Wednesday 29 June 2011

Pride of the community

Pride of the community
C. Sivasankaran, better known as Siva in close circles, is a serial entrepreneur as well as the chairman of Sterling group now renamed as the Siva group. He has a net worth of more than $4 billion and is one of the richest Indians.

Sivasankaran is known for his audacious business plans, ability to think ahead of the times, business acumen and knack of spotting opportunities early. He is regarded as having pioneered the broadband and wi-fi technology in the sub-continent. He regularly hits the headlines for buying and selling companies.

Sivasankaran was born in Chennai in 1957. He started out as a fabrication contractor for MRL (now CPCL). He bought Sterling Computers from Robert Amritraj, father of the tennis star, Vijay Amritraj, in the 80s. He created a sensation in the hardware circle by selling PCs for as low as Rs 33,000. Back then in the 1980s computers cost as much as Rs 80,000 per computer. However, he could not sustain his early success and shut down the company. "Not to make a profit is a sin. But to be sentimentally attached to a business for ever is foolish," is an oft-quoted remark of his.

In 1996, Sivasankaran purchased Rapper M.C. Hammer's house in Fremont, California, establishing a U.S. base of operations. Previously, he had been living and operating his business empire from various hotels in Singapore, most prominently the Presidential Suites in Singapore's Ritz Carlton and Pan Pacific Hotels which he took over under long-term leases. The very next year, he launched Aircel, a telecom company based out of Chennai. In 1998, he incorporated Dishnet DSL, the country�s first DSL internet provider. He sold the internet service division of DishnetDSL Limited to VSNL for Rs 270 cr.

In April 2004, Sivasankaran bought 65.4% equity stake in Barista coffee chain from Turner Morrison for Rs 30 cr and the Tata group. He entered the health food business with Aiwo - a health food chain specialising in low-calorie food cooked in olive oil.

Later he bought out RPG Cellular Limited for Rs 208 cr and renamed it Aircel Cellular. It was later sold to Maxis for more than a billion dollars. He hit the headlines again when he bought a 49% stake in Aamby Valley a posh high priced township near Mumbai.

Sivasankaran has also funded Kalaignar TV started by Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Karunanidhi. He made a foray into shipping and logistics by acquiring Norwegian shipping firm J.B. Ugland Shipping. There were more deals in 2010 as Siva bought a 10% stake in Indore based Ruchi Soya Limited and a 50% stake in a Norwegian mineral water company.

Siva's message to his employees published in his official corporate website throws light on his thinking: "Foresight, early emergence and relentless forward momentum have always helped us in our quest for value and a sustainable model of growth and achievement. We continuously explore, create and adopt new paradigms, to keep our organization ahead of the curve. This approach has kept us at the forefront of business value creation for the past three decades."
நன்றி: Muthaliyar Matrimony

Wedding customs of Mudaliyaars

Wedding customs of Mudaliyaars
Marital traditions:
In our community, the alliance is confirmed through a memorandum where the father of the boy and that of the girl sign the contract. In this engagement ceremony, the groom's family hands over gifts, which include sarees, jewelry, and 21 platters of fruits and dried nuts and fruits. The date of the wedding is also fixed on this day.

Special marital customs: List of ceremonies
1. The engagement: Finalizing the marriage through a memorandum
2. Pandakal: Erecting the marriage 'pandaal'
3. Nalangu: Beautifying the bride
4. The bridegroom's reception: Receiving the groom
5. Preparations on the morning of the wedding
6. Arsan Kal: Erecting the bamboo stick in front of the marriage platform
7. Padapuja & Kasi Yatra: The groom washes his parents' feet and proceeds on a mock pilgrimage
8. Mahalaxmi puja: Prayers offered to the Goddess of wealth
9. Manai Pongal: Rice is cooked in a clay pot
10. Kanganam: Tying of the sacred yellow thread
11. Kanikadanam: Giving away the bride
12. Mangalyam: Tying of the sacred 'mangalyam' on the bride
13. Exchange of garlands: The couple exchange garlands three times
14. Omam: The couple pays homage to the sacred fire
15. Sesha: Blessing the couple
16. Paying homage to the Arasanikkal: The couple goes around the 'arasanikkal' three times
17. Reception: Post wedding celebrations

Special cultural nuances:
All the wedding rituals begin with a 'Ganesha puja'. 'Pandakal' is a ceremony where nine 'sumangalis' or married women smear 'haldi'/turmeric and 'kumkum'/vermilion on a bamboo pillar that is erected for a four-legged 'pandal'/shed.

Prominent Mudhaliyars

Our community got the name Mudaliar from the honorary title Mudali conferred upon top-ranking bureaucratic officials and army officers in medieval South India. It means a person of first rank and is a surname used by Tamil Vellalars and Sengunthars. CN Annadurai, the legendary DMK founder, was a Mudaliar. Popular actor Vikram also belongs to our community.

Prominent Mudhaliyars
Social leaders, activists
OKSR Kumaraswamy Mudaliar aka Tiruppur Kumaran (1904 � 1932) - A leader who died holding the Indian national flag
Thillaiaadi Valliammai - A South African Tamil woman who fought the apartheid regime along with Mahatma Gandhi

Tamil literature
Paventhar Bharathidasan - Tamil poet also known as "Puratchi Kavignar"
Kalyanasundara Mudaliar - Tamil writer
Makaral Karthikeya Mudaliar - Tamil scholar
P. A. Subramania Mudaliar - Tamil scholar
Varadarasanar - Tamil novelist
Mahavidwan Vasudeva Mudaliar - Tamil scholar
Vellai Vaaranaar - Tamil scholar from Tiruvarur
Erode Tamilanban - Noted poet

Philanthropists
Pachaiyappa Mudaliar - Philanthropist after whom the Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai was named.
Raja Sir Ramaswamy Mudaliar - Philanthropist who endowed a hospital

Politics
Natesa Mudaliar � Founder of Justice Party along with Theagaroya Chetty and Dr. T. M. Nair as part of the Dravidian movement.
O. V. Alagesan - Former union minister of India.
T. M. Anbarasan - Current Labour Minister of Tamil Nadu
K. Anbazhagan - Minister of Tamil Nadu and DMK Leader.
C. N. Annadurai - Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Founder of Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)
R. N. Arogyasamy Mudaliar - Indian civil engineer and politician who served as the Minister of Development in the Madras Presidency from 1926 to 1928
M. Bhakthavatchalam - Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Congress leader
Pulavar K. Govindan - Former speaker, TN legislative assembly
Jayanthi Natarajan - Former MP from Indian National Congress party
Muniswamy Mudaliar - Fiji Indian politician & member of the Legislative Council of Fiji from 1932 to 1937
N. V. Natarajan - Founding member of DMK and former minister of Labour and Backward Classes in the Tamil Nadu government during 1967-75
C. Natesa Mudaliar � Founder of Justice Party
V. R. Nedunchezhiyan - Former Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu and former interim Chief Minister of Tamilnadu.
P. T. R. Palanivel Rajan - (1932-2006) Formerly speaker of Tamil Nadu Assembly,
Endowment Minister
Ponnambalam Arunachalam - Tamil political leader in Ceylon and a member of the Executive Council and the Legislative Council.
Ponnambalam Ramanathan - Former Solicitor-General and Tamil political leader in Sri Lanka.
A. M. Ponnuranga Mudaliar - Former MLA of Sholinghur constituency, INC
Sir P. T. Rajan - Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Leader Justice Party.
C. Ramaswamy Mudaliar (1905-1997) - Indian politician from Indian National Congress. Member of Lok Sabha for Kumbakonam from 1951 to 1957.
S. J. Ramaswamy Mudali - Former DMK MLA
A. Ranganatha Mudaliar - Indian politician and theosophist from Bellary
S. C. Sadayappa Mudaliar - Former INC MLA
Era Sezhiyan - Former MP
A. C. Shanmugam - Founder New Justice Party, ex-MLA, MP
P. Shanmugam - Former Chief Minister of Pondicherry State and present State Congress Chief.
N. V. N. Somu - Former MP
A. R. Subbiah Mudaliar - Tamil Nadu politician
C. P. Subbiah Mudaliar - Tamil Nadu politician
C. N. Visvanathan - Former MP, Lok Sabha

Founders of educational institutions
V. L. Ethiraj - Founder of Ethiraj College for Women
A. C. Shanmugam - Founder, Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute
G. Viswanathan - Founder of VIT University, Vellore

Civil service and judiciary
S. Muthiah Mudaliar - High court lawyer and politician, Justice party
Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar - A senior leader of the Justice Party
Justice R. Sudhakar - Judge of the High Court of Judicature at Chennai
T. V. Rajeswar - IPS Officer and Current Governor of Uttar Pradesh

Sports
Thirunavukkarasu Kumaran- Cricket Player
Vasudevan Baskaran - Former hockey player and captain

Arts and cinema
Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar - Early Tamil theater
Allah Rakha Rahman - Music director, composer and singer. (Born A. S. Dileep in a Hindu Mudaliar family
Anandaraj - Tamil film actor
Kalaipuli Dhanu - Tamil film producer
N. S. Krishnan - Popularly known as Kalaivanar, film comedian, drama artist, playback singer
Na. Muthukumar - Tamil lyricist
Pandiarajan - Tamil film director and actor
G. V. Prakash Kumar- Tamil film music director
M. K. Radha - Cinema actor & recipient of the Padma Shri Award
Aascar Ravichandran - Tamil film producer, Aaskar films
S. Shankar - Tamil film director
V. Ravichandran - Kannada film actor and director
K. S. Ravikumar - Tamil film director and actor
Pammal Sambandha Mudaliar - Playwright and director of Tamil drama
R. K. Selvamani - Tamil film director
R. K. Shekhar - Music conductor and composer for Malayalam films
Thengai Srinivasan - Tamil film actor
Tharini Mudaliar - Australian actress
Pa. Vijay - Tamil lyricist and actor
Vijaya Bhaskar - Kannada film Music Director
Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan - Singer, composer of Tamil folk songs

Business
Chenniappan - Chairman, Nilgiris
M.B.Nirmal - Founder and chairman of Exnora International
Sivasankaran - Chairman of Sterling group
Ethiraj Mudaliar - Chairman Binny group, Partner Ram Chandra Medical College
(நன்றி:Mudaliyar Matrimony)