List of Iyers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable Iyers (people from the Iyer caste of Tamil Brahmins).
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Spiritual leaders
- Abirami Pattar (Subramania Iyer) Author of Abirami Anthathi and other religious works in Tamil.
- Bharati Krishna Theerthaji (1884-1960) was the Shankaracharya of Puri. He also introduced Vedic mathematics to the modern world.
- Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi (1894-1994), former pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt.
- Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986), spiritual leader, hailed as the "Maitreya Buddha" by the Theosophical Society . A protege of Annie Besant
- Muralidhar Guruji(1961-), a devotee of Shri Krishna
- Siva Sri Paskarakurukkal, Sri Lankan Tamil priest resident in Germany, responsible for the building of the second biggest Hindu temple of Europe, the Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple.
- Ramana Maharishi (1879-1950), one of India's greatest Spiritual Teachers of the Twentieth Century. His millions of followers are spread across the world.
- Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (1956-), a mahayogi and founder of 'Art of Living'.
- Sheshadri Swamigal (1870-1929), was a Siddha or religious mendicant who lived in the forests of Arunachala.
- Swami Sivananda (1887-1963) was a yogi who lived in Rishikesh, in the foothills of Himalayas. He was the first to popularize Hatha Yoga in North America
[edit] Scientists and academicians
- L. K. Ananthakrishna Iyer (1861-1937), anthropologist
- Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1882-1950), winner of the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the dispersion of light
- Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995), winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics
- Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya (1861-1962), scientist, administrator, engineer and academician
- G.N. Ramachandran (1922-2001), biochemist
- Rappal Sangameswaraier Krishnan (1911-1999), physicist
- Vilayanur Ramachandran (born 1951), neuroscientist
- M.S. Swaminathan (born 1925), agricultural researcher
- S.R. Ranganathan (1892-1972), figure in library science
- Raghavan Iyer (1930-1995), Indian-born political philosopher and Hindu scholar
- Palamadai S. Lokanathan, economist
- Rajagopala Chidambaram, former director of BARC, now chief scientific advisor to the prime minister of India
[edit] Journalists and writers
- Professor K. V. Krishna Iyer, Respected professor and author of standard reference books on Kerala History
- Ramachandra Guha (1958-), Historian, columnist and author of a popular treatise on Cricket
- Ulloor Parameswara Iyer (1877-1959), Malayalam poet
- "Kalki" B. Krishnamurthy (1899-1954) Journalist and Novelist par excellence, founder of Tamil weekly "Kalki".
- V. S. Srinivasa Sastri (1869-1946), Rt. Honourable Srinivasa Sastri was a freedom fighter, orator and teacher. Was called the "Silver Tongued Orator of the British Empire" by Winston Churchill
- Pico Iyer (1957-), author
- Mowni (real name S. Mani Iyer), short story writer
- R. K. Narayan (1906-2001), Famous Indian writer. Invented the fictitious village Malgudi.
- R. K. Laxman (1924-), Indian cartoonist and humorist. R. K. Laxman is the younger brother of R. K. Narayan
- T. P. Kailasam, Kannada writer and considered as the "Father of modern Kannada Theater"
- Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (1927-1997), Malayalam novelist
- V.D. Trivadi, Humorist and journalist known for his middles in The Times of India. Was known as Art Buchwald or Russell Baker of India.
- Kothamangalam Subbu, Playwright and director who worked on 'Thillana Mohanambal' which was made into a movie starring Shivaji Ganesan and Padmini.[1]
- Devan (1913-1957): Tamil short-story writer, creator of fictitious character Thuppariyum Sambu
[edit] Advocates and social activists
- V. R. Krishna Iyer (1915-) (Judicial expert and Justice, Supreme Court of India,minister in first kerala ministry)
- Sir Alladi Krishnaswamy Ayyar (1883-1953) One of the Founding fathers of the Indian Constitution.
- Sir P. S. Sivaswami Iyer (1864-1946) - Advocate General of State of Madras from (1907 -1911).
- Sir S. Subramania Iyer (1842-1924) - Second Indian Judge of the High Court of Madras and one of the founders of the Home Rule movement in South India.
- Patanjali Sastri, Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India
- M. Subbaraya Iyer (1885-1963), Lawyer and educationist
- V. Krishnaswamy Iyer, Lawyer who took on Arbuthnot & Co when the bank crashed in 1906. He later became one of the founders of Indian Bank and campaigned for India's freedom.
[edit] Freedom fighters
- Sathyamurthy (1887-1943), Indian freedom fighter and leader of the Congress party in the erstwhile Madras presidency.
- Subramanya Bharathy (1882-1921), Indian freedom fighter, Tamil poet and social reformer. Often regarded as the national poet of Tamil Nadu.
- Vanchinathan (1886-1911), Patriot who killed General Ash and committed suicide at Maniyachi.
- V. V. S Iyer (1881-1925) Tamil scholar and freedom fighter.
- Lakshmi Sehgal (1914-), Head of Rani Jhansi Brigade, women's wing of the INA and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. Presidential candidate in 2002 President's election.
- Subramaniya Siva (1884-1925), Freedom fighter and close associate of Bharathi and V.V.S.Iyer
- G. Subramania Iyer (1855-1916), Freedom fighter and founder of "The Hindu" English newspaper.
- Kalki Sadasivam (1902-1997), Freedom fighter and husband of famous singer M.S. Subbulakshmi.
[edit] Sportspersons
- Nirupama Vaidyanathan (1977-), First Indian woman to play a round in Grand Slam.
- Ramanathan Krishnan (1937-), Indian tennis player of the 1950's and 60's and considered the greatest Indian singles player of all time
- Ramesh Krishnan (1961-) was one of India's foremost tennis players
- Vishwanathan Anand (1969-),grandmaster, World Chess Champion
- K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan, former Kerala Ranji Trophy cricketer
[edit] Artists and musicians
- Thiagaraja (1767-1847), Composer of Carnatic music. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri.
- Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775-1835), Composer. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Thyagarajar and Shyama Shastri.
- Shyama Shastri, Composer. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Thyagarajar.
- Madurai Pushpavanam Iyer, vocalist
- Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer (1895-1973), Carnatic music singer
- Musiri Subramania Iyer(1899-975), Carnatic music singer and film actor; acted in the 1938 Tamil movie Tukaram
- Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1907-2003), singer of Carnatic music
- G. N. Balasubramaniam (1910-1965), singer of Carnatic music
- D. K. Pattammal (1919-), singer of Carnatic music.
- Madurai Mani Iyer (1912-1968), singer of Carnatic music
- Palakkad Mani Iyer (1912-1981), Musician/Mridangist
- Palghat R. Raghu (1925-), Musician/mridangist
- Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (1935-), Musician/mridangist
- Trichy Sankaran (b.1942-), mridangist
- Dr. N. Ramani (1934-), Flautist
- Papanasam Sivan (1890-1973), Carnatic music composer and singer.
- L. Subramaniam (1947-), Violinist of International fame.
- Lalgudi Jayaraman (1930-) - Carnatic Music composer and violinist.
- Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan(1935-) - violinist.
- Ganesh and Kumaresh, Violinists of international fame.
- Maharajapuram Santhanam (1922-1991), Carnatic music composer and violinist.
- M. S. Gopalakrishnan (1931-), violinist
- S. Sowmya (1969-), Carnatic vocalist
- Nithyashree Mahadevan (1973-), carnatic music singer. Granddaughter of singer D.K.Pattammal.
- M. L. Vasanthakumari (1928-1990), singer
- M. D. Ramanathan (1923-1984), composer/vocalist
- S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1946-) Singer. Holds the Guinness Record for maximum number of songs recorded as a playback singer. A Telugu Brahmin.
- Sundaram Balachander (1927-1990) Veena Vidhwan
- Hariharan (1955-) Hindi and Tamil playback singer.
- Mahalaxmi Iyer, Prominent Hindi and Tamil playback Singer
- Hamsika Iyer (1972-), Hindi, Marathi and Tamil playback singer
- Anuradha Sriram, Tamil playback Singer.Her husband is also a musician
- Naresh Iyer, Male Playback Singer in Bollywood and Kollywood
- Shankar Mahadevan, Music Director
- Vijay Iyer, Jazz musician[2]
- Usha Uthup (1947-), pop singer and female playback singer in Bollywood.
- Kavita Krishnamurthy, Hindi playback singer
- Balamuralikrishna (1930-), Carnatic classical singer.
- Rukmini Devi Arundale(1904-1986), danseuse and artist. Popularized the dying art of Bharatanatyam. Founder of Kalakshetra. Married G.S.Arundale.
- Padma Subramanyam (1943-) - Bharathanatyam dancer.
[edit] Politicians and administrators
- Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) First Vice President(1950-1962) and Second President(1962-1967) of the Indian Union. A Telugu Mulukanadu Iyer .
- R. Venkataraman (1910-), 8th President of India (1987-1992); Vice-President of India (1984-1987)
- P. Ramamurthi Veteran Communist leader and freedom fighter.
- K. Subrahmanyam Former Secretary (Defense Production), Home Secretary (Tamil Nadu) and Director (Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses).
- Ramayyan Dalawa, Dewan of Travancore from 1737 to 1756. Strategic advisor to Maharaja Martanda Varma during the Battle of Colachel against the Dutch.
- Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer (1879-1966), Advocate General of State of Madras in the 1920's, penultimate Dewan of Travancore
- Subramanian Swamy (1939-), Lawyer, Academician, Economist, Politician, President of the Janata Party.
- L.Ganesan (1945-), President of Tamil Nadu state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party.
- Jana Krishnamurthi (1928-2007), Ex-President of the BJP & Former Union Law Minister.
- T. N. Seshan (1930-), 10th Chief Election Commissioner of India. A Palakkad Iyer
- Mani Shankar Aiyar (1941-), Indian politician. Member of Parliament (MP), 14th Lok Sabha, from the Indian National Congress. Cabinet Minister in Ministry of Panchayati Raj and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
- Sir K. Seshadri Iyer, b. 1845 Dewan of Mysore from February 1883 to March 1901, the longest tenure for any Dewan of the princely state. Regarded as the "maker of modern Bangalore".
- Janaki Ramachandran (1923-1996), Wife of M.G.Ramachandran and the first woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. A Kerala Iyer
[edit] Entertainers
- Arvind Swamy (1967-) Actor cum entrepreneur.
- G V Iyer (1916-2003), Internationally renowned Director-Producer of Sanskrit movies like Adi Shankaracharya,Ramanujacharya and Bhagawad Gita.
- Gemini Ganesan (1920-2005), Tamil Actor.
- Rekha Ganesan (1954-), Bollywood actress, daughter of Gemini Ganesan.
- Jaishankar (1940-2000), Actor in the Tamil film industry.
- K. Balachander (1930-) cinema director.
- S. S. Vasan (1903-1969), Tamil and Hindi film director. Known as the Cecil DeMille of India.
- Kalpana Iyer (b.1955-), Former Miss India and Bollywood actress.
- "Cho" Ramaswamy - Actor, Stage Director, Lawyer, Journalist, Political Analyst
- T.R.Mahalingam (1923-) - actor, singer,director in the 1950s-1960s.
- K V Mahadevan - Music Director.
- Mani Ratnam (1956-) Movie Director, full name: Subramanian Gopalaratnam Iyer.
- Y. V. Rao (1903-1973) actor and director, who directed the first Kannada talkie, Sati Sulochana.
- Lakshmi (b.1951) Kollywood and Bollywood actress and TV anchor.
- S. Ve. Shekher Comedian and AIADMK MLA from Mylapore constituency
- Ajith Kumar (1970-), Kollywood actor. A Palakkad Iyer.
- Trisha Krishnan (1983-), Kollywood actress. A Palakkad Iyer.
- P.C. Sreeram, Ace Cinematographer of "Nayakan" and "Agni Natchathiram" among several other famous films. Also director.
- Ramya Krishnan (1964-), Tamil Actress, TV Hostess
- Padma Lakshmi (1970-), Supermodel, hostess and ex-wife of Salman Rushdie
- Vidya Balan (1978-), Bollywood Actress.
- Siddharth Narayan (1979-), Upcoming Actor in the Telugu, Tamil and Hindi film industry, a Tanjore Iyer
- Bhanupriya, Bharatanatyam dancer and Kollywood actress.
- Priyamani (1984-), Tamil Actress
- Swarnamalya - Bharatanatyam dancer and Kollywood actress
- Suchitra Krishnamurthy, Bollywood actress and former wife of Shekhar Kapur
[edit] Business-persons, professionals, miscellaneous
- S. N. N. Sankaralinga Iyer (1901-), Founder, India Cements (now part of Sanmar Group), Chennai.
- V. Seshasayee: Founder of Seshasayee Group which included Mettur Chemicals, Fertilisers and Chemicals Travancore, Aluminium Industries, Travancore-Cochin Chemicals, Seshasayee Industries, Seshasayee Wire Ropes, and Seshasayee Paper and Board.
- Indra Nooyi, CEO of Pepsico.
- S. Gurumurthy, Economist and Convenor of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch.
- Ramesh Kallidai Secretary General, Hindu Forum of Britain, an Iyer from Kallidaikurichi in Tamilnadu who is leading the largest and the most influential Hindu organisation in the UK
- Subrah Iyar, CEO of WebEx [3]
- Robert Chandran, Founder and Former CEO/President, Chemoil Energy Ltd