been involved in all the projects relating to the upgradation of the Academy’s infrastructure and facilities over the last decade. The seventh convocation of ASCM was held on 26th August 2022. Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. Sudha Ragunathan was the Chief Guest. Three batches of students who completed their course in 2020, 2021 and 2022 received their Diplomas along with the title “Sangita Vidvat Bhushanam”. The Advanced School of Carnatic Music is gradually emerging as a world class teaching institution. Duration: 3 year Course with 2 semesters every year, Mid July –November end & Mid January – June end
Classes: Monday to Friday (five days a week) from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Eligibility:
Applicants should have minimum educational qualification of +2 (successfully completed)
Age should be between 18 to 30 years
Should be able to sing Varnams, Kritis and have a reasonable level of Manodharma.
The Music Academy Madras has been associated with Musicology and Research in Music from the time of its inception. The discussions in the Annual Conference substantiate the depth of musical thought that the institution (also called the Vidvat Sabha) engages with. The other hallmarks are the Journal whose 91st volume was published in 2022 and the number of publications that the Academy has brought out. Noteworthy is that these publications were fruits of the efforts of scholars like Sangita Kalanidhi Sri. T.V. Subba Rao, Dr. V. Raghavan, Sangita Kala Acharya T.S. Parthasarathy, and scholar–musicians such as Sangita Kalanidhi Mudicondan Sri. Venkatarama Iyer, Sangita Kala Acharya Sri. B. Krishnamurthy, Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. S.R. Janankiraman, to name a few.
After the completion of degree by the first batch of students, the Centre has had to withdraw from the PhD programme owing to changes in the conditions of affiliation. The Academy however continues with its research activities.
MARC ushers in the new decade 2020 with renewed vigour, engaging in music studies and research in a focused manner. In keeping with the fundamental objectives of the Music Academy or Vidvat Sabha, the research centre looks to build on the wealth of oral and aural traditions that are integral to the Carnatic music space. At the same time, it will work on strengthening the musicological dimension by way of rigour in the research methods and honing of structured musical thought and perceptions, with a futuristic approach. The activities of MARC include publications, seminars / webinars, workshops and research projects. The MARC team played an active role in putting together some of the December video capsules/episodes that were uploaded in the Academy’s YouTube channel during the virtual music festival in December 2020.
Ex-Officio member.
Secretary, The Music Academy, Madras.
Dr. Sumithra Vasudev: Sumithra Vasudev is a reputed musician and prime disciple of Sangita Kalanidhi Smt. R. Vedavalli. She is a faculty in Advanced School of Carnatic Music, The Music Academy Madras. Sumithra’s penchant for exploring rare raga-s and her flair for niraval and tanam distinguish her performances. She was one of the Ph.D scholars in MARC and her dissertation is based on a study of compositions and raga-s handled by the Dikshita family composers. She authored the English translation for ‘Melaragamalika of Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan’ published by the Music Academy Madras in 2018.
Dr. Ritha Rajan
Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. R.S. Jayalakshmi served as Professor and Head (Retd.), Department of Music, Queen Mary’s College. A member of the Advisory Board of the Music Academy Madras for over a decade, she is currently the Associate Director of the Advanced School of Carnatic Music, Music Academy. Her dissertation on ‘Pathantara-s in the compositions of the Musical Trinity’ is a brilliant combination of an intimate knowledge of the subtleties of oral traditions in Carnatic music and lucidity of its expression in the textual form.
Sangita Kala Acharya Dr. R.S. Jayalakshmi is
currently a faculty member in the Advanced School of Carnatic Music, Music Academy Madras, and the University of Silicon Andhra, USA. A vainika of repute, she was a faculty in the Department of Music, University of Madras. Her dissertation is based on the gamaka-s of Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini and is a model work on the interpretation of the various gamaka-s described in the text. She is the author of (MRJ Publishers, Bangalore, 1999).
Sri. V. Sriram Ex-Officio member.
Secretary, The Music Academy, Madras
Shiv Visvanathan is currently Professor at Jindal Global Law School, Sonipat and Director, Centre for the Study of Knowledge Systems, O.P. Jindal Global University. He is a social anthropologist and is presently working on the relationship between knowledge and democracy, focusing on the idea of cognitive justice. He has held visiting professorship at Smith, Stanford, Goldsmith, Arizona, Maastricht, Pretoria, MICA, NID and IIT Chennai. He is author of works like Organizing for Science (OUP, Delhi, 1985), A Carnival for Science (OUP, Delhi, 1997) and Theatres of Democracy (OUP, Delhi, 2016).
Sanjay Subrahmanyan is one of those rare and complete performers whose concerts are the product of a lively and intelligent mind. His intensive and exhaustive elaboration of unconventional ragas, as well as his treatment of the time-honoured classical ragas display a unique combination of tradition and modernity. Tamiz language finds the singer in his elements, as he offers classic Tamiz compositions in tandem with those that he assiduously mines of composers whose works have not seen the light of day. Through his music he integrates the wisdom and stabilizing influences of the past with his own artistic and intellectual creativity.
S. Sowmya, a vocalist, vainika and researcher, is known for her extensive manodharma, her bold forays into aspects of music that are considered difficult and her adherence to the strict classical tradition as imbibed from her gurus. She is a member of the faculty at the Music Academy’s Advanced School of Carnatic Music. With her pathbreaking research work in enhancing the tonal stability of the mridangam, the pre-eminent percussion instrument in South Indian music and insightful presentations on various aspects of classical music, Sowmya in many ways personifies – ‘a quintessential scholarly Carnatic musician’.
Considered the highest accolade in the field of Carnatic music, it came into existence in 1942. Prior to that, a senior musician/ expert was invited to preside over the Music Academy’s annual conference. In 1942, it was decided that the musician so invited would be conferred the title of Sangita Kalanidhi, the award comprising a gold medal and a birudu patra (citation). Since 2005, the Sangita Kalanidhi also receives the MS Subbulakshmi Award instituted by The Hindu. This cash award has seen its value enhanced by generous contributions by P Vijaykumar Reddy, son of past Vice-President P Obul Reddy.
It was later in 1993 that the academy also started giving out the Sangita Kala Acharya title. It is awarded to 2 or 3 senior musicians every year.
This award has thus far been conferred only on three great artistes. It has been given to them in recognition of their outstanding contribution to the arts. The Music Academy periodically chooses to recognise certain exemplary artistes this way.
Since 2012, the academy has been recognising dancers with the Natya Kala Acharya title. A separate Dance conference is held in the first week of January. This award was renamed to Nritya Kalanidhi.
In 1950, the Music Academy instituted the Certificate of Merit, given to senior musicians who had made a mark in the field as icons and gurus. This in the 1980s was named the TTK Award in memory of TT Krishnamachari, former Union Minister and industrialist, who was a great patron of the arts and who as Vice-President of the Music Academy did much to make its auditorium a reality. Two senior performing artistes are selected annually for this award.
This was instituted as the Vaggeyakara award in 1999 by Smt R Ranganayaki to recognise outstanding contemporary music composers in the field. In 2008, the scope of this award was changed to include musicologists as well and the award was renamed the Musicologist Award.
Instituted in 2012 by Dr Engikollai Krishnan and Dr Leela Krishnan in the memory of Smt Meenakshi and Mysore Asthana Vidwan Engikollai Chidambara Ganapatigal, it is conferred each year in January on a senior dancer at the inauguration of the annual dance festival.
This was instituted in 2010 by the Indira Sivasailam Endowment Fund set up by Ms Mallika Srinivasan, Chairperson, Tafe Limited in the memory of her mother, noted rasika and patron Smt Indira Sivasailam. Awarded during Navaratri each year, it is given to a top-ranking performing artiste.
The Music Academy has held an annual dance festival following the music season since 2008. Performances with entrance fees for the annual dance festival were recently given by: 2025–Rama Vaidyanathan, Apsaras Dance Company, G. Narendra, Urmila Sathyanarayanan, Navia Natarajan, Neena Prasad, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Vaibhav Arekar, Praveen Kumar, Jaikishore Mosalikanti, Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon, Divya Goswami, Priyadarshini Govind, Nrityagram
2024–Mythili Prakash, Priya Murle and Roja Kannan, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Narthaki Nataraj, Methil Devika, Malavika Sarukkai, Sujata Mohapatra, Rama Vaidyanathan, Nirupama Rajendra, Navia Natarajan, Geeta Chandran, G. Narendra, Nrityagram
2020–Renjith and Vijna, Madhavi Mudgal and Arushi Mudgal, Alarmel Valli, Dhananjayans, Rama Vaidyanathan, Apsaras Dance Company, Malavika Sarukkai, Gauri Diwakar, Narthaki Nataraj, Idagunji Mahaganapati Yakshagana Mandali, Praveen Kumar, Bijayini Satpathy, Priyadarshini Govind, Vaibhav Arekar
2019–Navia Natarajan, Kalakshetra Foundation, A. Lakshman, Methil Devika, Rama Vaidyanathan, Urmila Sathyanarayanan, Mythili Prakash, Sujata Mohapatra, Malavika Sarukkai, Aditi Mangaldas, Praveen Kumar, Margi Kathakali School, Meenakshi Srinivasan, Nrityagram
2018–Shijith Nambiar and Parvathy Menon, Leela Samson, Praveen Kumar, Kalakshetra Foundation, Rama Vaidyanathan, Sujata Mohapatra, Alarmel Valli, Vidha Lal and Abhimanyu Lal, Malavika Sarukkai, Neena Prasad, Priyadarshini Govind, Amrita Lahiri, Vaibhav Arekar, Nrityagram
Music Academy received a donation of Rs. 1,00,000 from S. Visvanathan in memory of K. R. Sundaram Iyer for the improvement of library activities. The library is now named as K. R. Sundaram Iyer Memorial Library. It has rare books, manuscripts and tape recordings of the proceedings of the Expert Committee sessions. The students of the Teacher’s College of Music, members, music students and research scholars. Books on both music and other general subjects donated by the families of P. Sambamoorthy, Sangita Vidvan K. C. Thyagarajan, V. Raghavan, Venkatakrishnan, S. R. Janakiraman and other individuals.
“In this ever-changing society, the most powerful and enduring brands are built from the heart. They are real and sustainable. Their foundations are stronger because they are built with the strength of the human spirit, not an ad campaign. The companies that are lasting are those that are authentic.” — Howard Schultz, Starbucks CEO.
Sathish Kumar, Promoter & CMD of ‘Milky Mist Dairy Foods Limited’ hail from a farming background and a farmer himself, joined his father’s traditional milk trading business in the year 1992 in order to turn around the same which was making losses. After couple of years’ struggle in handling milk spoilage, losses and being at the mercy of traders,
he started thinking of making value addition to milk. During his frequent visits to Bangalore, he came across a couple of restaurants where paneer was used as an ingredient. Out of curiosity he requested them to teach him the art of making paneer and that is how he started his own business by registering the company’s name as “Milky Mist Dairy” in 1992.
SATHISH KUMAR,
& MD,
Dr. S. E. ALEXANDER, Global Media Chief & MD, M/s. Worldwide Media Corporation Group, USA., Congratulates Mr. SATHISH KUMAR, CMD, Milky Mist Dairy Foods Ltd for being honoured with one of the Prestigious Award namely, ‘INCREDIBLE TAMIL NADU GOLDEN AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2025’
Initially Mr Sathish Kumar was making paneer only for the hotel segment and was struggling to meet the ends. Gradually he learnt the process of manufacturing paneer and started making superior quality paneer. The next logical step was to enter the retail market with small packs. He set up a small manufacturing unit in Chithode in 1992 with minimum technical know how and investment. Since the paneer was sold without any label and brand name, he came out with the brand name “Milky Mist” and got the same registered in 1996. Between 1996 and 2010, while he continued his focus on paneer but at the same time introduced other products like curd, yoghurt, butter, ghee, etc. The otherwise slow pace of growth of the company got accelerated between 2010 and 2016 with the introduction of different types of cheese and other products in the market. Gradually, the consumers of South India started accepting all of Milky Mist’s products and particularly preferred Milky Mist paneer and curd over other brands as their favorite brand. Thus, Milky Mist paneer became a household name. During this period while expanding the product
category, he also expanded the market. All these things were happening in a small manufacturing set up in less than an acre of land. As the market was growing and space becoming a constraint, he conceived a bigger plan. His larger vision and future forecast led to establishment of state of the art, technologically superior plant with a capacity to handle 15 lakh litres per day spread over 55 acres of land. Mr Sathish Kumar is known for adopting new technologies. He widely travelled to many countries to study the technology and adopted the best one of this technology adaption was a fully automatic custom built Paneer manufacturing Plant. This state of the art plant has completely replaced the manual packing and handling process in Paneer. Today Milky Mist has about 25 product categories with 200 different types of pack sizes and is a household name in entire South India. Milky Mist is the only Dairy in India to manufacture value added products. Mr Sathish Kumar is having a bigger ambition and vision to make Milky Mist a pan Indian brand competing with giants like Amul, Nestle, etc., He also has a vision to make Milky Mist Dairy a US $ One Billion company by 2030.
40
27 YEARS AGO MILKY MIST BRAND NAME BORN 2007
16 YEARS AGO
LAUNCH OF DIVERSIFIED VALUEADDED PRODUCTS, CURD, CHEESE,
14 YEARS AGO
PANEER PRODUCT TOUCHED 3 METRIC TON / DAY ADDITIONAL RANGE OF PRODUCTS CURD, YOGURT AND CHEESE INTRODUCED.
15 YEARS AGO
FIRST TV COMMERCIAL LAUNCHED FOR MILKY MIST PANEER, THEIR FLAGSHIP PRODUCT, WHICH TOOK THE BRAND TO THE DRAWING ROOMS OF MILLIONS OF HOUSEHOLDS IN SOUTH INDIA
13 YEARS AGO
MILKY MIST STARTED PROVIDING VISICOOLERS TO ITS RETAIL PARTNERS FOR INCREASING SHELVE SHARE FOR NEW RANGE OF PRODUCTS. COMPANY ALSO RECORDED 48CR TURN OVER FIRST TIME.
8 YEARS AGO
100 MT POWDER PLANT COMMISSIONED
– WHEY (DAIRY PERMEATE POWDER) AND SKIMMED MILK POWDER PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
CONCEPTUALIZED AND PROJECT KICK STARTED 2017
9 YEARS AGO MEGA PLANT
MILKY MIST DAIRY FOOD PRIVATE LIMITED (MMD), is one of India’s largest manufacturer of Dairy products Factory & Company; which is located at Perundurai, 20 kms, from Erode District in Tamil Nadu. It is engaged in milk procurement, processing and manufacturing of Value Added Products (VADP) under the brand name “Milky Mist”. In the year
2019-20, Milky Mist shifted its manufacturing facility from the old plant to a sprawling, state of the art Mega Plant spread over 55 acres and surrounded by lush green area. The new plant has got a processing capacity of one million litres milk per day (MLPD) expandable to 1.5 MLPD. It has got latest technology to manufacture fermented products like curd, yoghurt.
Some of Milky Mist’s latest worldclass technologies (first time in India) are:
1000 slices/ minute high speed cheese slice packing machine
60 MT/ day fully automatic paneer making plant with robotic packing
40 MT/ day fully automatic mozzarella cheese manufacturing plant
40 MT/ day cream cheese manufacturing plant
7 YEARS AGO
FULLY AUTOMATED STATE OF ART ROBOTIC BASED PANEER & CURD PROCESS AND PACKAGING LINE COMMISSIONED AND OPERATIONALIZED IN MILKY MIST MEGA PLANT
5 YEARS AGO
UHT MILK SHAKE, UHT CREAM, DAIRY WHITENER, CREAM CHEESE LAUNCHED
3 YEARS AGO
MILKYMIST- BUTTER CHIPLET, GREEK YOGURT, SKYR, SOUR CURD, CHEESE TIN SMARTCHEF- RASAMALAI, PANEER FINGERS, DAHI TIKKI, CHEESE BALLS LAUNCHED
5 YEARS AGO
6 YEARS AGO
FULLY AUTOMATED CHEESE PLANT INTEGRATED IN OPERATION AND STARTED PRODUCING CHEDDAR, MOZZARELLA AND PROCESSED CHEESE RANGES, ALSO FROZEN PANEER LINE MISSIONED AND MADE LIVE
FULLY AUTOMATED CHEESE PLANT INTEGRATED IN OPERATION AND STARTED PRODUCING CHEDDAR, MOZZARELLA AND PROCESSED CHEESE RANGES, ALSO FROZEN PANEER LINE MISSIONED AND MADE LIVE
2020
2022
4 YEARS AGO
UHT BUTTERMILK, GULAB JAMUN & RASAGULLA TINS FAT SPREAD UNDER MISTY LITE BRAND ACQUISITION OF ASAL BRANDS LAUNCHED
2 YEARS AGO ICECREAM, CAPELLA CHOCOLATE
The Mega Plant has also got various value added product sections like ghee, butter, cheddar cheese, cream cheese, shrikhand and lsssi, Mozzarella cheese. It has got state of the art Spray Dryer for converting liquid whey into whey powder and to manufacture various types of milk powders. The Mega Plant with its composite dairy processing facilities can handle any volume of milk and also meet the growing market demand. Currently MMD procures an average of 5.5 lakh Litrs milk per day directly from around 56000 farmers spread over 8 districts of Tamil Nadu. MMD produces 25 different VADPs, having about 200 SKUs, owns and operates the largest fleet of refrigerated vehicles for last mile delivery of its products under controlled temperature conditions.
MMD has got the largest fully automatic mozzarella plant in the country, which includes high speed processing, and packing machines, which are the first of its kind in India. Paneer is MMD’s flagship product with its fully automatic plant. Milky Mist brand is almost synonymous with quality and safety of its products, which are loved and consumed, by
millions of households in the South over the past two decades. Milky Mist has a strong, dedicated and loyal network of sales, distribution and marketing set up. Current product range includes Curd (Indian Yoghurt), Fresh Paneer, Mozzarella Cheese, Cheddar Cheese, Processed Cheese, Gouda cheese, Fresh and UHT Cream, UHT Milk, Butter, Ghee, Khova, Yoghurts, traditional milk-based products like Shrikhand, Payasam (Kheer), Misti Doi, Spray dried products such as Dairy Whitener, Skimmed Milk Powder and Whey Powder.
The Company has recently Launched new products such as Probiotic Curd, Frozen Pizza, UHT Lassi, UHT Milk and drinks categories. Currently, MMD has more than 1600 distributors across the country, depots at various locations, and employee strength of nearly 900.Ethical and transparent practices coupled with innovation and out of the box thinking has helped MMD to grow at a blistering pace for the last 5 years. The best as they say, is yet to come what with the tailwinds and impetus being given to Dairy sector by Central/ State Govt.(s); growing demand for VADP and a burgeoning consumer base. Milky Mist has got state of the art manufacturing facility to make only VADP in order to maximize the farmers’ income.
AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT FOR MANY NUTRITIOUS VEGETARIAN DISHES. MILKY MIST OFFERS SOFT, CREAMY & THE BEST PANEER KEPT FRESH IN A HYGIENICALLY PACKED MULTILAYER THERMOFORMING PACKAGING.
MILKY MIST BUTTER MAKES FOR THE TASTIEST SPREAD AND COOKING INGREDIENT. THE SMOOTH AND UNIFORM TEXTURE UPLIFTS THE TASTE OF ALL YOUR DISHES WITH ITS DOSE OF FRESHNESS.
• Paneer
• Curd
• Butter – Table Butter and Cooking Butter
• Khova
• Cheddar Cheese
• Processed Cheese
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Fruit Yoghurt
• Premium Yoghurt
• Desserts
• Payasam
• Shrikhand
• Mishti Dai
• Milk Cake
• Lassi
• Dairy Whitener
• Skimmed Milk Powder
• Gulab Jamun Mix
• Rasgulla and Gulab Jamun in Tins
• UHT Range of ProductsMilk, Cream, Butter Milk, Milk Shakes, Lassi
• Ghee
• Chocolate
• Ice Cream
• Smart Chef
• Asal
• Ready to Drink
• Food Enhancers
• Condensed Milk
In line with the founder's belief, Milky Mist strives to be the drivers of social upliftment, by embodying social responsibility in their vision.
The best gift we can give the future generations is the green earth. Milky Mist ensures responsible sourcing of energy to power the factories by harnessing solar energy, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions of 4,340 tons annually.
The best gift we can give the future generations is the green earth. Milky Mist has embraced the goodness of renewable energy and worked passionately towards reducing the carbon footprint. As an outcome of our renewable energy practices, 1,99,306 trees are saved every year, and emissions of about 4,340 tons of carbon dioxide are avoided annually.
Milky Mist has installed a state-of-the-art SPV power plant of 4.0 MW capacity in the nearby land. The plant is powered by 3 numbers of 1000 CP XT Utility grade inverters by SMA having its headquarters in Niestetal, Germany. The DC cables of Solar Grade/UV Resistant are from LAPP Germany compliant to international specifications and safety standards.
The complete 4.0 MW of Solar power is wheeled to Milky Mist factories under the group captive scheme through the captive Energy wheeling agreement. A 22kv dedicated transmission line of 6 km distance from the SPV plant to the 110/22kv Suriyampalayam substation is used to wheel the power. Manufactured in compliance with international specifications and supplied by SWELECT (HHV ST brand of PV Modules), the solar PV modules (of 315 Wp) are triple IEC certified.
The entire SPV power plant Design and EPC (Engineering Procurement and Construction) on a turnkey basis were done by SWELECT Energy Systems, one of Chennai’s premier Solar Power Company.
Milky Mist Dairy- Pioneer in green energy and selfsustainability. Milky mist Dairy has commissioned a 7 MW power plant at Kavilipalayam, Erode on March 21st 2022, thus establishing itself as the forerunner in environmental sustainability. Milky mist with an annual turnover of Rs. 1100 Cr has embarked on switching over to renewable green energy resources over fossil fueled energy resources. The plant was designed, installed, and commissioned by SWELECT with an outlay of 40 CR. As a part of Green energy portfolio augmentation, the new power plant is another feather in the cap which will enable milky mist to run with 100 % sustainable energy. The installation is expected to reduce 30,000 tons of carbon emissions every year.
With the already existing 6 MW solar power plant spanning 14 acres at Chithode, and 2 MW wind farm at Kayatharu, Thirunelveli, MMD has become the 1st Indian FMCG company to become 100% self-sustainable. Giving back to mother earth has been the guiding principle for the organization, hence we are proud to inform you that Milky mist has attained the state of power surplus with renewable energy. The company embarked on this journey towards sustainability since its inception of 2MW wind energy in 2018 and 4MW solar energy in 2017. With commissioning 7 MW solar, Milky mist has a total capacity of 13 MW and 2 MW wind energy we are proud to announce that it has become 100 % energy efficient completely through sustainable renewable energy sources.
Enjoy the 12 different variants of irresistibly delicious Milky Mist Cheese. They are the ideal sources of calcium and protein & the high quality cheese ensures the best experience for all your cheesy recipes.
Milky Mist Dairy- Pioneer in green energy and selfsustainability. Milky mist Dairy has commissioned a 7 MW power plant at Kavilipalayam, Erode on March 21st 2022, thus establishing itself as the forerunner in environmental sustainability. Milky mist with an annual turnover of Rs. 1100 Cr has embarked on switching over to renewable green energy resources over fossil fueled energy resources. The plant was designed, installed, and commissioned by SWELECT with an outlay of 40 CR. As a part of Green energy portfolio augmentation, the new power plant is another feather in the cap which will enable milky mist to run with 100 % sustainable energy. The installation is expected to reduce 30,000 tons of carbon emissions every year.
With the already existing 6 MW solar power plant spanning 14 acres at Chithode, and 2 MW wind farm at Kayatharu, Thirunelveli, MMD has become the 1st Indian FMCG company to become 100% self-sustainable. Giving back to mother earth has been the guiding principle for the organization, hence we are proud to inform you that Milky mist has attained the state of power surplus with renewable energy. The company embarked on this journey towards sustainability since its inception of 2MW wind energy in 2018 and 4MW solar energy in 2017. With commissioning 7 MW solar, Milky mist has a total capacity of 13 MW and 2 MW wind energy we are proud to announce that it has become 100 % energy efficient completely through sustainable renewable energy sources.
Enjoy the 12 different variants of irresistibly delicious Milky Mist Cheese. They are the ideal sources of calcium and protein & the high quality cheese ensures the best experience for all your cheesy recipes.
Milky Mist has always been committed to improving the health of Indian citizens. One such instance of welfare was when the founder spotted the poor sanitation facilities at a primary government school in Chithode district of Erode. This led to the construction of a sophisticated toilet facility for the students of that school. It was really thoughtful of the Milky Mist founder to make sure that proper sanitation is given to the students, who are the future of this country.
Committed to improving the health of the nation, Milky Mist also helps farmers in various farm-related activities. The growth of wild plants is a huge problem for the farmers and it's expensive to take out all the wild plants from the farms to make sure the harvest is good for the season. Milky Mist helped farmers by carrying out this activity across various farms in the erode district.
The freshness of Milky Mist’s Curd ensures a dose of fresh nutrients for a healthy tummy and heart. Plus, this tasty curd will leave you in awe. It can be eaten as it is or used as a delicious cooking ingredient.
Milky Mist Ghee is the perfect blend of taste & nutrition. This pure ghee makes for a wholesome ingredient to be used in a variety of dishes.
Milky Mist offers the best Indian dessert delicacies with distinct flavors to satisfy your sweet tooth. Indulge in the richness of traditional Indian sweets like Shrikhand, Kalakhand, Payasam, Mishti Doi, Rasgulla,
The Promoter & CMD of this Amazing Food Products Company; Mr. Sathish had inherited the entrepreneurial genes from his father, who had started a power loom unit along with his brother in the year 1983. And due certain unforeseen circumstances, he had to sell it after three years. Later, He along with his brothers entered milk business. “They purchased milk from vendors, chilled it, and sent it to Bangalore in cans. They were selling around 3000 liters of milk daily”. But the venture did not reach the expected levels and Sathish’s uncle left the business in 1990. Because of which, his father decided to wind up the business in the year 1992. And, that’s when Sathish decided to step in and try his luck. “There was not much opposition from the family when I expressed my desire to discontinue my studies and join business. They let me pursue my interest,” says Sathish, who had studied at Hindu Kalvi Nilayam in Erode. Looking for ideas to develop the business, he found one of their customers in Bangalore made paneer from the milk he purchased from them and sold it to hotels at a good profit.
“I thought why not we make paneer. But the problem was we didn’t know how to make it and I didn’t know anyone who could offer me help. This was pre-internet era. Getting information was difficult in those days,” he says. One lead they got was that paneer was made by heating milk and adding vinegar to it. They tried it and kept refining the process, till they got a reasonably good quality paneer. Sathish dispatched the first batch of 10 kg paneer in a carry bag to Bangalore in 1993. “Initially we marketed paneer in bulk through dealers to hotels. We didn’t have a brand name then. In the year 1995, we were just selling around 50-100 kilos of paneer daily,” says Sathish. Incidentally, in 1995, they exited from (liquid) milk business totally and diverted all the milk procured from vendors to making of paneer. Two years later, as the volumes grew, Sathish felt it
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was time to enter the retail market. “We wanted a brand name. Hence, I had visited a browsing center and kept searching for a suitable name in the Internet. Thus, I came out with this wonderful Brand Name ‘Milky Mist’. I truly believed that it would be wonderful; mainly because, it was very appealing, most appropriate for my products line, easy to pronounce, easy to remember, and also it had a universal appeal. Moreover, I was particular that the name I chose, should not have any regional or religious affiliation.” Sathish says. As we entered retail business, we began to invest in machinery. We had initially started our business, with a small investment of Rs.5 lakh, later in 1998, we had obtained a bank loan of Rs.10 lakh to set up a semi-automatic paneer plant. And we made sure that we continue to periodically upgrade the machineries at our factory since then. By late 1990’s Milky Mist paneer was available in few stores in Chennai, Bangalore and Coimbatore. But institutional (or) bulk sales still constituted 80 percent of our turnover. In the year 2001, we managed to move our manufacturing plant from rented premises to our own property in Chittode’’ says Sathish, the Proud Promoter of this wonderful Business Empire. The company’s annual turnover at that time was just around INR 2 crore. Once again the company ventured into sale of liquid packet milk, which Sathish feels was a mistake in retrospect. They began pushing the sale of milk with free offers. Soon there was shortage of
milk to meet the demand for paneer. Hence, In 2005, the company stopped sale of liquid milk and instead started production of khova and ghee, which was sold in bulk. The idea was to get their focus back on products. We have created our Company / Brand logo in the year 2007 and we had started promoting our brand. Between 2008-10, we focused on strengthening our cold storage, logistics, and distribution network in South India. In 2010, we had launched our first TV commercial for Misty Milk Paneer, the flagship product of our Company. And that, I believe took our brand to the drawing rooms of millions of households in South India. “The TV commercials gave us a very clear brand identity. We felt that the Name ‘Milky Mist’ almost became the other Name for paneer. For other Companies ‘Paneer’ happened to be one of their products. But, For u; it is almost our identity. ‘’Today, I could proudly say that, we are the largest producer of fresh paneer in the country’’ says Sathish. In 2015 we were doing 15 tons of paneer per day. Now it has gone up to 45 tons,” says Sathish; who also recalls that, Post 2011 the company witnessed a rapid growth, both in terms of increased sales as well as in brand visibility.
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The decision to introduce ‘Visi Coolers in the market in order to Keep, Hold, Preserve and Sell our products to consumers at their favorite retail Points and Joints; did enhance and promoted our brand substantially. Because, in those days “Most shops had only Pepsi or Coke chillers. And we couldn’t keep our products in their chillers. So, we decided to supply our own chillers,” says Sathish. Because, he had clearly understood that using their chillers exclusively to market paneer was a waste of their valuable resource; He began to produce more products with the view to optimize their usage, value and return on investments; And thus, they have started other products like curd, cheese, yoghurt and also all possible ranges of milk products, which they had introduced and started keeping in their chillers, which are kept in Retail shops. Today, there are around 14,000 Milky Mist chillers in stores across South India. And Procurement of milk, which stood at 1.7 lakh liters per day in 2015, has touched 6.5 lakh liters per day in recent times. This increase has spawned a mini-white revolution in the districts of Erode, Salem, Tiruppur, Coimbatore, Namakkal, Dindigul, Dharmapuri, Jolarpet, Krishnagiri and Trichy, where they buy milk directly from an estimated 55,000 farmers.
“Farmers are getting Rs.5 more per liter since the commission to middlemen has been eliminated. We have set up 1,200 collection Centres in villages, where milk is analyzed for quality. Pure milk with no water mixture fetches Rs.35 per liter for the farmer,” says Sathish. On future strategy, Sathish says they plan to consolidate and expand their paneer market and educate consumers in South India on making dishes with paneer and other milk based products. “We have tied up with celebrity chef Sanjeev Kapoor to make videos on cooking 100 dishes with paneer and other milk products.
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For sudden hunger cravings, Smartchef has brought an all-new range of Frozen Pizza, Paneer Crunchies & Paneer Tikka. This recipes is made from fresh ingredients and lots of love. A classic dish can be prepared on the tawa or in the oven, in just a few minutes.
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These videos will be available in apps for free download,” says Sathish. As a most inspiring Organization; Milky Mist, has been growing at an impressive rate of 35% for the past three years and they are highly motivated to grow progressively in the years to come. “One important thing that both the Promoter and his Organization namely ‘Milky Mist’ want to do is; to increase the productivity of their farmers as well as to increase the quantity of milk. Also they also want to make sure that their Farmers and Associates are paid a fair amount.” Recently ‘Milky Mist Dairy Company’ has also donated funds to Farmers, with the view to help them getting rid their operational issues concerning invasive wild plants. In addition, MMD is also working very closely with their farmers and provides them Medical Facilities, Guidance as well as Doctors to manager their health along with the health of their cows. They often bring them to their factories and show them how their milk is being processed and used. This act of inclusion makes them feel very proud and it also empower them to visit their Parent Organization, Factories and interact with the Officials on face to face basis. And whenever possible; Mr. Sathish Kumar, amidst his work schedules also likes to talk to those Formers and their Families. We must say that; May be one of the reasons why 90% of their Farmers and Suppliers, do stay with the Organization and conduct their Business for years together and hopefully remain within their purview as One Family for generations to come”.
Today, Milky Mist stands as a formidable player in the dairy industry, having successfully carved out its niche and challenged the dominance of giants like Amul. Its journey from a village venture to a market leader is a powerful narrative of innovation, strategic thinking, and community engagement. As Milky Mist continues to expand its product line and explore new markets, its story inspires other emerging brands in the dairy sector and beyond. The company's success underscores the fact that with the right approach, even the most traditional markets are ripe for disruption. In the world of dairy, it's clear that Milky Mist has not just moved in on Amul's turf—it has set new standards, proving that the future is indeed milky bright.
• INCREDIBLE TAMILNADU GOLDEN AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE 2025
• MIGHTY INDIAN BOOK OF ACHIEVERS RECORDS & AWARDS 2023
• THE LEGENDS OF FOOD & HEALTH INDUSTRY GOLDEN AWARDS 2023
• Vocational Excellence Award 2013 – Rotary Club of Coimbatore
• Marangalin Kavaalan 2013 – Sakthi Devi Foundation
• Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year 2014 –Entrepreneur Organization
• Amazing Entrepreneur Awards 2015 – VIT
• Marangalin Kavaalan 2015 – Sakthi Devi Foundation
• The Amazing Entrepreneur 2015 – Weekend
Leader Nambikai Natchathiram 2017 – Puthiya Thamizhan Awards
• Rising Star Awards 2019 – Nanayam Vikatan Business Star Awards
• Marangalin Kavaalan 2019 – Sakthi Devi Foundation
• Benefactor – Rotary Club of Coimbatore 2021
• Marangalin Kavaalan 2021 – Sakthi Devi Foundation
• Venmai Vendhan 2021 – Hi Lite Solar
• Medal of Honor 2021 – Catering Owners Association
• Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 – Business Connect
• The Brand of Kongu Region 2022 – Coimbatore Management of Association
It is very obvious that when a Hotel institution is headed by the Charismatic and Enthusiastic Leader; the most welcoming attitude of graceful Hospitality could be felt right from the entrance to the exit. And that amazing Culture, Character and Environment is the foundation of Rejoiceful Hospitality. In the case of Mr. Sathyanarayanan, General Manager of Hotel Radisson Blu, Egmore, Chennai City Centre, it is very much evident in each step you take in the Hotel property that he heads. To achieve this wonderful and delightful Hospitality experience, he says, it is all about understanding different cultures, Bringing in Equity and Equality among Various Departmental Heads, Staff and Team as well as using the perfect Leadership, Management and Interpersonal Skill.
Recently Mr. Sathyanarayanan has been honoured with one of the most prestigious Awards Namely the ‘Top 100 Most Dynamic Hospitality Professionals of India Award’. A well-known Hotels & Hospitality Management Professional, who commands respect among the Industry Professionals, who is blessed with comprehensive experience and goodwill in the Hospitality industry. He truly believes in empowering his entire management team and staff to deliver, the most delightful and responsible hospitality experience to their guest and travellers. He is an ardent personality, who leads by example. Sathyanarayanan always carries a gentle smile and makes sure to ignite his positive energy to all those around him.
He has created an environment for open dialogue and he is a true example of a dynamic leader, who empowers the members and makes them participative leaders in-turn. Which is why he has been loved and respected by his entire team of professionals and staff. Being a visionary, dynamic and a charismatic personality, he could create a special name for himself and his leadership in the Hotel and Hospitality industry. Mr. Sathya Narayanan's professional journey in the hospitality industry spans over three decades, during which he has demonstrated exceptional leadership and expertise across various departments. Currently serving as the General Manager at Radisson Blu Hotel, he plays a pivotal role in maintaining the hotel's standards aligned with those of the Radisson Hotel Group. Under his stewardship, the hotel has consistently achieved an impressive overall quality performance score of over 90%, coupled with high guest satisfaction scores, leading to a substantial retention of repeat business and guests.
Prior to his current role, Mr. Sathya Narayanan spent 11 years at Hulhule Island Hotel in the Maldives, where he served as the Rooms Division Manager. His tenure was marked by notable achievements, including the hotel being recognized as a "Luxury Airport Hotel" at the World Luxury Hotel Awards and winning the prestigious "Maldives Leading Hotel" award. Before his time at Hulhule Island Hotel, he held the position of Front Office Manager at The Residency Hotel, where his contributions were instrumental in the hotel winning the "Best Economy Hotel" award multiple times.
Mr. Sathya Narayanan's educational background includes a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Madurai Kamaraj University. Outside of his professional commitments, he leads a fulfilling personal life, being married and a father of two children. He actively participates in various training programs and workshops to continuously enhance his skills and knowledge in hotel management. In addition to his dedication to his career, Mr. Sathya Narayanan enjoys pursuing hobbies such as listening to music, reading books, and playing cricket. His multifaceted interests reflect a well-rounded personality and a commitment to maintaining a balanced lifestyle.
Convenient Location: Located in the heart of the city in the Egmore district, the Radisson Blu Hotel Chennai City Centre provides an elegant choice in the centre of the city. Many businesses, banks, and government offices, many consulates especially US and UK, famous hospitals like Apollo and Sankara Nethralaya are within a few kilometres of the hotel, and it’s a short drive to technical hubs like TIDEL Park. Approximately 18 kilometres away from Chennai International Airport (MAA) offer easy commutes to and from the area.
Meeting and Conference Facilities: Host up to 900 guests in our flexible Egmore, Chennai event venues. Conveniently located in the heart of Egmore, the Radisson Blu Hotel Chennai City Centre offers an elegant venue for all types of events, from lavish weddings to corporate seminars. Spanning more than 11,000 square feet, our versatile meeting and banquet space can host up to 900 guests. We offer up-todate audiovisual equipment and free Wi-Fi to ensure your presentations are polished and professional. Our skilled chefs can provide customized catering for events with 10 to 500
attendees, and our friendly team of professionals ensures your guests have a pleasant experience. Need to entertain clients? Our restaurants provide the ideal setting, and you can reserve a private room in the Winchester Bar for a more intimate gathering.
High-Speed Internet and Connectivity: Reliable and highspeed internet access, as well as other tech amenities, to accommodate the needs of business professionals.
Executive Rooms and Suites: Whether you’re doing business in Chennai or visiting to see the sights, the Radisson Blu Hotel Chennai City Centre offers spacious accommodations with city views to make your stay more pleasant. Enjoy convenient amenities like in-room safes along with tasteful decor in a soothing warm palette, complimentary toiletries, and free bottled water. You can catch up with work in your room using free Wi-Fi, and then you can relax on plush bedding while you watch the 37-inch LCD TV.
Dining Options: Offering two on-site restaurants, the Radisson Blu in Chennai caters to every taste with a wide variety of dishes. Oasis serves an international buffet for every meal in addition to à la carte options. The restaurant also has a 24-hour café, where you can order freshly brewed coffee. For local specialties, visit The Great Kabab Factory. After a busy day of meetings, you can join your associates
or socialize with friends at our on-site bar. A refined venue with a casual ambience, Winchester Bar and Brasa Bar offers an array of beers, wines, and mixed drinks. You can also visit the bar’s cigar lounge for a relaxing smoke or find your groove on the dance floor at the bar’s discotheque.
Fitness and Wellness Facilities: Our fitness centres and Chakra Spa facilities to help guests unwind and stay healthy during their business travels.
Business Services: Concierge services, secretarial assistance, and other business-related services to support guests with their professional requirements. Secure and Comfortable Accommodations: Security features, comfortable bedding, and rooms to ensure a good night’s sleep for guests who may have demanding schedules.
Loyalty Program like Radisson Rewards: Rewards or loyalty programs for frequent business travellers, offering perks, discounts, or room upgrades. Transportation Services: Shuttle services, car rentals, or partnerships with transportation services for easy commuting within the city.
A Perfect Place for All your Get-togethers: Host up to 900 guests in our flexible Egmore, Chennai event venues. Conveniently located in the heart of Egmore, the Radisson Blu Hotel Chennai City Centre offers an elegant venue for all types of events, from lavish weddings to corporate seminars. Spanning more than 11,000 square feet, our versatile meeting and banquet space can host up to 900 guests. We offer up-to-date audiovisual equipment and free Wi-Fi to ensure your presentations are polished and professional. Our skilled chefs can provide customized catering for events with 10 to 500 attendees, and our friendly team of professionals ensures your guests have a pleasant experience. Our restaurants provide the ideal setting, and you can reserve a private room in the Winchester Bar for a more intimate gathering.
Take in city views from our well-equipped accommodations in Chennai. Retreat from the urban bustle in our restful accommodations with modern amenities like free Wi-Fi and flat-screen TVs with mirror casting. You can stay focused at the well-appointed workstation, and you can enjoy a coffee or tea thanks to the in-room facilities.
Want to Enjoy the local and global Flavors at our stylish restaurants in Chennai. Here are our amazing Options that would satisfy all sections of the society for sure.
Oasis (All Day Dining Restaurant-Multi Cuisine): With convenient hours for each meal of the day, Oasis offers flavourful international cuisine. Looking for something specific? You can order from the restaurant’s a-la carte menu. The restaurant includes a 24-hour coffeehouse, letting you get your java fix morning, noon or night with a made-toorder beverage.
The Great Kabab Factory (Signature Indian Restaurant): TGKF features an array of succulent kababs, both vegetarian and non-vegetarian, along with a rich selection of breads. The recipes combine ancient with the contemporary, showcasing delectable kababs from all over the Indian subcontinent. The restaurant offers a memorable style of service and décor that creates an authentic and eclectic ambiance. TGKF is open for lunch and dinner every day. Service is table d’hôte and is unlimited. Complementing the food is a wide range of choice beverages, ensuring that you’ll take home a wholesome gourmet experience.
Winchester Bar: Winchester Bar is a luxurious colonialbar that is the best of both the worlds as it takes that extra mile to give you a soothing experience and amazing offerings. Located in Egmore, Winchester Bar takes the party animal in you to a next level. The larger than life ambiance paired up with a magnificent bar that serves an array of wines, fine spirits, and cocktails instantly lightens up your mood. The lip-smacking Finger Food is well-served to go with the spirits that you cannot afford to miss. To add to your experience, the place has a considerate staff that pushes the envelope every time it feels the need to.
Brasa (Restro Bar): Nestled inside the Radisson Blu, Chennai City Centre, Brasa showcases the true flavors of Mediterranean Cuisine. The name Brasa comes from the Spanish word, la brasa, which translates to, the grill. Just like the name suggests, be it a view to the coal-fired grill or the way the casual-rustic ambience is set up, everything at Brasa revolves around fire and ember. With Brasa we wanted to be more than just a nightclub, we wanted this to be an opportunity to introduce uniquely crafted affordable food and drinks to all food enthusiast in the City Centre area and make it an experience that goes beyond the ordinary.
Radisson Blu Hotel Chennai City Centre, is owned by Aggarwal Group of Companies and the group has 2 hotels including the Radisson Blu Hotel and Park Plaza Hotel OMR, in Chennai. The promoters are also having a construction company named ASTA Properties and developed approximately 20,00,000 sqft of luxury apartments in the heart of Chennai.
And the General Manager Sathyanarayanan is Having more than 30years of experience in the hospitality industry, I am glad to be part of RHG and heading this unit in Chennai. I must l agree the support I get from owning company where I can fulfil our vision – To be the company of choice for guests, owner and talent. We have achieved 100% GRI post the pandemic. Having worked in Maldives for little more than a decade with Hulhule Island Hotel (SATS owned company) and achieved many accolades such as Luxury Airport Hotel & Maldives Leading Hotel award to name a few.
In an exclusive Interview with Mr. Sathyanarayanan, on ‘The Most Amazing Hotels & Holiday Resorts of South India’; He shares the following:
About South India: South India is a region that encompasses the southern part of the Indian subcontinent. It comprises the states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, along with the union territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. Rich in cultural diversity, history, and natural beauty, South India is known for its vibrant traditions, ancient temples, lush landscapes, and distinctive cuisine.
Travel and Tourism: Scenic Landscapes: South India is blessed with diverse landscapes, including beaches, hills, backwaters, and forests. Popular destinations include Kerala's backwaters, the Nilgiri Hills, and the beaches of Goa. Temples and Architecture: The region is home to some of India's most famous temples, such as the Meenakshi Temple in Madurai and the Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur, Tirumala in Andhra Pradesh, showcasing exquisite architecture and intricate carvings. Culture and Heritage: Classical Arts: South India has a rich tradition of classical arts, including Bharatanatyam (dance) and Carnatic music. Festivals like Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Onam in Kerala celebrate the region's cultural heritage. Language Diversity: The states in South India predominantly speak Dravidian languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam, each with its own script and literary heritage.
Hospitality, Hotels, and Restaurants: Warm Hospitality: South India is known for its warm and hospitable people, offering visitors a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Diverse Cuisine: The region boasts a variety of culinary delights, with dishes like dosa, idly, sambhar, and biryani being popular across the country. Each state has its own unique Flavors and specialties.
Business, Trade, and Investments: IT Hub: Cities like Bangalore (Bengaluru) in Karnataka, Hyderabad in
Telengana, are major IT hubs, contributing significantly to India's technology sector and support from OMR, Chennai as well. Chennai is known for his automobile industry. Economic Growth: South India has witnessed significant economic growth, attracting investments across various industries, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and manufacturing.
Healthcare: Medical Tourism: South India is a hub for medical tourism, with worldclass healthcare facilities and renowned hospitals. Cities like Chennai and Bangalore are known for their advanced medical services.
Education: Educational Institutions: The region is home to prestigious educational institutions, including the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs), and renowned universities. In conclusion, South India is a region of immense cultural, historical, and economic significance, offering a diverse range of experiences for travellers and investors alike. Its unique blend of tradition and modernity makes it a captivating destination for those seeking a rich and multifaceted experience.
Welcome
Message: Welcome to the Radisson Blu Hotel Chennai City Centre – Where Hospitality Meets Excellence! Whether you are planning an exciting vacation or business trip, select a destination below or explore the map to discover hundreds of countries and cities across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific with Radisson Hotels.
TO SUM IT ALL:
SATHYANARAYANAN is very Firm ‘By stressing the importance of understanding the entire Team well and lending a helping hand to fellow workers.“It is our duty to take care of next generation of hoteliers. To guide and mentor them just like somebody did for us. As a Dynamic Leader in the Industry of Hotels & Hospitality, He takes immense pleasure and pride in Teaching, Training, Developing, Shouldering, Listening and Mentoring the Entire Team more with respect to the next generation of Hotels & Hospitality Management Professionals in order to Achieve Excellence in the Industry or Hotels and Hospitality.”
1. LUXURY BUSINESS HOTEL OF THE YEAR 2024
2. TAMIL NADU’S BEST GENERAL MANAGERS AWARD IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY.
The Tamil Nadu Leadership Awards was held on 5th December 2024 at Taj Club House, Chennai. At a glittering & glamorous ceremony were well known and celebrated hospitality personalities were present at the occasion.The award is endorsed by CMO Asia, World Federation of Hospitality Professionals & Stars of the Industry group. We delighted to announce that The Ambica Empire Hotel has been honoured the prestigious “Luxury Business Hotel of The Year 2024” and was presented by Dr. Sanjeev Seth-Managing Director of IL&FS Tamil Nadu Power Company
Limited & Mr. Raji Thomas-Chief Corporate Relations & Outreach Officer at Indira Group of Institutes, Pune. This recognition exemplifies unwavering commitment to excellence... In recognition of its General Manager’s exceptional contributions and dedication to excellence along with the outstanding performance in Ambica Empire and unwavering commitment to success of the 4 star & 5 star properties where he worked with proven track record of consistently exceeding expectations and achieving remarkable results. Mr. R.Kalathinathan, G.M. of Hotel Ambica Empire received the prestigious Tamil Nadu’s Best General Managers
Award in the Hospitality Industry for the year 2024. The Ambica Empire Hotel: Mr. R.Kalathinathan - General Manager Hotel Ambica Empire, Chennai &Ambica Group of Hotels has many achievements under his belt like “Hospitality Leadership Award” by Golden Star Awards. Award for Best performance in the Industry, Award for Bests service in the Industry etc. He is also a prominent figure being interviewed by major Televisions, Newspapers, Magazines, social Media platforms, etc.,.
Our Motto is “Home Away Home” with satisfied guests who consistently prefer to stay with us forever. Hence we can proudly say that “Guests who stay with us, always stays with us”. For Reservations, Call : 04423621818
A Month-Long Celebration of Craft Margaritas with a Refreshing Twist!
Get ready to sip, swirl, and savor at Willows, the Westin Chennai Velachery invites you to an extraordinary ‘Margarita Nirvana’—a celebration of the world’s most beloved cocktail! Indulge in an exquisite lineup of handcrafted margaritas, from timeless classics to bold, innovative blends. Whether you prefer the zing of fresh lime and tequila or a tropical twist with exotic fruits, our expert mixologists have curated a one-of-a-kind margarita menu to take your taste buds on a refreshing journey.
Event Highlights: Custom Margarita Creations, Premium Tequila & Fresh Ingredients, Perfect Pairings, Contemporary Charm & Soulful Sounds.
“Your
perfect
margarita moment is just a sip away—join us for a taste of Nirvana!”
Date: 1st- 28th February 2025
Time: 3pm- 11pm Price: Ala Carte Venue: Willows, The Westin Chennai Velachery For Reservations: +91 8939892079
Celebrate love this Valentine’s at Shine Spa, Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa, Mahabalipuram, with exclusive spa offers designed for relaxation and rejuvenation Nestled along the scenic East Coast Road (ECR) with a private beach, Sheraton Grand Chennai Resort & Spa offers the perfect retreat for relaxation and romance with offer running from 7th – 24th Feb 2025.
Valentine’s Spa Escape – A Romantic Indulgence Pamper yourself and your loved one with our chocolate body scrub, followed by an aromatic Ylang Ylang oil massage, designed to melt away stress an express facial, setting the perfect therapy for relaxation. Enhance the experience with fine wine and delicious chocolates, and enjoy an exclusive 20% discount on additional salon services.
Duration: 120 mins
Tariff: INR 8499/- per person*
Love’s More Save More – Pay for One, Get 50% Off for Your Partner
Make this Valentine’s even more special by sharing the joy of wellness. Book a spa treatment for yourself, and your partner enjoys 50% off their session. Select from a list of rejuvenating therapies and enjoy a perfect way to unwind and reconnect together.
For bookings and inquiries, call 9150040060 and enjoy the experience of love and luxury at Shine Spa.
This Valentine’s season, celebrate your love story at Sunset Grill, The Westin Chennai Velachery where the sky tells the story of your unforgettable rooftop dining experience. From February 7th to 14th, a week of love with a dreamy rooftop setting, indulging in a candlelit dinner, breathtaking views, and curated experiences designed to make your heart skip a beat.
Celebrate Love, Every Day: Step into a world of romance as each day brings a new reason to cherish your special someone:
• Rose Day (Feb 7) – Begin your love story with a beautiful bloom.
• Propose Day (Feb 8) – The perfect setting to pop the question.
• Chocolate Day (Feb 9) – Indulge in decadent sweet treats.
• Teddy Day (Feb 10) – A cuddly surprise for your loved one.
• Promise Day (Feb 11) – Make heartfelt commitments that last forever.
• Hug Day (Feb 12) – Embrace love with warmth and tenderness.
• Valentine’s Day (Feb 14) – The grand finale of romance, celebrated in style.
Unforgettable Experiences Await:
Rooftop Dining: Savor an exquisite menu with a skyline backdrop. Cabana Lounge & Poolside Gazebo: A cozy, intimate setting to enjoy with your beloved. Live Music & Entertainment: Serenade your love with soulful melodies. Curated Hampers & Surprise Gifts: Thoughtfully crafted tokens of affection. Sparkling Wine Experience: Raise a toast to romance.
Celebrate love. Celebrate togetherness. Celebrate under the stars.
Date: 7th- 14th February 2025
Time: Dinner
Price: 3500 Onwards
Cabana Setup – 14999 + Taxes
Venue: Sunset Grill, The Westin Velachery
For Reservations: +91 8939892048
This Valentine’s season, love isn’t just in the air—it’s on your plate and in your cup! Truffles at Feathers Hotel invites you for a month-long celebration of love and togetherness!” Throughout the month of February, bring your favorite person and indulge in irresistible pastries and handcrafted beverages at exclusive 1+1 offer. From decadent desserts to aromatic teas and artisanal coffees, every bite and sip is crafted to make your moments sweeter. Whether it’s a romantic date or a cozy catch-up, Truffles sets the perfect ambiance for love in all its forms.
“Love comes in pairs—so do our sweetest delights!”
Don’t miss out on this limited-time offer! Celebrate love, laughter, and the joy of sharing at Feathers Hotel.
Welcome the Chinese New Year in grand style at Seasonal Tastes, where tradition meets indulgence in a spectacular feast designed to bring luck, prosperity, and joy to your table! This Lunar Fest, immerse yourself in the rich flavors of China with a curated selection of authentic, time-honored delicacies that symbolize abundance and good fortune. Indulge in succulent Peking duck, Cantonesestyle roast pork, Jiangsu braised ribs, and Sichuan signature barbecue—each dish a celebration of culinary heritage.
Savor the bold flavors of Kung Pao, enjoy the crispy perfection of pot stickers, and treat yourself to Siu Mei and steamed bao, bringing warmth and tradition to the New Year festivities. Join us at Seasonal Tastes for an unforgettable dining experience that honors the spirit of the Lunar New Year with a feast fit for a prosperous beginning! Gather your loved ones, indulge in time-honored flavors, and welcome a year of luck, prosperity, and happiness in the most delicious way. Book your table today and make this
Event Details:
Date: 29th January- 6th February 2025
Time: Dinner
Price: INR 2500 + Taxes
Venue: Seasonal Tastes, The Westin Chennai Velachery For Reservations: +91 8939892056/72
Mark your calendars and prepare your palate! Cilantro, at Le Royal Méridien Chennai, is set to host the Great Pan Asian Food Fest from 24th January to 4thFebruary 2025. This extraordinary culinary extravaganza blends the vibrant flavors, techniques, and ingredients from the diverse regions of China, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea and Indonesia with a luxurious multicuisine buffet.
EXPERIENCE THE HIGHLIGHTS:
• Interactive Pan Asian Live Counters: Relish freshly prepared delicacies like Pad Thai, Dim Sum, Tempura, Sushi, Satay, Lamb Rendang and more, all crafted live by our master chefs.
• Fusion of Cultures: Savor authentic dishes including Ramen from Japan, Thai Red Curry, Korean Fried Chicken, and Malaysian Laksa alongside global favorites.
• Multicuisine Buffet: Pair your Pan Asian picks with an extensive selection of international dishes for a dining experience like no other.
• Artfully Curated Desserts: End your meal with indulgent Asian-inspired desserts such as Ban Ja Neuk, Thai Mango Sweet Sticky Rice, Chocolate Turon, Nian Gao, Coffee Cream Jelly, Fried Ice Cream.
• Whether you’re an aficionado of Asian cuisine or seeking to embark on a flavorful adventure, the Great Pan Asian Food Fest is your destination for culinary bliss.
Date: 24th January- 4th February 2025
Time: Dinner 7pm- 11pm
Price: INR 2195 + Taxes
Venue: Cilantro, Le Royal Meridien Chennai
For Reservations: +91 7358129776
Tamil cinema has produced several talented actors who have made a significant impact in Hollywood. These stars have broken barriers, showcasing their acting prowess on the global stage. With memorable roles and outstanding performances, they’ve earned recognition beyond Indian cinema. This article highlights the top Tamil actors who have surprised Hollywood with their talent and versatility
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is an Indian actress and Miss World Winner and mainly works in Bollywood and South film industry. She is one of the most famous celebrities in the world as well as high-paid actresses in Indian cinema. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has received numerous awards, including two Filmfare Awards and Padma Shri from the Indian government in 2009. Personal Life
Aishwarya was born to Krishnaraj Rai and Vrinda Rai. She also has an elder brother, whose name is Aditya Rai who chose his career as an engineer in Merchant Navy. Aditya Rai also co-produced one of Aishwarya’s movies, Dil Ka Rishta. She did her schooling from Arya Vidya Mandir High School in Santa Cruz, Mumbai. She joined Jai Hind College for one year and then she moved to Ruparel College
in Matunga to finish her HSC studies. Aishwarya married Abhishek Bachchan in the year 2007. They announced their engagement on 14 January 2007 and then they got married on 20th April 2007. The wedding was held in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence “Prateeksha” in Juhu, Mumbai. The couple welcomed their daughter Aaradhya in 2011. Career Life Before choosing acting as her
career, she was a model and became Miss World in 1994. She has acted in more than 40 movies in Hindi, English, Tamil and Bengali. Her first breakthrough role was in a Tamil movie named Jeans. She made her acting debut in Mani Ratnam’s Tamil biopic film Iruvar in the year 1997 opposite Mohonlal. The film was a huge success and won many awards including Best Film award at the Belgrade International Film Festival.
She made her Bollywood debut with Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya which also starred Bobby Deol. It wasn’t a success at the box office. The third movie with S. Shankar, Jeans was a commercial success which released in 1998. The film was an official Indian entry to the Oscars for that year. In 1999, she starred in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam with Salman Khan and Ajay Devgan. The film became the first box office success in Bollywood for her. She got her first Filmfare Best Actress Award for the role that she played in the film. Later, in the same year, she was again seen in the film Taal, directed by Subhash Ghai opposite Akshay Khanna.
It did average business in India but went on to become a huge success overseas. In the year 2000, she starred in the film Josh with Shahrukh Khan and Chandrachur Singh. It was a commercial success. Later, in that year, she starred in the film Hamara Dil Aapke Paas hai opposite Anil Kapoor. It went on to do average business at the box office. Later, again she starred in Mohabbatein in a supporting role with Sharukh khan and Amitabh Bachchan. It was a huge success and became the second highest grosser of the year. In 2002, she starred in the film Devdas again with Shahrukh Khan. The movie was based on a novel, Devdas written by Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay. It was a great success on the box office and received a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival.
It became the highest grossing film of the year in both India and overseas. In the year 2006, she starred in another film, The Mistress of Spices which was based on the novel The Mistress of Spices written by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It was also a flop and got some negative review. The same year she made a special appearance in Bunty aur Babli for a song “Kajra Re” with Amitabh Bachchan and Abhishek Bachchan. Later, that year she starred in the movie Dhoom 2 opposite Hrithik Roshan. This was a blockbuster and became the highest grossing film of the year in India. After then she appeared in Guru which was based on Dhirubhai Ambani’s real life. It went well at the box office. Later, in the same year, she starred in a film named Provoked which was a flop, though Aishwarya recived positive reviews from critics.
In 2008, she starred in the film Jodhaa Akbar which was based on Mughal Emperor Akbar. It was a success at the box office. Later that year she co-starred with her husband Abhishek Bachchan and father-in-law Amitabh Bachchan in Ram Gopal Verma’s Sarkar Raj which was the sequel of Sarkar. Later, she played a lead role in Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan. Starring Abhishek Bachchan came on screen which was a flop, while in Tamil it was a huge hit. Later, she again played a lead role in 2010 with Rajinikant in the film Enthiran. The film was one of the biggest blockbusters in Indian cinema ever. After the birth of her daughter, Aaradhya, Aishwarya took a five year break from acting. Later she returned to the industry with Jazbaa. Her another notable performances includes Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Ponniyin Selvan.
Priyanka Chopra is an actress, singer, and author married to Nick Jonas. She has appeared in Hollywood films like Baywatch (2017), Isn’t It Romantic (2019), and The Matrix Resurrections (2021). Though not in the Pink Panther movies, she has built a successful career in both Bollywood and Hollywood.
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress and a former Miss World. She made her Hindi film debut in The Hero in 2003. Chopra has received numerous awards for her remarkable contribution to the film industry. She was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award, by the Government of India in 2016. Personal Life Priyanka was born to Ashok Chopra and Madhu Akhauri, who are physicians. She has a younger brother. She spent her childhood in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. She went to La Martiniere Girls’ School in Lucknow. Then she relocated to the U.S. where she went to Newton South High School in Newton, Massachusetts and then to John F. Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
After this she returned to India and finished her high school at Army School in Bareilly. Next, she joined Jain Hind College in Mumbai, but left after winning the Miss World pageant. She was the first runner-up at Femina Miss India which was held in the year 2000. After this, she went on to win the Miss World crown. She was the fifth Indian woman to win the title and the fourth Indian woman to win in a span of seven years. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas tied the knot in her home country of India on Dec. 1, 2018.After five years of martial life, the couple welcomed their first, daughter named Malti Marie Chopra Jonas, via surrogate on Jan. 15, 2022.
Priyanka made her debut in 2002 with the Tamil film Thamizhan. Then in 2003 she debuted in Bollywood with the film, The Hero: Love Story of a Spy. It was the highest-grossing film of the year. Then she appeared in the film Andaaz which was a success at the box office. For this film, she won the Filmfare Best Female Debut Award and a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. Then in 2004 she starred in films like Plan, Kismat and Asambhav which did not do very well at the box office. Later that year she acted in a movie called Mujhse Shaadi Karogi which was the third highestgrossing film of that year. Then she starred in Aitraaz where she played a negative role. It was a hit movie and she received the Filmfare Best Villain Award for playing the role. She also received a second nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award. In the year 2005, she had six flops, including Blackmail, Karam, Yakeen and Barsaat. After this she acted in two films, Waqt: The Race Against Time and Bluffmaster which went well at the box office. Then in 2006, she starred in two successful films,
Krrish and Don - The Chase Begins Again. In the year 2007 she acted in two more films, Salaam-e-Ishq: A Tribute To Love and Big Brother which flopped at the box office. Then in the year 2008, she starred in Love Story 2050, God Tussi Great Ho, Chamkua and Drona which again flopped at the box office. Then she starred in Fashion, which was a success. She received several awards for this film, including the National Film Award for Best Actress and also the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Later, she worked with Ranbir Kapoor in the film ‘Barfi’, directed by Anurag Basu. The film was well-received at the box office and later she appeared in (2012), Mary Kom (2014), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), and Bajirao Mastani (2015). In the year 2015, PeeCee marked her Hollywood debut with the American TV show Quantico. She was the first South Asian woman to headline an American network series. Apart from being an actor, Chopra is noted for her philanthropic work, and was appointed as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights in 2010. As a singer, she has released three singles.
Sai Pallavi has captured the hearts of Kollywood audiences with her natural acting and compelling performances. From her humble beginnings to becoming one of Tamil cinema’s most beloved stars, her roles have always showcased her versatility and charm. Whether it’s a simple village girl or a modern heroine, she brings depth and relatability to every character. In this listing, we explore some of her best and most unforgettable roles in Kollywood. These performances have not only elevated her career but have left an indelible mark on Tamil cinema.
Sai Pallavi Senthamarai Kannan; was born on the 9th May 1992), is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films. She has received numerous accolades, including six Filmfare Awards South and two South Indian International Movie Awards. She was featured by Forbes magazine as one of India’s 30 Under 30 in 2020. After appearing in uncredited roles as a junior artist, Sai Pallavi had her first lead role in the top-grossing Malayalam film Premam (2015). Her portrayal of a teacher in it earned her a Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut – South. In 2017, she ventured into Telugu cinema with Fidaa, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. Pallavi has since established herself as a leading actress of South Indian cinema, starring in the films Kali (2016), Middle Class Abbayi (2017), Maari 2 (2018), Paava Kadhaigal (2020), Love Story (2021), Shyam Singha Roy (2021), Gargi (2022), Amaran (2024) and Thandel (2025). Her performances in Gargi and Love Story earned the Filmfare Award for Best Actress in Tamil and Telugu, respectively, while her work in Shyam Singha Roy and Virata Parvam (2022) gained her the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actress –Telugu.
Sai Pallavi was born on 9 May 1992 in a Badaga family in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Her hometown is Kotagiri in the Nilgiris district, Tamil Nadu. Born to Senthamarai Kannan and Radha, she has a younger sister, Pooja Kannan, who has also worked as an actress. Pallavi was raised and educated in Coimbatore, doing her schooling at Avila Convent School. Despite completing her medical studies in 2016 from the Tbilisi State Medical University, which is recognised by the Medical Council of India, she has not yet registered as a medical practitioner in India. She took her Foreign Medical Graduate Examination
(FMGE) on 31 August 2020 in Trichy. Besides Badaga, Pallavi is fluent in Tamil, English, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Georgian. Pallavi said in an interview that though she was not a trained dancer, she always wanted to do something that involved dancing. She participated in several cultural events at school, gaining popularity as a dancer. Due to her passion for dance, which was supported by her mother, she participated in the dance reality show Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhu Deva on Vijay TV in 2008, and was a finalist in Dhee Ultimate Dance Show (D4) on ETV in 2009. Pallavi appeared in uncredited roles as a junior artist in Kasthuri Maan (2005) and Dhaam Dhoom (2008) and appeared in few advertisements.
In 2014, while she was studying in Tbilisi, Georgia, film-director Alphonse Puthren had approached her with Premam. Six years before, after watching her in a reality show showcased in Facebook, Alphonse initially offered her a role which she refused. When called for Premam again, he was misunderstood by her as a stalker but he quickly confirmed his identity. Then, She accepted the role of Malar in his film Premam. She shot the film over the holidays and, after the shooting finished, returned to her studies. She went on to win several “Best Female Debut” awards that year, including the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.
Studio Green signed up Pa. Ranjith to direct a film titled Madras with Karthi in the lead role. While filming for Alphonse Puthren’s “Premam,” director Pa. Ranjith offered her the lead role in the film. This marked her first opportunity as a leading actress in Tamil cinema. However, prioritizing her medical studies in Georgia, she reluctantly declined the offer. The role eventually went to Catherine Tresa, and “Premam” turned out to be Pallavi’s breakout film.
Then she took a month break from her studies to act in her second Malayalam film, Kali, which released in March 2016 and directed by Sameer Thahir. The film was a critical and commercial success, and was later remade in Kannada and Marathi. She portrayed Anjali, a young wife who must deal with her husband’s extreme anger issues, earning a nomination for Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam. Career progression and fluctuations (2017–2019)
The year 2017 marked her debut in Telugu with Sekhar Kammula’s Fidaa, in the role of Bhanumathi, a feisty village girl from Telangana. Her performance in the film is regarded as one of the “100 Greatest Performances of the Decade” by Film Companion. She went onto win her first Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Telugu. Then she starred in the 2017 Telugu action-comedy film Middle Class Abbayi alongside Nani, the film was a critical and commercial success.
Her next project with director A. L. Vijay announced that he would be working on a film with her for Lyca Productions and that he would direct a script he had written “three and a half years ago”. He had chosen to cast Sai Pallavi. For Pallavi, it became her first Tamil language film following a series of projects which she dropped out of, she was replaced in or was shelved. She had previously been cast and then replaced in Mani Ratnam’s Kaatru Veliyidai (2017). She was initially considered for the lead role opposite Karthi, and even auditioned successfully. However, due to creative reasons reportedly the director wanting a slightly older actress for the part, she was not cast in the final film and eventually went to Aditi Rao Hydari.
Then she opted out from Vijay Chander’s Sketch (2017) before filming began. Finally, it was Diya, which is a Tamil–Telugu bilingual film and had an average run at the box office. In May 2018, it was reported that Vijay Deverakonda would collaborate with her and chosen for the film’s female lead. However, she rejected the script due to the lip-lock scenes between the lead actors. So, she opted out and replaced by Rashmika Mandanna. Later, she starred in the Tamil movie Maari 2, a sequel to Maari (2015), opposite Dhanush, directed by Balaji Mohan. A song from the movie, “Rowdy Baby”, features the lead pair, Dhanush and Sai Pallavi dancing to the tune in a set at the AVM studios in Chennai. Prabhu Deva was assigned to choreograph the song along with Jani Master. Sai Pallavi, who had participated in a dance reality TV show called Ungalil Yaar Adutha Prabhudeva / Who of you is going to be the next Prabhudeva?)10 years before and was eliminated in the semi-finals, failing to meet him, later recalled that through this song, she was eventually able to meet and work with Prabhu Deva, sharing a picture taken on the sets, which coincidentally was the same sets where the show had been shot before. The video was uploaded on 12 January 2019 on YouTube, and had achieved lot of
views due to its choreography and picturisation and set a record by becoming the first south Indian (and Tamil) song to clock over 1.5 billion views on YouTube.
Pallavi started shooting in February 2018 for the film Padi Padi Leche Manasu with Sharwanand, which was a huge commercial failure. In December, several news outlets reported that she refused to accept her full remuneration, expressing solidarity with the producers for the failure of the film. In late 2018, she was approached for an important role in Asuran directed by Vetrimaaran opposite Dhanush, but she denied and later went to Ammu Abhirami. In 2019, she played Nithya Lakshmi, a non-verbal autistic character, in the 2019 psychological Malayalam thriller Athiran opposite Fahadh Faasil. Despite limited dialogue, she delivered a nuanced performance using her expressions and body language to portray Nithya’s struggles and emotions. Her next film in Tamil with actor Suriya, directed by Selvaraghavan titled NGK, released on 31 May 2019. She portrayed Geetha Kumari, a multifaceted character, not simply defined by anger also likely experiences a range of emotions throughout the film in response to her husband’s political career. Although the film received mixed reviews from critics, it ended up being a commercial success.
In 2020, she was recognised by Forbes magazine as one of India’s 30 under 30. She was the only person from film industry in that list. She also acted in a Netflix anthology film series Paava Kadhaigal segment Oor Iravu directed by Vetrimaaran. She portrayed Sumathi, a character caught in a complex situation. The narrative explores the clash between love, societal pressures, and notions of honour, with Sumathi’s character at the center of this conflict, earning a nomination for SIIMA Award for Best Actress – Tamil. In 2021, she starred in the romantic drama Love Story directed by Sekhar Kammula alongside Naga Chaitanya for the first time and in her second collaboration with Sekhar Kammula after Fidaa (2017] A song from the film Love Story “Saranga Dariya” is popular among the Telangana folk songs. The theatrical version of the song became popular due to which it is spotted in top positions in the national music charts. Singer Mangli got wider appreciation for her vocals.
The lyrical song received praise for Sai Pallavi’s dance, choreography and the vocals by Mangli adding a “perfect Telangana nativity to the folk number”. Her next Periodic-based film Shyam Singa Roy opposite Nani in their second collaboration after MCA where she portrayed Maithreyi, a captivating devadasi in 1970s Kolkata. A song from the movie “Pranavalaya” received praise and showcases her dance skills. Her performances in both Love Story and Shyam Singha Roy earned her the Critics Award and the Best Actress award at the Filmfare Awards South.
In 2022 she appeared in Telugu film Virata Parvam opposite Rana Daggubati. Set against the backdrop of the Naxalite movement in 1990s Telangana where she portrayed Vennela. Director Gautham Ramachandran announced his new female-oriented film, who earlier directed Richie (2017). Pallavi was chosen to play a lead after Jyothika denied. The film was announced on 9 May 2022 with the makers releasing a special glimpse of the film. For her Tamil film Gargi, she dubbed her own lines in both Telugu and Kannada. Her performance received widespread acclaim and portrayed the character with depth and conviction, earning praise for her emotive acting and natural screen presence.
Her only film in the year 2024 which was in Tamil titled Amaran along with Sivakarthikeyan produced by Kamal Hassan under Raaj Kamal Films International directed by Rajkumar Periyasamy. she played Indhu Rebecca Varghese, wife of Major Mukund Varadarajan. Her portrayal in the film has been widely praised for its authenticity and ability to convey a range of complex emotions. But some critics have pointed out that Pallavi’s Malayalam accent in the film was not entirely authentic, and that her character, while emotionally impactful, felt somewhat underutilized in the film. The film became a sleeper hit at the box office, emerged as the second highest-grossing Tamil film of 2024, garnering widespread critical acclaim for its engaging screenplay, based on the real-life incidents revolving around veteran Indian army officer. In her first release of 2025, Pallavi played the female lead opposite Naga Chaitanya titled Thandel, making it their second film collaboration after
Love Story. The film emerged a commercial success. Her portrayal of Satya solidified her reputation as a powerful and engaging performer. She will next expand to Hindi films with Ek Din, opposite Junaid Khan. Pallavi will also portray Sita, opposite Ranbir Kapoor as Rama, in Nitesh Tiwari’s two-part adaptation of the Ramayana.
Film journalist Subha J Rao noted that she brings “freshness” on screen and added, “Sai Pallavi comes across as someone unafraid to flaunt her unconventional looks, offbeat film choices and lack of pretence.” Rediff.com placed her second in its “Top 5 Malayalam Actresses” list of 2016, with Vijay George stating that she “stole everyone’s hearts” in Premam.
In 2020, Pallavi became the only actress to feature in Forbes India’s 30 under 30 list. She stood at the 20th place in its most influential stars on Instagram in South cinema for the year 2021 list. Pallavi has once rejected a whopping ₹2 crore endorsement deal for a fairness cream brand. She cited her disapproval of the message fairness creams promote and her own preference for natural beauty as reasons for declining the offer. In June 2022 in an interview with GreatAndhra, she commented that the film The Kashmir Files portrayed the killings of Kashmiri Pandits, during the 1990 exodus, and further asked if that is a religious conflict then what should be the difference between itself and cow vigilantism, referring to a recent incident where a Muslim was driving cows was beaten up and later forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. The interview soon went viral and attracted criticism online. She later issued a clarification statement on her Instagram handle that her statements in the inter view were misunderstood, and that she would neither trivialize a tragedy nor be comfortable with mob lynchings. In another instance, an excerpt of an interview resurfaced where Pallavi expressed her opposition to violence, stating, “People in Pakistan think our army is a terrorist group. But for us, it is them. So, the perspective changes. I don’t understand violence.” This statement also drew significant criticism, with many calling for a boycott of her work.
Sai Pallavi played a pivotal role in this film, where she brought her signature charm and depth to the character. Her portrayal of a strong and loving woman resonated with audiences, further solidifying her versatility.
In this political drama, Sai Pallavi’s role was nuanced as she portrayed the supportive yet independent wife of a man navigating the cutthroat world of politics. Her performance was both subtle and powerful.
In this political drama, Sai Pallavi’s role was nuanced as she portrayed the supportive yet independent wife of a man navigating the cutthroat world of politics. Her performance was both subtle and powerful.
Playing the strong-willed and grounded character of Anandhi, Sai Pallavi brought a refreshing presence to this mass entertainer. Her portrayal was a perfect mix of strength and tenderness, complementing Dhanush’s character beautifully.
Sai Pallavi made her mark in Tamil cinema with her debut as Malar, the lovable and carefree character. This role became one of her most iconic, earning her a dedicated fan base.
List of Awards and Nominations Received by Sai Pallavi Pallavi has won six Filmfare Awards South from seven nominations — Best Female Debut – South for Premam, Best Actress – Telugu for Fidaa and Love Story, and Critics Best Actress – Telugu for Shyam Singha Roy and Virata Parvam, and Best Actress – Tamil for Gargi.
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Health & Healthcare Needs are common for all. Similarly, Time is also same for all. But Time has different values for different people depending upon their Lifestyles, Habits, Preferences and what they do with their Time. And hence, this highly Sophisticated & Personalized Health Membership Division has been created with the view to provide ‘Luxury Healthcare & Wellness Affluent Society of India as well as from all around the World. As a Gold or Platinum Member of this Elite-Health Membership Program for VIPs, one would receive the following Benefits: Comprehensive Healthcare and Wellness Services those are provided by highly qualified and experienced Doctors & Medical Professionals around the Clock. Priority Appointments, Services & Allocation of Facilities. Escorted Services during the Member’s Visit to the Hospital (Right from the arrival of the Member at the ‘VIP Parking Zone’ till the Departure of the Member’s Vehicle). Highly Qualified & Experienced Doctors are specially assigned and are made available to Provide, Monitor & Control Structured and Coordinated Health & Wellness Program to the Members.
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Optimal health is key to a fulfilling life. Yet caring for your own health can be challenging and time- consuming. Dr. KMD’s Royalcare International Hospital Group’s healthcare professionals understand this very well. The entire team realize that you need an Exclusive, Personal and a Premium Health Services’ that provide you Optimum Health Benefits despite spending a very minimal waiting period at the Hospital. And keeping the above in mind ‘RCI Hospitals Group’s ‘Golden Club ClassElite Membership Health Program’ brings you the most comprehensive, streamlined physical examination available, which has been modified and tailored to suit your specific needs. And the Elite Membership Health Program provides an integrated, head-to-toe evaluation that includes appointments with experts in nutrition, exercise physiology and stress management, plus vision, hearing, heart health and lung function assessments, and more. You will have an extended appointment with a personally matched member of our team of physicians, who would provide you, with state-ofthe-art, prevention-focused healthcare in as thorough, compassionate and efficient manner as possible.
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“Golden Club Class Elite Membership Health’s premier experience focuses on preventive health and wellness. Using the best integrated multi-disciplinary evaluation and health therapeutics, we meet your health goals together.” We offer a comprehensive, holistic Preventive Health Evaluation using a thorough set of evidence- based assessments to develop a complete understanding of your health status. Each Golden Club Class Elite health physical starts with an in-depth meeting with your exclusive health physician to understand your overall health and identify any concerns. Our testing protocol is customized for your stage in life and any risk factors that have been identified. By scheduling a range of assessments during your visit, we develop an extensive and wide-ranging understanding of your health profile and provide you the convenience of completing these tests in one place at one time. Elite Membership Health Program visits conclude with a detailed meeting with your physician to review your results and develop a plan to improve your health, address any issues that were identified and target any risk factors that may impact your health.
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Expect efficient, and a very personalized One-on-One Healthcare that accommodates you and your Health Needs through a very carefully and thoughtfully crafted Health Program:
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• Dedicated insurance coordinators to file claims on your behalf and work with Insurance carriers to resolve claims.
Started by Dr. K. Madeswaran in 2015 as a 50 bedded multi-specialty hospital, Royalcare Super Specialty Hospital within the first of year of operations, became the preferred hospital to many in western Tamil Nadu for emergency, primary and specialty care in virtually all branches of modern medicine. The hospital aspires to continue being the destination for people seeking superior and friendly healthcare. Functioning with those objectives of making cutting edge healthcare to common man, they provide the best medical service with highly qualified doctors
and highly equipped technologies. RoyalCare Super Specialty Hospital started functioning as a 50 bedded multi-specialty hospital from the 1st of May 2015 in the heart of Coimbatore city. Within the first of year of operations, the services of our hospital were recognized by our patients and very soon came to be the preferred hospital to many in western Tamil Nadu for emergency, primary, and specialty care in virtually all the branches of modern medicine. This necessitated an imminent expansion and created the need for a larger and more comprehensive tertiary care unit encompassing all the field of medicine. A 1100-bedded ultramodern Hospital facility Plan was thus conceived at Neelambur, Coimbatore. Built within a record time of 400 days, the first phase comprising 500 beds were dedicated to the society in November 2016. With over 4,00,000 square feet of modern infrastructure, the Centre contained all necessary facilities to deliver comprehensive care under one roof. With a commitment to make available all facilities on par with the latest advances in the Western World, Royal care Super Specialty Hospital became the first in the country to introduce Bronchial Thermoplasty for the treatment of severe asthma. Royal Care is also the first hospital in the country to introduce the micro plasmaadvanced oxidation for dialysis feed water disinfection to eliminate endotoxins and to prevent pyrogenic reactions in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Royal Care will strive to ensure that the benefits of modern healthcare reach all strata of society. A patient centric culture exists at RoyalCare as they are the focus of everything we do. Every patient will receive warm and committed attention with a smile. This has been the reason for our meteoric rise with constant support of all our patients and their continuing faith in our services and the third Centre of Royal Care Hospital was started as an outreach Centre to the society at Vellalore in association with Coimbatore Round Table 20 by the end of the third year of operations. Royal Care Super Specialty Hospital aspires to be a dependable destination for people seeking comprehensive healthcare. This has been largely possible by the meticulous involvement of Dr. K. Madeswaran, Founder & Chairman of Royalcare International Hospitals Group, whose vision was to bring together highly talented medical professionals on board with phenomenal expertise in their respective fields, cutting edge innovative diagnostic and therapeutic medical technologies and friendly medical and paramedical staff to provide courteous and compassionate care with a personal approach.
DR. K. MADESWARAN Chairman & Managing Director
Care International Hospitals Group
Dr. K. Madeswaran, one of the Most renowed Neurosurgeons of the World; has over 36 years of extraordinary experience; in the field of Medicine, Healthcare and Neurosurgery. Recently, he has been listed and classified by Worldwide Media Corporation Group USA under the Top 10 Best Neurosurgeons of the World. Having Performed over 13,500 Neurosurgeries and Spine Surgeries under the Various categories in the field of Specialisation. He has been conferred many Honours, Accolades and Awards for his renowned, remarkable and highly Committed Medical & surgical Service with highest degree of Sincerity, Humanity, Commitment and Hardwork. Dr. K. Madeswaran, has been honoured many prestigious Medical, Healthcare & Neurosurgical Excellence Awards, including One of the most Prestigious ‘Indian Book of Achievers Records & Awards (MIBAR Awards) for Three consecutive years 2021, 2022 & 2023’; in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the neurosurgical field. He has also been conferred as ‘The Most Iconic & Legendary Neurosurgeon of Asia Award - 2020’ and ‘The Best & Pride Of Tamil Nadu Golden Awards of Excellence’ in Neurosurgery - 2023’. The core of his legacy is pioneering, developing, innovating, refining and implementing scientific & hi-tech approaches and techniques in Neuroscience & Neurosurgery.
Dr. K. Madeswaran has always been known for his Exemplary and truly remarkable Medical, Surgical, Teaching, Professional and Entrepreneurial career over three to four decades. And majority of the surgeries, those were successfully performed and completed by Dr, K. Madeswaran; were highly Critical and Challenging Cases. And He had taken utmost care, in all those cases; by bringing out best of His skill, knowledge and expertise to ensure that the Patients are cured and sent back to their normal life. Hence, Dr. K, Madeswaran has been fondly called as ‘The Most Legendry Neurosurgeon, who is blessed with the Brain, Heart & Hands Of God’. Dr. K. Madeswaran, with his inborn Skills, Talents and Remarkable Subject Matter Expertise, Not only cured Tens of Thousands of Patients, who have come to him, with the chronic and serious conditions. And, He gave all those Patients and their families
the Enduring Joy and legitimate life; to live and rejoice; with their families; But, also taught 1000s of Junior Doctors and Surgeons, who all have been associated with Him and who have been learning directly by being along with Dr. K. Madeswaran in and through all those exemplary and Critical Surgeries and Procedures. And they along with all those beneficiaries of His Medical & Surgical Services, carry the highest level of respect and regard; for his highly committed, timely, sincerely and most valuable Medical & Surgical Contributions,that he made to them; especially at the most crucial time of their life.
Dr. K. Madeswaran’s Successful Medical & Surgical Practice led him to accumulate Millions of Followers from all around the world. And with the Flawless Service and Goodwill, that he had built over a period of three to four decades; showered him a huge reputation and trust; for his incomparable knowledge, extraordinary skill and expertise in successfully performing Most Complex Surgeries and procedures.
The award committee screened 350, 000 profiles, conducted 18000 interviews, received 4000 plus applications from 81 countries and shortlisted 94 winners from 47 countries under various categories. The award has been presented to Dr. Sivakumaran on 7th December 2024, at a ceremony held aboard Queen Elizabeth 2 ship, a luxury floating hotel at Dubai.
He is only one Indian COO from healthcare industry to receive the coveted recognition. Dr. Sivakumaran has a rich experience of over three decades in the healthcare industry. He has authored and published a number of scholarly articles in leading journals. Last year Dr. Sivakumaran received the Healthcare Visionary Award from the Financial Express. He’s also
Dr. Sivakumaran thanked the management and all the team members of KMCH and remarked that this recognition would not have been possible without the support, cooperation and encouragement of Team KMCH.
the recipient of Most Iconic Healthcare Leaders (Global) Award from World Health and Wellness Congress. "We are extremely happy that Dr. Sivakumaran has received this prestigious global recognition," said Dr. Nalla G. Palaniswami, Chairman, KMCH. "His leadership and passion for improving healthcare have been instrumental in the growth and success of KMCH. This award is a
testament to Dr. Sivakumaran’s dedication and hard work, and we are proud to have him in our team. We wish him many more laurels.” Dr. Arun Palaniswami congratulated Dr. Sivakumaran and remarked that his vision, strategic thinking, and tireless commitment to excellence have not only elevated KMCH to new heights but also inspired everyone.
KMCH, a leading multispecialty hospital renowned for its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, has constructed a new block, called Dr. NGP Block for a government higher secondary school at Nallampatti village, near Erode. This significant contribution aims to enhance the educational infrastructure and provide better
learning facilities for the students. It is worth mentioning here that Dr. Nalla G Palaniswami who hails from the village, took special care for the welfare of the rural students and helped to construct a block a few years ago. The new block constructed at a cost of Rs. 2.11 Crore comprises eight classrooms, a state-of-the-art smart classroom, and a well-equipped library. These facilities are expected to significantly improve the quality of education and provide students with a conducive learning environment. The project was undertaken in collaboration with Rotary Coimbatore Central, reflecting a shared commitment to community development and education. The inauguration of the new block took place on Sunday December 29, 2024. Mr. S. Muthusamy, Honorable Minister for Housing and Urban Development, Govt. of Tamil Nadu, participated as the Chief Guest and inaugurated the new block. Mr. K. Subbarayan - Member of Parliament, Tirupur Constituency, Mr. K.E. Prakash, Member of Parliament, Erode Constituency, and Mr.S. Jayakumar - Member of Legislative Assembly, Perundurai Constituency, graced the occasion as the guests of honour. The event took place in the presence of Dr. Nalla G. Palaniswami, Chairman and Managing Director, KMCH, Dr Thavamani D Palaniswami, Vice Chairman, KMCH and Dr. Arun N Palaniswami, Executive Director, KMCH. Mr. S. Muthusamy, Honorable Minister for Housing and Urban Development congratulated KMCH for their outstanding initiative. "It's heartening to see institutions like KMCH take an active role in uplifting rural communities" he said. "We are happy to contribute to the growth and development of our community through this initiative," said Dr. Nalla G Palaniswami, Chairman and Managing Director, KMCH. "This new block will provide students with modern facilities that support their learning and growth." Dr. Thavamani D Palaniswami, Vice Chairman, KMCH in her address appealed to the teachers and students to effectively utilize the facilities for the betterment of education and society.Dr.Arun N Palaniswami – Executive Director, Conveyed that KMCH gives priority for improving education in the under developed areas, while spending CSR funds.
The new facility is set to provide cancer treatment and services to patients in the city and surrounding regions.
Apollo Hospitals has expanded its presence in cancer care with the launch of its third cancer centre in Chennai, located at Vanagaram. The new facility is designed to provide comprehensive cancer treatment and services to patients in the city and surrounding regions.
The centre was officially inaugurated by Ma. Subramanian, the Tamil Nadu Health Minister. In his address, he emphasized the importance of the new facility, stating, “Apollo Cancer Centres continue to lead in bringing advanced cancer care to Tamil Nadu, expanding both nationally and globally. The Vanagaram centre is a significant step forward in our collective fight against cancer.”
Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder & Chairman of Apollo Hospitals, expressed his commitment to improving cancer care accessibility. He stated,
“This new centre will significantly enhance access to quality cancer care for patients in Chennai and surrounding areas.” The centre is poised to serve a growing demand for specialized oncology services in the region.
Dr. Preetha Reddy, Executive Vice Chairperson of Apollo Hospitals, highlighted the introduction of Tamil Nadu’s first Elekta Harmony Pro radiation therapy technology at the new facility. This advanced technology will provide high-quality oncology services, bringing relief to patients by reducing the burden of travel and improving treatment options.
The Vanagaram centre offers a range of advanced diagnostic, surgical, and radiation oncology services. It houses a multidisciplinary team of specialists, including oncologists, pathologists, and allied health professionals, ensuring comprehensive care for patients. This further solidifies Apollo Hospitals’ leadership in cancer care across the region.
There are some structures that would take your breath away in the very first glimpse. Here is one such wonder, so stunning and imposing. The Airavatesvara Temple is a splendid example of a place of worship rich in grandeur, history and divinity. Oh what a beauty it is – the grand Airavastesvara Temple in Darasuram. The temple located in Kumbakonam is a treasuretrove of history, facts and amazing art. The construction of the temple dates back to the 12th century CE and was built by the renowned Chola king Rajaraja Chola II. Architecture, sculptures, paintings, bronze casting – the temple reflects the rich cultural heritage of the Chola dynasty. The temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva, is named after ‘Airavat’, the majestic white elephant of Lord Indra.
A part of the trio of ‘Great Chola Temples’ that also include the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholeeswaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavastesvara Temple is also a part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The art work that adorns the temple is extremely detailed, intricate and beautiful. It’s sheer poetry in stone. Built in the Dravidian architectural style, the main stone work of the building resembles a chariot. The entire temple complex is filled with rich carvings and inscriptions that narrate stories from ancient
Indian Puranas. Words don’t do justice to the charm and splendour that the structure emanates; it’s one to be seen and experienced. Yet another mind-blowing part of the temple are the musical steps. These 7 singing steps that lead to the altar are intricately carved and represent seven musical notes. What a fascinating work of art that dates back to thousands of years. All these features make the temple complex a truly must-visit destination on your trip to Tamil Nadu.
Airavatesvara Temple is a Hindu temple of Chola architecture located in Kumbakonam, Thanjavur District in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. This temple, built by Chola emperor Rajaraja II in the 12th century CE is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Gangaikondacholisvaram Temple at Gangaikonda Cholapuram that are referred to as the Great Living Chola Temples. The Airavatesvarar temple is one among a cluster of eighteen medieval era large Hindu temples in the Kumbakonam area, Thanjavur District. The temple is dedicated to Shiva. It also reverentially displays Vaishnavism and Shaktism traditions of Hinduism, along with the legends associated with Nayanmars – the Bhakti movement saints of Shaivism. The stone temple incorporates a chariot structure, and includes major Vedic and
Puranic deities such as Indra, Agni, Varuna, Vayu, Brahma, Surya, Vishnu, Saptamatrikas, Durga, Saraswati, Sri devi (Lakshmi), Ganga, Yamuna, Subrahmanya, Ganesha, Kama, Rati and others. Shiva’s consort has a dedicated shrine called the Periya Nayaki Amman temple. This is a detached temple situated to the north of the Airavateshvarar temple. This might have been a part of the main temple when the outer courts were complete. At present, parts of the temple such as the gopuram is in ruins, and the main temple and associated shrines stand alone. It has two sun dials namely morning and evening sun dials which can be seen as wheels of the chariot. The temple continues to attract large gatherings of Hindu pilgrims every year during Magha, while some of the images such as those of Durga and Shiva are part of special pujas.
The Airavatesvara Temple is located in Kumbakonam city, 310 kilometres (190 mi) southwest of Chennai and 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Chidambaram. It is about 40 kilometres (25 mi) to the northeast to the Brihadeeswara Temple in Thanjavur, and about 30 kilometres (19 mi) to the southwest of Gangaikonda
Cholapuram Temple. All three are a part of the UNESCO world heritage site. The nearest airport with regular services is Tiruchirappalli International Airport (IATA: TRZ), about 90 kilometres (56 mi) away. The temple is on highway 22 connecting Tiruchirappalli, and highway 36 connecting it to Thanjavur. The nearby cities of Tiruchirapalli and Chidambaram are connected daily to other major
cities by the network of Indian Railways and Tamil Nadu bus services. The temple though inland, is near the Kollidam River, within the Kaveri (Cauvery) delta with access to the Bay of Bengal and through it to the Indian Ocean.
The Airavatesvara Shiva temple has a water tank
that has a connected channel that brings in water from the Cauveri River. Hindus gather annually to take a dip in the tank. The local mythology narrates how Airavata, or Indra’s white elephant was restored to clean, white skin after he took a dip in this tank. This legend is carved in stone in the inner shrine, and this Indra’s elephant gives this temple its name.
The Cholas built hundreds of Hindu temples across their empire. Of these four were vast complexes with made of stone vimanas (pyramidal towers). The Airavatesvara temple is one of these four temples and was built by Rajaraja II. It is classified as Karak Koil, since it was designed after chariots - vehicles which were used in processions during festivals. The other three temples are found in Thanjavur built by Rajaraja I, Gangaikonda Cholapuram built by Rajendra I, and Tribuvanam by Kulottunga II. The Airavatesvara temple is another square plan structure completed in 1166 CE. The surviving temple is enclosed by a compound wall that is approximately 107 metres (351 ft) by 70 metres (230 ft) with a nandi madapa and dhvajastambha found outside of the wall. The main temple itself sits on a plinth that is 23 meters by 63 meters, and consists of the garbhagriha (inner sanctum), and three mandapas - ardhamandapa, mukhamandapa and agramandapa. The garbhagriha or inner sanctum is a 12-metre-sided (39 ft) square, with thick walls on which the vimana (pyramidal tower) rises to a height of 24 m (79 ft). There is no circumambulatory path provided immediately around the inner sanctum; rather, it is outside in the courtyard. The garbhagriha is connected to the mukhamandapa through the ardhamandapa supported on
pillars and flanked by two massive dvarapalas. The maha-mandapa is a rectangle of about 24 metres (79 ft) by 18 metres (59 ft), with six rows of right pillars (forty-eight in total). These have reliefs and intricate carvings. Towards the east of the maha mandapa is the agra mandapa also called the Rajagambhiran-tiru-mandapam after the king. The Agra Mandapa Hall is shaped like a chariot, with stone carvings of wheels and horses. The design is similar to the Nritta-sabha (community dance hall) of the Chidambaram temple and the Konark Sun Temple near Puri, Odisha.
The agra mandapa has an attached square porch of 7 metres (23 ft) side. It has ornately carved steps that go from east to west. On its east, outside the main podium, is the bali-pitham. It is unusual, in that it is produced as intricately carved balustraded steps, that produce a musical note. They are therefore called the “singing steps”.
This temple is a storehouse of art and architecture and has some exquisite stone carvings. Although this temple is much smaller than the Brihadeesvara Temple or the Gangaikondacholapuram Temple, it is more exquisite in detail. The elevation and proportions of all the units is elegant with sculptures dominating the architecture. The
pedestal of the Balipitha adjoins a small shrine which contains an image of Ganesha. The reliefs all along the base of the main temple narrate the stories of the sixty-three Shaiva Bhakti saints called Nayanars. These stories are found in the Periya Purana by Sekkilar. On the outer walls of the main sanctum are sculpture niches, five on each side, with the middle one larger than others. They show various Hindu deities, with the middle one of each side showing Shiva in different aspects.
In the south-west corner of the court is a mandapam having 4 shrines. One of these has an image of Yama. Adjoining this shrine are large stone slabs sculptured with images of the sapthamathas (seven celestial nymphs). The construction of a separate temple for Devi, slightly later than the main temple, indicates the emergence of the Amman shrine as an essential component of the South Indian temple complex.
There are various inscriptions in the temple. One of these records the renovation of the shrines by Kulottunga Chola III. The north wall of the verandah consists of 108 sections of inscriptions, each containing the name and description and image of the 63 Saivacharya (Saivite saints) listing the principal events in their life. This reflects the deep roots of Saivism in this region. Other important sculptures of the temple are the 108 Devara Othuvars who sung in the temple during the time of Raja Raja II. There are sculptures for river goddesses like Cauvery, Ganges, Yamuna,
Godavari and Narmada. Another inscription close to the gopura, records that an image was brought from Kalyani, then known as Kalyanapura by emperor Rajadhiraja Chola I after his defeat of the Western Chalukya king Someshwara I, his sons Vikramaditya VI and Someshwara II his capture of the Chalukyan capital.
The inscriptions are also important in identifying the sculptures that once were a part of various ruined monuments. For example, the eastern gopurum has niches with inscriptions that label the sculpture therein. Most of these sculptures are now broken or missing. The inscriptions indicate that it had the following sculptures:
NORTHERN FACE: Adi Chandesvara, Gangadevi, Tumburu Nardar, Vaisravana, Chandra, Maha Sata, Nagaraja, Vayu
WEST: Devi, Rudrani, Vaishnavi, Brahmi, Varunani, Nandidevar, Periyadevar, Santyatita Sakti, Santa devi, Vidya Sakti, Pratishta Sakti, Nivarti Sakti
SOUTHERN FACE: Daksha Prajapati, Yamuna devi, Rati, Kamadeva
EAST: Agni deva, Agastya, Sri devi, Durga devi, Devendran, Padma Nidhi, Surya, Subrahmanya, Kshetrapala, Sarasvati, Visvakarma, Isana
The temple was built by King Rajaraja Chola II. He ruled the Chola Empire between 1146 and 1172 CE. The established capital for his predecessors was Gangapuri, also referred to in some inscriptions as Gangaikonda Cholapuram, named after the king brought water from holy Ganges River by defeating every other kings who opposed him. Rajaraja II, however, spent most of his time in the secondary capital city of Ayirattali, also called Pazhaiyarai and Rajarajapuri. This urban complex included Darasuram, the site of Airavatesvara Temple in Kumbakonam. He was a patron of Tamil literature and sponsored new Hindu temples in the empire, instead of enhancements and expansions supported by his father and grandfather. The temple at Ayirattali, which came to be known as the Airavatesvarar temple in inscriptions is one of his legacies.
The Airavatesvara temple was much larger than it is now. It had sapta veedhis (seven streets) and seven courts, similar to the Srirangam temple, according to the inscriptions. All are gone, except the one court with the main temple that survives. There are ruins of gopuram and some structures at some distance from the current visitor premises confirming that the site was badly damaged at some point like the other major Chola era temples and various Chola cities including the capital Gangaikonda Cholapuram. The reasons for this destruction are unclear. According to Vasanthi, the Pandyas who defeated the Cholas during the later part of 13th century "may have raged the city [Gangaikonda Cholapuram] to ground" to avenge their previous defeats. However, it is unclear why other temples were destroyed and this temple was spared, as well as why there are around 20 inscriptions from later Cholas, Pandyas and Vijayanagar Empire indicating various gifts and grants to this temple.
An alternate theory links the destruction to the raids, plunder and wars, particularly with the invasion of the capital city and the territories that were earlier a part by the Chola Empire along with Madurai by the armies of Delhi Sultanate led by the Muslim commander Malik Kafur in 1311, followed by Khusrau Khan in 1314 and Muhammad bin Tughlaq in 1327. The period that followed saw wars between the Hindu kings and the Muslim Sultans who seceded the Delhi Sultanate and carved out new polity such as the nearby Madurai Sultanate (1335–1378). Thanjavur was a target of both Muslim and Hindu neighbouring kingdoms, both near and far. The Madurai Sultanate was
established in the 14th century, after the disastrous invasions and plunder of South India by Ala ud-Din Khalji's armies of Delhi Sultanate led by Malik Kafur. George Michell (2008), Architecture and art of Southern India, Cambridge University Press, pages 9–13, 16-21 Later Adil Shahi Sultanate, Qutb Shahis, Randaula Khan and others from east and west coasts of South India raided it, and some occupied it for a few years. The Vijayanagara Empire defeated the Madurai Sultanate in 1378 and this temple along with other Chola era temples thereafter came under Hindu kings again who repaired and restored many of them.
Airavatesvara Temple was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Site list of Great Living Chola Temples in the year 2004. The Great Living Chola Temples includes the Brihadeeswara Temple at Thanjavur, the Temple of Gangaikondacholisvaram at Gangaikonda Cholapuram and the Airavatesvara Temple at Kumbakonam. All of these temples were built by the Cholas between the 10th and 12th centuries CE and have a lot of similarities.
The American astronomer Carl Sagan visited the Airavatesvara Temple for his 1980 television documentary series, Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. In the tenth episode titled The Edge of Forever, Sagan talks about the Hindu religion and the Vedas, and narrates the legend of the god Shiva being considered a cosmic deity while displaying ancient Indian art.
Thanjavur Palace Devasthanam comprises 88 temples, of which this temple is the one. They are maintained and administered by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department of the Government of Tamil Nadu.
The Holy Shrine VELANKANNI is a name that is an integral part of the prayers of believers all over South India. It’s a shrine of faith that has been for years the guiding light of many people. It’s also a destination that is visited by millions of people annually, both for pilgrimage and leisure. Velankanni is one of the most famous Christian pilgrim destinations in India, as well as a beach town that is loved by many visitors who come over and over again. Here is where the divinity of a holy shrine meets with the serenity of mother nature; and seamlessly gifts an experience of absolute joy and bliss to any traveller. Velankanni is an amazing destination for all kinds of visitors.
Beaches, churches, markets – there’s every reason to say that this part of Tamil Nadu is indeed enchanting. Located at a distance of 12 kms from Nagapattinam, Velankanni is primarily famous these days for the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health church. The church, which is a holy place of worship for Christians all over the world, is the light that fills this town. However, history has it that Velankanni was once an important port town in the past. The town used to have direct trade relations with empires as far as Rome and Greece. The destination was a centre of various commercial activities as well. Today, Velankanni gets much of its revenue from the thriving tourism sector and of course the pilgrims who come in large numbers to visit the church. Chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development And Augmentation Yojana scheme of the Government of India, Velankanni is all set to further enhance its potential as a destination of history and culture.
• Bus services are available from Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Chennai, Madurai, and Pondicherry to Velankanni Bus Stand on a regular basis.
• Tiruchirapalli International Airport, about 153 km away.
• Chennai International Airport, about 300 km away.
• Nagapattinam Railway Station, about 12 km away.
• The ideal time to visit Velankanni is from December to February. However, the pilgrim centre receives tourist footfalls throughout the year
Velankanni, is a Special Grade Panchayat Town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It lies on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal, 350 km south of Chennai (Madras), 12 km south of Nagapattinam, and 33 km southeast of Thiruvarur. A canal built to link this town with Vedaranyam still lies to the west. The Vellayar, a minor branch of the Cauvery River, runs south of the town and discharges into the sea. The town was among the worst hit by the tsunami caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The town is home to one of the most visited Latin Catholic shrines called the Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health. Velankanni has been chosen as one of the heritage cities for the Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY) scheme of the Government of India.
The 2001 Indian census indicated Velankanni had a population of 10,145. Males constitute
48% of the population and females 52%. Citizens there have an average literacy rate of 69%, higher than the national average of 68%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 64%. 12% of the population is under six years of age.
Religion in Velankanni town
Hinduism 61.86 (61.9%)
Christianity 31.18 (31.2%)
Islam 6.3 (6.30%)
Other 0.67 (0.67%)
GEOGRAPHY:
Vailankanni is located 350 kilometres (220 mi) south of Chennai and 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) south of Nagapattinam on the Coromandel Coast, at 10.40°N 79.49°E in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu state.
Puntius sanctus is a rare species of barb fish found exclusively on a small body of water at Velankanni
Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health, one of the country’s biggest Catholic pilgrimage centres is located here. Devoted to Our Lady of Good Health, it is popularly known as the “Lourdes of the East”. Its origins can be traced back to the 16th century. It is built in the Gothic style, was modified by Portuguese and then further expanded later on due to the influx of pilgrims. The church building was raised to the status of basilica in 1962 by Pope John XXIII. Annually, 20 million pilgrims flock to the shrine from all over India and abroad,
out of which an estimated 3 million people visit the shrine during its annual festival from 29 August to 8 September.The 11-day annual festival concludes with the celebration of the Feast of the Nativity of Mary on 8 September.
Vailankanni is well connected by road and rail to the rest of the country. The East Coast Road (ECR) that runs from Chennai to Kanyakumari, connects the town to the rest of the country. The nearest operational airports are Tiruchirappalli International Airport, 165 kilometres (103 mi) away and Chennai International Airport, 300 kilometres (190 mi) away.
ROAD: Due to the large number of pilgrims that visit this town, the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC), State Express Transport Corporation (SETC) and several private bus operators ply to cities like Bengaluru, Chennai, Coimbatore, Ernakulam, Muvattupuzha, Madurai, Sengottai, Nagercoil, Salem, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Trivandrum. The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation runs a daily bus service to Changanassery and Cherthala. The TNSTC–Kumbakonam division operates intercity buses to Tiruchirappalli, Thanjavur, Pudukkottai, Karaikudi, Tiruvarur, Kumbakonam, Thiruthuraipoondi, Pattukkottai, Pondicherry, Karaikal and Nagapattinam from Velankanni.
RAIL: Velankanni railway station is a terminal station on the 10-kilometre-long Nagapattinam–Velankanni broad-gauge line. The foundation stone of the line was laid in 1999 and it was completed in 2010 at a cost of Rs. 48 crores. The line is part of the Tiruchirappalli railway division of Southern
Railway zone of the Indian Railways. As of 2023, there are no daily regular trains operated between Chennai and Vailankanni. The Vasco da Gama–Velankanni Weekly Express between Vasco da Gama, Goa and Velankanni is operated by South Western Railway zone. Apart from the express trains, two passenger trains are also operated daily, one each to Karaikal and Nagapattinam. Special trains are operated from places like Chennai, Mumbai, Secunderabad, Bangalore, Vasco da Gama, Kollam, Ernakulam, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil during the months of August and September for the annual church feast.
Our Lady of Health Higher Secondary School, Our Lady of Health Middle School, Our Lady of Health Elementary School, Infant Jesus Primary School (English Medium) and Christ the King High School Special School for Handicapped and Deaf & Dumb Children are five schools situated in Velankanni town.
Here is where serenity and divinity come together to create an ambiance that will fill your heart. As prayers fill the air, a beach with rare beauty welcomes you to this coast. Velankanni Beach is more than a shore, it’s an emotion. There are some destinations that are famed across the world for certain reasons. Yet there will be more to those destinations that are lesser known to the world, still fascinating enough to be appealing to visitors. Velankanni is a classic example of such a town. Renowned for the Church of Our Lady of Health, Velankanni is also a cozy beach retreat that is visited by both pilgrims to the church and also leisure seekers. This makes Velankanni a unique destination in many ways. One of the most scenic beaches in the east coast of Tamil Nadu, the Velankanni Beach is a picture-perfect and bustling holiday
spot. Millions of people visit the beach every year, both as a part of their pilgrimage and even for sightseeing purposes. If you like the busy beach ambiance, then Velankanni is for sure a good place to be in. Velankanni is a region that is affluent in history. The pilgrim town was once a busy port that traded directly with Rome and Greece. Today, the town gets all its glory from the church and reflections of that can be seen in the visitors that flock by the beach all day. Located close to the Vellaiyar river, the very setting of the beach is stunning. The beach is also a centre where you can shop for interesting artifacts and souvenirs. There are handicraft and textile shops on the beach, making it a shopping location too. Not to forget the fresh seafood stalls that serve the finest delicacies of the region.
The wondrous town of Nagore is where time stands still and beauty reigns supreme. Nestled on the pristine east coast of India, Nagore is a place of unparalleled grandeur where history, culture, and spirituality merge to create a truly divine experience. At the heart of Nagore lies the magnificent Nagore Dargah, a sanctuary of pure serenity that stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of this magical place. The shrine is a symphony of intricate carvings, vibrant colours, and dazzling embellishments that evoke the majesty of times past. As you gaze upon the beauty of the Dargah, you will be transported to a world of wonder and enchantment. The Nagore Dargah is only the beginning of the grand experience that awaits you in this land of dreams. As you venture beyond the confines of the sanctuary, you will discover a treasure trove of sights,
sounds, and flavours that will leave you entranced. From the shimmering beaches that line the town’s coastline to the bustling markets where local craftsmen display their wares, Nagore is a place of unparalleled beauty and wonder. As you meander the winding streets of Nagore, you will be enveloped in the warmth and generosity of the locals. Their welcoming spirit and gracious hospitality reflect the town’s deep sense of community and culture, which have been nurtured over centuries. And the cuisine of Nagore is an epicurean masterpiece, a symphony of flavours and aromas that will take you on a gastronomic journey of the senses. The fusion of South Indian and Muslim cooking creates dishes that are bold, fragrant, and bursting with character. From the succulent kebabs to the aromatic biryanis, every dish is an ode to the rich cultural heritage of Nagore.
So let the splendour of Nagore enthral your senses and immerse yourself in a world of history, culture, and enchantment that will leave you spellbound. This is a destination that will fill your heart with wonder and leave you with memories that will last a lifetime. Let the grandeur of Nagore touch your soul and embark on a journey of discovery that will take your breath away. Plan your visit now and experience the magnificence of Nagore for yourself.
Welcome to the majestic coastal town of Tranquebar, nestled in the heart of the picturesque Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. This is a town that exudes grandeur and history and is steeped in colonial architecture, stunning beaches, and rich cultural heritage. The roots of Tranquebar can be traced back to the 17th century, when it was a bustling port town, attracting traders from all corners of the world. It was during this time that the town was transformed into a Danish colony, becoming the only Danish settlement in India.
The Danes left an indelible mark on the town, which is still evident today in the form of the awe-inspiring Fort Dansborg. This magnificent fortress stands tall and proud, a sentinel guarding the town against the surging seas. The fort has been transformed into a museum, and visitors can immerse themselves in the rich history of Tranquebar. Traverse the well-preserved ramparts and bastions, enjoy the panoramic views of the Bay of Bengal, and be transported back in time to a place of wonder and amazement. It’s not just walls and forts here. Tranquebar is a place where the ethereal meets the earthly, with a rich Christian heritage that dates back to the 18th century. The New Jerusalem Church, built by the Danes, is one of the oldest Protestant churches in India and has been a beacon of faith for centuries. Here, visitors can bask in the captivating beauty of the stainedglass windows, the elegant altar, and the serene ambience that pervades the church. Tranquebar is a place where spirituality and religion merge seamlessly, enveloping you in an otherworldly sense of peace and serenity.
Tranquebar is where the beauty of nature is on full display, with idyllic beaches that boast golden sand and azure waters. The tranquil and unspoiled beaches of Tranquebar are a haven for those seeking solitude and peace. The sunsets are breathtaking, and the warm sea
breeze transports you to a different world altogether. The town’s quaint charm, coupled with its pristine beaches, makes it an ideal destination for couples seeking a romantic getaway or families looking for a relaxing vacation. Here, you can immerse yourself in the local culture and traditions. The town’s narrow lanes and quaint houses are reminiscent of a bygone era, offering a glimpse into the lives of the locals. You can take a stroll through the town, interacting with the friendly locals, who are always willing to share their stories and experiences. Tranquebar is not just a town of culture and heritage. It is a place where one can indulge in the culinary delights of South India. The town’s seafood is a must-try, with the fresh catches of the day being cooked in traditional recipes that have been passed down through generations. The aroma of spices and herbs tantalises your senses, leaving you yearning for more. Tranquebar is not just a town of forts, beaches, culture, and food. It is a place where one can experience a sense of peace and serenity that is hard to find in today’s fast-paced world. The town’s unhurried pace of life, combined with its pristine surroundings, makes it a perfect destination for those seeking to rejuvenate their mind, body, and soul. Tranquebar is a town that offers a rare glimpse into the past, evoking a sense of awe and wonderment in all who visit. It is a place where the magnificence of the architecture, the tranquillity of the beaches, the richness of the culture, and the flavours of the food all come together in a symphony of beauty and charm. Above all, Tranquebar is a destination that beckons to the traveller, inviting them to step out of the present and into a world of grandeur and history. So come, visit Tranquebar, and immerse yourself in a world of splendour and enchantment.
Sun-kissed beaches, sacred placed of worship, a bustling town that would embrace you with all its warmth – Nagapattinam has a way of making you feel joyful right from the very first moment you reach here. You will indeed be on your dream vacation. From a quiet port town in the past to one of the most prominent tourism hotspots in Tamil Nadu. Nagapattinam has come a long way. Not without reason though. There is plenty to see and experience in the region. Pristine beaches, places of worship, picnic spots – Nagapattinam has it all. Besides, it also acts as a base for tourists who visit various nearby destinations like Velankanni and Sikkal. If you love beaches, then Nagapattinam is for sure a must-visit, bucket-list destination. These sun-kissed sands are simply awesome for an awesome holiday. You can have sun-baths, play with the waves and have a great time
on these shores. However, the beach isn’t the only factor that makes Nagapattinam a traveller’s choice. The city has an affluent history with a rich cultural significance. The city is famous for its inter-faith influences. People of different religious backgrounds coexist peacefully here. There is even a shrine where Hindus and Muslims pray together. You will also come across strong Buddhist influences in the region that makes the city a living beauty. Nagapattinam was an important port town during the reign of Cholas. In the course of history, colonial powers like the Dutch and English held possession of the port town and left behind a rich legacy, relics of which we see and experience to this day. Some of the churches built in the area during the time are important pilgrimage and tourism spots today. In short, here is a destination for all kinds of travellers.
Here is where the lush green meadows of enigmatic jungles embrace you; with a warm welcome that displays the best of wildlife that are unique to the destination. Point Calimere Sanctuary is one such haven, so exotic and so very lush. Tamil Nadu is a State with a rich forest density. Home to flora and fauna of varied species, these forests include a number of wildlife sanctuaries that are visited by tourists from far and wide. Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is one such place that you cannot afford to miss on your tour to Tamil Nadu. An exceptionally beautiful strip of land, the Calimere sanctuary is thronged by various animal species that offer you a delightful visual treat. Created in 1967, the Point Calimere Sanctuary primarily focuses on the protection and conservation of the black antelopes, an endangered and endemic species that are found in this region. Located 11 kms
away from Vedaranyam, the sanctuary covers an area of 17.26 sq.kms. It’s a sandy coast covered in saline swamp and thorny scrub around the backwaters. The region also boasts of the presence of many mangroves owing to its coastal properties. Wild boar, macaque, black buck, chital etc. are some of the animals that you find commonly in Point Calimere. The sanctuary also hosts a number of bird species including stilts, plovers, turns and teals. Migratory birds like flamingos and waterfowl can also be seen in this region. Moreover, being on the coastal side, the sanctuary also offers rare glimpses of the water world. As you wait patiently, be amazed by the sightings of dancing dolphins that offer a spectacle. You could also come across the sight of turtles walking on the shore peacefully. In short, this sanctuary is one that you just cannot afford to miss on your trip.
HOW TO REACH: Vedaranyam Main Bus Stand, 12 km away. Tiruchirapalli International Airport, about 225 km away. Thiruthuraipoondi, about 42 km away.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: November to February
A coastline blessed abundantly by Nature, a land famed for its rich history, sun-kissed sands that entice every visitor with its charming beauty – the Poompuhar Beach is one among the finest beaches in Tamil Nadu for a number of reasons. It is not often that you would come across a coastal destination that is filled with history and abundant natural beauty. The rare
combination of these two aspects is what makes the Poompuhar Beach so special. Once a legendary port city that witnessed many historic events, the town of Poompuhar is today one of the most visited tourism destinations in the region – thanks to the impeccable beauty of the Poompuhar beach that leaves a lasting impression in the minds of visitors.
The ancient beach of Poompuhar is located along the Bay of Bengal, thus reflecting the natural bliss of the region. Poompuhar was a port that flourished as early as the 4th century BC. It was once the capital of the historic Chola empire and was called Kaveripoom Pattinam or Puhar. Today, one of the principal attractions of Poompuhar is its natural and splendid beach. Picturesque and poetic, these golden sands is a venue of amusement and entertainment to people from all parts of the world. The beach begins from the river Kaveri and stretches around 3 km to the north towards Neithavasal. A granite boulder can be seen on the shore which was built to prevent erosion. One of the most important days that is celebrated on this beach is the “Chitra Pournami”, around the April-May season. People gather on the beach to take a dip and celebrate the day in great joy. Silapathikaram Art Gallery, a seven storied structure that showcases the Sangam and postSangam era can also be seen near the beach.
Silappathikaram Art Gallery is a heritage site located in Poompuhar in Nagapattinam District of Tamilnadu. It is a beautiful building of great sculptural value. Scenes from Silappathikaram, the Epic of the land have been given lively shapes in stones on the walls of the Gallery. These sculptures carved by the sculptors of Mamallapuram Art College remain the treasure house of Tamil Culture. It is a beautiful seven-storied classical structure. This lovely place is scenically located on Poompuhar Beach, It is located in the place called Poompuhar or Puhar. Puhar in Tamil means the ‘estuary’ of river in the sea. Poompuhar is located close to the spot where the river Cauvery flows out into the sea.
This is an ancient port city earlier called as Kaveri Poompattinam, served as the Capital of early Chola rulers. Original town destroyed by sea and submerged presumably in 500 AD was rebuilt after that. Ancient Pottery and figurines dating back to the 4th century were recently found in ASI excavation, Emperors like Sembiyan, Muchukunda, Manuneedhi and Karikala of Chola Dynasty added glory to Poompuhar. National institute of Marine Archaeology confirms through its marine archaeological researches, that, much of the town was washed away by progressive erosion and floods. Submerged wharves and lengths of pier walls have been excavated in the recent times. They match the literary references to Poompuhar.
SILAPPATHIKARAM ART GALLERY:
The Silappathikaram Art Gallery is a seven storied, classically built structure. The first floor of this building is 12 ft high and all the other floors have a height of 5 ft each. The tower comprises of Kalasams having a height of 8 ft., which brings the total height of this gallery to 50 ft. The arte facts in this gallery comprises of scenes from Sangam Epic Silappathikaram. They were created by the sculptors of Government College of Architecture and Sculpture of Mamallapuram, and remain the treasure house of Tamil culture.
MAGARA THORANAVAYIL:
‘Magara Thoranavayil’ has been designed on the pattern of Magara Thorana Vayil, found in Suruli Malai Mangala Devi Temple. The Anklet shaped tank within the building premises, has the statues of Kannagi and Madhavi on the sides of these tanks.
ELANCHI/ILANJI MANDRAM:
Elanchi (llanji Mandram) is nothing but a monument referred in the epic Silappathikaram. In Silappathikaram, Devanthi, the friend of Kannagi, told her about the Elanchi Mandram. It is situated in the Confluence of Cauvery into Bay of Bengal. It is a park where Neydarl filed opens its petals and where two sacred tanks are dedicated to the Sun and Moon. These miracle tanks cured all the diseases. And it is also believed to bring harmony between husband and Wives.
KOTRA PANDAL:
The Stage in which the arrangement of Madhavi took place was chosen in accordance with the time honoured tradition set by the architects. The Canopy was painted with many beautiful pictures, from which were hanging loosely set garlands of pears. It showed the novel and attractive appearance, which the stage presented.
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