The two I's of South India are Iyengars and Iyers.
A)Iyengar
Iyengar (also Ayyangar, Aiyangar, Ayengar, Iengar) (Tamil:அய்யங்கார்)is the name of a community of Tamil Brahmins of South India whose members subscribe to the Visishtadvaita philosophy codified by Ramanuja. The word Iyengar literally means "people characterized by Five Components", referring to the five parts of Divine worship that Sri Vaishnavas who have had pancha samskara under a qualified guru perform.(Also see [1]). Experts in historical linguistics observe however that the appellation 'Iyengar' ['ayyaa+gaaru" = 'ayyangaaru' = 'ayyangaar'] is similar in formation to other historically known appellations such as 'appangar', 'annangar', 'ammangar' - all of which are constituted of two terms viz., a kinship term denoting an 'elder' and the Telugu honorific 'garu', a term of respect - appropriately contracted to 'gar' in spoken Tamil.
Introduction
Traditionally Iyengars have been found in the states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. There is also a sizeable community of Iyengars in the Purulia district of West Bengal who had migrated from Tamil Nadu by invitation of the King of Bengal around 1100 CE. Today Iyengars are widely spread all over the world and are distinguished not only for their knowledge of the vedas and divya prabandham, also known as Tamil Veda, but also for excellence in various fields such as science, technology, law etc.
Most Iyengars speak Tamil. However, Iyengars in Karnataka speak a dialect descended from medieval Tamil, which has a significant Kannada substrate. Iyengars in southern Andhra Pradesh speak both Tamil and Telugu.
Iyengars are followers of the Vaishnava tradition of the scholar-saints Ramanuja. This tradition is known within the community as Ubhaya or twofold Vedanta, referring to use of both the Sanskrit Vedas and Tamil Vedas, i.e., Divya Prabandham of the Alvar saints in religious life. Today, Iyengars are divided into two sects, known as Thenkalai , or "Southern Descention", and Vadakalai, or "Northern Descention", with subtly different philosophical and ritual interpretations of Ubhaya Vedanta. Scholarly opinion is mixed as to the origin of the two names. Some believe that the terms Southern and Northern refer to differing regional developments, the Southern or Thenkalai predominating in the south of the Tamil country and the Northern or Vadakalai predominating in the north. Others argue that they reflect the importance or primacy given to Tamil Scripture, Divya Prabandham, by the former and of the Sanskrit Vedanta by the latter. Despite these differences, however, both traditions uniformly revere the same teachers from the Alvars down to Ramanuja and largely agree in their core philosophies. The differences seen today stem primarily from social conflicts stemming from rivalries at large temples dating from the 18th century. Thengalai Iyengars follow Ramanuja and Manavala Mamuni. While Vadagalai Iyengars follow Ramanuja and Thuppul Vedanta Desika. The differences between the two sub sects are minor and they are united as a whole.
Origin
The word "Iyengar" is a relatively new name and was not used in any medieval works or scriptures. The word "Sri Vaishnava" would therefore be the right word to describe them, though all of them could be called as Sri Vaishnava Brahmins. The word Iyengar itself, meaning one who is characterized by five attributes (Aindu angangal), is independent of the person's Varna or caste. Rather, it indicates the philosophical affiliation of the adherent. However, in current day practice, the term is taken to indicate brahminical roots as most people who affiliated themselves with the philosophy were from the Brahmin castes.
Many Iyengars accept Narayana / Vishnu as the Supreme Being (Paramatma), and subscribe to a monotheistic philosophy of a Supreme Being who is the primal, substantive and supportive cause of the manifest and unmanifest universe. But it will appear strange for a Southerner to know that Vichitadvaitam as practised in South India is an unheard term among the Vaishnav Sects in the North India.
They also recognize all other gods such as Brahma, Indra, Shiva, Agni in the Hindu pantheon as subservient to Narayana and amongst the jeevatmas (sentient souls, chit) whose existence is dependent upon the will of the Supreme Being.
The community started taking shape about 1000 years ago, and traces its philosophical origins to Nathamuni, a Sri Vaishnava Acharya, who lived around 900 CE. Nathamuni, who was exposed to the divine outpourings of Nammazhwar and other Azhwars (Sri Vaishnava Saints from Southern India) introduced the philosophy of Azhwars into temple worship. Nathamuni's efforts were formalized into a religious system of lifestyle, practice and worship by Ramanuja, one of the most well known humanist acharyas amongst the triad who gave the famous three systems of vedantic philosophy-Visishtadvaita (Advaita - Shankara, Dvaita - Madhwa are other systems) . Ramanuja showed that the mystic insights of the Azhwars were the same truths enshrined in the vedas, and created a group of people whose identity as servants of Narayana focussed on the fact that all sentient beings were 'equal' being children of the same Supremet Being, and that outward bodily differences in terms of varna and caste were unimportant in terms of one's relationship to the Supreme. Ramanuja had Srivaishnava (Iyengar) disciples spanning the social gamut, including well known non-brahmin saints such as Pillai uranga villi dasar (before becoming Ramanuja's disciple, he would have been termed as a Shudra) and Tripura-devi, a lady disciple well known for her unwavering devotion to Ramanuja.
How many Brahmins are there among the 12 Azhwars? The answer is really surprising!
It can be argued that Ramanuja's efforts in bringing in people of Non-Brahmnical Origins into the Iyengar fold may have upset a few and might have caused the community divided into two sects, called then-kalai (southern descention) and vada-kalai (northern descention). Vada Kalai Sect aligned more with Vedanta Desikan. Thenkalais held the philosophy of Azhwars on par with the vedas and gave the divine outpourings of the Azhwars in Tamizh a place of primacy in every day worship. The thenkalais, led by the philosophical commentary of Pillailokacharya and Azhagiya Manavalapperumal nayanar, subscribe to the idea that human liberation stems from the uninstigated grace of the Supreme.
The Vadakalais, who trace their philosophical origins to the insightful Vedanta Desika, asseverate primacy to Sanskrit and Vedas, and believe that human effort is a contributory factor to liberation, as is Divine grace.
The community has always looked upon itself as a rival to the other Brahmin community of Tamil Nadu - Iyers, in spite of the fact many different Iyengar families have shared a common origin with the Iyers. Two of the Iyer sects vadamas and chozhiars have joined the Iyengar movement in large numbers. The former are more found among Vadakalais and the latter are found more among Tenkalais.
Dharmic Principles
Six Principles of Vishishtadvaita : Lord of Kanchi (Sri Varadaraja Perumal) told these six statements to Sri Ramanuja through Sri Thirukachi Nambi.
1. Sriman Narayana is the supreme self; unparalleled and unsurpassed - Ahameva Param Tatvam.
2. The lord has all the insentient and sentient as his body, and He is the soul of everything - Darsanam Bhedam Eve Cha.
3. The way to get salvation is surrendering to the feet of the Lord - Upayeshu Prapatisyaat.
4. There is no need to adopt contemplation on the Lord during our final breath - Anthima Smruthi Varjanam.
5. After the soul departs from the material body, it gets salvation if he/she adopted the means of surrender (saranagathi) - Dehaavasaane Mukthisyaat.
6. One should approach a fully qualified Vaishnava acharya and get enlightened - (Poorna)achaaryam Samaasraya.
Sri Vaishnavam is believed to be a true religion of the Vedas drawing authority from the Prasthana Thraiyam, namely, Upanishads, Brahma Sutra, and Bhagavad Gita.
In addition to the Prastana Thraiyam, Sri Vaishnavas consider the Tamil hymns of twelve saints called Alvars as equal in authority to that of the Vedas. These hymns are called the Divya Prabandha. The teachings found in Divya Prabhandham are completely consistent with the teachings of the Prasthana Thraiyam. Therefore, Sri Vaishnavas consider the Dhivya Prabhandhams to be equal in status to the Vedas. For this reason, Sri Vaishnavas are called Ubhaya Vedantis.
The central idea of Vishishtadvaita is this: there exists an Ultimate Reality, an Absolute Being that is the source and substratum of all that exists (Saguna Brahman). This immanent spirit is the inner guide and controller of the whole universe with all its diverse animate and inanimate elements. Ramanuja, in his seminal work gadya traya (three prose works), reiterates the idea of Azhwars that liberation or Moksha from the cycle of birth and death Samsara, is possible only due to the uninstigated Grace of this gracious, omnipotent Supreme Being. Such communion is attainable simply through self-surrender and a recognition of the jeevatma's total dependence on the Supreme Being.
The Vaishnavite tradition began in the Puranic period. Most Iyengars follow an unbroken lineage of Acharyas. After the period of the Tamil Saints called Azhvars, the Divya Prabandha was lost. During the 9th century C.E., Sri Nathamuni retrieved them by the grace of Nammalvar and re-established Sri Vaishnavism. For this reason Sriman Nathamuni is considered the first Acharya of the modern era. In the line of Acharyas that followed, Ramanuja is considered the greatest. Among his many achievements the commentary he wrote for Brahma Sutra, called Sri Bhashyam is considered by many to be the best.
Among the Acharyas after Sri Ramanuja, Sri Vedantha Desika and Sri Manavalamamuni are considered preeminent. After the time of these two great saints several Sri Vaishnava religious orders disciples of Swami Sri Desikan. Sri Ahobila Matam is the second oldest in this line.
The objects of worship are the images of Vishnu and His incarnations and the saligramas - small stone pebbles of different colors (predominantly black) recovered from the bed of the river Gandaki in Nepal at Mukti Kshetra. Saligramas are fossils.
Important Religious Texts
The four Vedas (Rig, Yajur, Sama and atharvaveda), Prashtana traya (Upanishads, Brahma-sutras and bhagavad geeta), Nalayira Dhivya Prabhandam, Pancharatra aagama, Ramayana, Mahabharata, Srimad Bhaghavatam, Vaishnava puranas (Vishnu Puranam, Garuda Puranam, Matsya Puranam, Kurma Puranam, Varaha Puranam, Padma Puranam, Vamana Puranam, Brahma Puranam), and the compositions/commentaries of various sri-vaishnava aacharyas.
PoliticsPost-independence, Iyengars, along with Iyers, have been marginalized by the anti-Brahmin Movement in Tamil Nadu. Prior to independence, Iyengars along with Iyers, held a monopoly over education and had a firm control over the administrative machinery in Madras province. The Iyengar community can take just pride in having produced the first Congress Chief Minister of Madras province, the first Indian Governor-General of India and a leading luminary of the freedom movement, Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari.
However, ironically, it was partially to Rajaji's policies, that Tamil Brahmins, owe their downfall. A couple of legislations brought into effect by the Rajaji Government that ruled from 1937 to 1939 decreed that all male members of a family should adopt the family profession and that Hindi should be made compulsory for government jobs. These legislations, more than anything else, were responsible for vitiating the communal atmosphere in the province resulting in the rapid growth of the Dravidian Movement. These were fueled by the jealousy of non-Brahmin upper castes and fears of Brahmin domination amongst the lower castes and Dalits. Rajaji was elected for a second term in 1952 but with Rajaji's resignation as Chief Minister two years later and his replacement by Kamaraj, the downfall began. Iyers and Iyengars were gradually effaced out of the political scene by the rise of Dravidianism and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam which captured power in 1967. Today, Iyengars, along with Iyers, have almost disappeared from the political arena with the exception of a few individuals. However, despite the elimination of the "Brahmin factor" from Tamil Nadu politics, Brahmin individuals still continue to wield considerable authority as the example of Jayalalithaa Jayaram, AIADMK supremo, two-time Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and the current Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly would indicate.
Iyengars Today
Iyengars today have diversified into a variety of fields—their strengths particularly evident in the fields of law, mass media, science, engineering, mathematics and computer science. However even today, a few Iyengars choose to pursue the vocation of priesthood. Iyengars have been active in the cultural field too. Music has always been integral to the Iyengar community; Carnatic music has a great tradition within the community. Apart from vocal music, instruments such as mridangam, naadaswaram, veena, ghatam, violin, and more recently, the mandolin etc., Bharatanatyam were also patronized. Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam together enjoy a rich patronage in the cultural festivities in and around Chennai during the months of December and January.
Use of Iyengar as a Last Name
Due to political persecution in Tamil Nadu and the resulting use of the Initial Prefix system, most Iyengars who grow up in the southern states of current generations have not used Iyengar as a last name. However the practice is still alive among Iyengars who grew up in Northern India, Mumbai or outside India. In recent times there has been a renewed interest in use of Iyengar as the new generation seeks an identity for itself.
Famous Iyengars
Due to education and a progressive outlook, Iyengars have progressed in many fields and have made remarkable contributions, especially in science, bureaucracy (Indian civil services) and more recently industry. Four of the 19 Indian RBI governors were Iyengars.
Science and Technology
1)Professor Mallur. K. Sundareshan:,Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Director, Information Processing and Decision Systems Lab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson
2)Sreenivas Lakshminarasimha Malurkar (late): Former Director, Colaba and Alibag Observatories, Mumbai. M.Sc. Cantab, Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, UK. Worked in mathematical physics at Sir Ernst Rutherford Research Laboratory, Cambridge, UK. Fellow, Indian National Science Academy. Post-doctoral Research Associate, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA.
3)M.C.Rangaswamy: Director, National Dairy Research Center, Bangalore
4)Prof. Asuri Sridharan: Geotechnical Engineer, Former Deputy Director, Indian Institute of Science Bangalore , Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Purdue University U.S.A, Fellow , Indian National Science Academy , Indian Academy of Sciences , Indian National Academy of Engineering.
5)Sir K. S. Krishnan: Physicist, Fellow of the Royal Society, Director of National Physical Laboratory. He along with Sir C.V.Raman discovered the Raman Effect.
6)C S Seshadri: Director, Chennai Mathematical Institute and Trieste Awardee.
7)Dr.Raja Ramanna: - Nuclear Scientist.
8)Dr S Rajappa: Former Deputy Director, National Chemical Laboratories, Pune.
9)Dr Rangaswamy Srinivasan: Former Scientist, IBM Research Labs, NY and inventor of LASIK laser surgery.
10)Dr Rangaswamy Narasimhan: Designer of India’s first general purpose digital computer. Also, Dr Rangaswamy Srinivasan's brother.
11)Dr. V.K. Aatre Former Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister of India (replaced Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Oceanographic scientist, Fmr. Scientific Advisor to the Defence Minister of India and Fmr. head of the DRDO.
Prof S Sadagopan - Founder Director, International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore, India.
12)Mandyam V Srinivasan: Robotics and Biology.
Dr. K Kasturirangan - Head of Indian Space Research Organisation (India's Space Agency).
13)P. K. Iyengar: Former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
14)M. R. Srinivasan:Former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission.
15)Dr.Rajan K. Sampath: FAO Consultant Head of Economics Dept, Colorado State University and Former Managing Director of ISARD.Author of several books and journals.
16)Dr. S. Rangachari: Renowned physician.
17)Dr. P.Vasudevan: Renowned Urologist in the US after whom the Dr Vasudevan Wellness Center at the University of Arkansas at Helena, Arkansas is named.
18)Dr. Srinidhi Varadarajan: Renowned Computer Scientists, Director of Terrascale Computing Facility at Virginia Tech and leader of the team that built the world's cheapest and seventh fastest super computer.
19)Dr. R. N. Iyengar: Director, Central Building Research Institute, KSIIDC Chair, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Science.
20)Dr. Kotur S. Narasimhan: Former Director, Central Fuel Research Institute, (CSIR) Dhanbad, Bihar.
21)Dr Thirumalachari Ramasami: Secretary, Department of Science and Technology, Govt of India, New Delhi.
22)Professor Ramanuja Vijayaraghavan:- Physicist, TIFR.
Sonny Ramaswamy - Insect physiologist; Director of Agricultural Research Programs and Associate Dean, Purdue University
23)Gita Ramaswamy: Textile scientist; Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Purdue University
24)Ravi Iyengar:Indian neuroscientist, pioneer in G protein studies.
Dr. Rangachar S. Keshavaprasad - American trained Interventional Cardiologist who has performed over 10,000 cardiac catheterizations completely free of charge in rural India.
25)Dr. K.Aprameyan:Former CMD, Bharat Earth Movers Limited
26)Prof. S.Ranganathan:Professor Emeritus ( Metallurgical sciences ),IISc and Bhatnagar award recipient
27)Professor Dr Nallar Chakravarthy Vaijayanthi: Professor Obstetrics & Gynaecology, banaglore University
28)Dr. Sudarshan: Remote Sensing Expert - Regional Organisation for Protection of Marine Environment - Kuwait
29)Late Prof. Sampath:Ertswhile Director IIT Kanpur and a distibguished academic
30)Late Dr. M.D. Rajagopal:MBBS, PhD (Anatomy), Served as Professor of Anatomy at Medical Colleges of Mysore, Hubli & Gulbarga. Had been a visiting Professor of Anatomy at Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, pioneered research on comparative anatomy of Indian Elephants.
31)Dr N.V.Ramanuja Iyengar:a renowned Cardiologist - Miami, USA - Actively associated with building the Shiva Vishnu temple as Chairman of the temple trust in Fortlauderdale. He is now pursuing efforts for restoration/renovation of the Gunjanarasimhaswamy temple in T.Narasipur, Mysore district, India
Venkataramanan Soundararajan - Biological Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Nanobiomaterials Researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. Graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, India in 2005. Founded the education consultancy company Lakshyas in 2005 and the Ignited Mind Council in 2006 of which he is currently the chairman.
32)Mr N.V.V.Char: Formerly Commissioner (Eastern Rivers) and Chairman, Brahmaputra Board of the Ministry of Water Resources, Govt. of India, is a renowned civil engineer and has been involved in fruitful negotiations of the Mahakali Water Sharing Treaty with Nepal and the Farakka -Ganga Water Sharing -Treaty with Bangladesh and has played a significant role in resolving issues connected with the most controversial Sardar Sarovar Multipurpose Project on the Naramada river. He is now very well known as consultant in the field of Hydropower development in India.
33)Dr. S.Sridhar:Aero Space Engineer for 20 years in several aerospace companies in USA, followed by more than 10 years computer companiesand is currently a programme manager of Sun MicroSystem in San Diego, USA
34)Dr. Krishnamachar Harish:Surgical Oncologist for 15 years and contributed towards pioneering research in Cancer surgery, is currently the Dean of the Oncology department at the M.S.R. Hospital, Bangalore
35)V.L. Narasimhan:Associate Director at High Energy Materials Research Labs Pune and a 2 time AGNI award winner
36)Mannargudi Rengarajan Rajesh:Prominent Home Theatre Professional from Chennai. Involved in widely publicising the concept of Home theatres and micro electronics in Chennai and Singapore.
37)Dr. S.Sampath Iyengar:Geologist and renowned Mineralogist of the Technology of Materials Laboratory, in California, who did original research work on the Mysterious Crop Circles. His work has been covered in shows in History Channel and also in show called Uncalled Mysteries.[2]
38)Dr.G.Sundararajan:Bhatnagar award winner and Director ARCI, Hyderabad ( Metallurgist)
39)Dr.Rama Govindarajan:IIT Alumnus & Bhatnagar award recipient
40)Dr. Prof. Venkateshan Shakkottai:Professor of heat transfer at IIT, Chennai and author of the text book 'First Course in Heat Transfer'.
41)Dr.Venkatavaradan:Astrophysicist and Erswhile Director, Nehru Planetarium, Mumbai
Mathematics
1)Prof. A S Rangarajan:Professor of Mathematics,Retired as Additional Director of Collegiate Education, govt. of Karnataka
Srinivasa Iyengar Ramanujan - world renowned Mathematician.
2)Prof Thothatri Iyengar:Professor of Mathematics, St Joseph's College, Tiruchi, and teacher of A P J Abdul Kalam
3)S. R. Srinivasa Varadhan:Abel Prize awardee 2007.
4)Ramakrishnan:Actuary-Consultant for various insurance companies
5)Professor Chidambaram Padmanabhan Ramanujam - Mathematician, TIFR.
6)T.S.Vijayaraghavan - Eminent Mathematician.
7)Professor Mudumbai Narasimhan - Mathematician & Fellow of the Royal Society (1996).
8)Professor Madabusi Raghunathan - Mathematician & Fellow of the Royal Society (2000).
9)Professor Conjeeveram Seshadri - Mathematician & Fellow of the Royal Society (1988).
10)Professor Mandyam Srinivasan - Fellow of the Royal Society (2001).
11)Professor Cadambathur Tiruvenkatacharlu Rajagopal: Mathematician, Ramanujan Institute
12)S Ramanan:Mathematician and TIFR Professor
13)Prof G Rangarajan:Prof of Mathematics and HOD , department of Mathematics, IISc .
Music
1)Ariyakudi T. Ramanuja Iyengar:Renowned Carnatic musician.
2)Mysore Doraiswamy Iyengar:Veena Maestro.
3)Varaha swamy:Gottuvadya Maestro
Madurai T. N. Seshagopalan - Carnatic music maestro.
4)Chitraveena Ravi Kiran:Chitraveena maestro & Child Prodigy.
5)Guitar Prasanna:Carnatic Guitar pioneer and Jazz fusion composer.
Annamacharya - Vaishnava Saint and Carnatic Music Composer.
6)Tiger Varadachariar:Renowned Carnatic Music Exponent.
T.B.Narasimhachar - aka 'Saragrahi', renowned Carnatic Music Critic and Sabha organiser.
7)BS Raja Iyengar:Carnatic Vocal
8)Chitte Krishna Iyengar:Carnatic Vocal
9)Belakavadi Srinivasa Iyengar:Carniatic Vocal
10)M J.sreenivasa Iyengar:Veena
11)Veena Chokkama:Veena & Vocal - Carnatic Music
12)Srirnagam Gopalaaratam:Vocal
13)Neelamma Kadambi:Veena & Vocal - Carnatic Music
14)Rajalakshmi Tirunarayanan:Veena
15)Vasundara Das:Musician.
16)Sudha Raghunathan:Carnatic Vocal.
17)Mrs.Vedavalli:Carnatic Vocal
18)NS Krishnaswamy Iyengar:Carnatic Vocal; Guru of DK Pattammal
19)T M Krishna:Carnatic Vocal.
20)Sangeetha Bhushana M A Narasimhachar:Carnatic Vocal Exponent
21)Latha Rajnikanth:Notable personality and singer wife of Rajnikanth Tamil Film Actor
22)Prithvi Kumar:Drummer/Percussionist
23)Lakshmi Rangarajan:Notable Carnatic Vocalist
24)Harini:Film Singer
25)Blazee:Rap Singer
26)Vellore Dr.A.R.Srinivasan:Carnatic musician, percussionist,
and author of kirthanas.
Journalism
1)Sudha Sadanand:TV personality
2)N. Ram:Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu.
3)TCA Srinivasa-Raghavan:Columnist, Business Standard of India.
4)Late A.G. Venkatachari:Former Editor of Dinamani
5)Seshadri Chari:Editor, The Organiser, periodical of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
6)Sreenivasan Jain:Of iyengar heritage and correspondent for NDTV.
7)Madhan:Cartoonist.
8)Keshav, V Pitchumani:Cartoonist The Hindu, Painter.
Sandilyan - Tamil Novelist
9)Deepam Naa.Parthasarathy:Author, Tamil Novelist, Founder of Deepam, a Tamil literary magazine.
10)T. S. SreenivasaRaghavan:Correspondent, The Times of India.
11)Seetha Parthasarathy:Journalist and Author of The Backroom Brigade: How a Few Intrepid Entrepreneurs Brought the World to India.
12)Vai. Mu. Kodainayaki Ammal:First woman editor in Tamil,
13)Jaganmohini:Tamil monthly, and novelist(1903-1960).
14)V.K.Narasimhan:Ex-Editor-in-chief, Indian Express.
15)S.Narasimhan:Ex-Asst. Editor, Indian Express, Bangalore.
16)V.N.Narayan:Editor Bhavan's Journal of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.
17)Indra Soundarrajan:Story Writer - Tamil
18)Sriram Sridharan Sriperumbudur-Echambadi:Chennai's famous student blogger at Orangeman Burns - Sriram Sridharan's blog.
19)R V Chari:Ex Editor of Economic Times
20)K.Partha Sarathy:Senior Reporter ETV News
21)Prema Nandakumar:Author and Free-lance journalist
'Sujatha'Rangarajan-writer and films script writer
Industry
1)Partha Iyengar:Research Vice President, Gartner Inc.
2)Ms. Shobana Ramachandran-Chairperson TVS Tyres Ltd
3)M. R. Narasimha Iyengar:Founder, Mysore Lamps
4)Shailesh Ayyangar:Managing Director, Aventis Pharma Ltd
5)Dr. Krishna Bharat:Principal Scientist, Google Inc.
6)Pulavanur Chakrapani Iyengar:ESSEE Industries Ltd
7)Srikanth Nadhamuni:part of the team that first pioneered the Intel Pentium chip
8)Narasimha Chari:Chief Architect, Tropos networks
9)Uday Garudachar:Managing Director and Promoter of Garuda Group, the group which owns Garuda Mall in Bangalore
10)G. R. Gopinath:CEO and Co-Founder of Air Deccan
11)Sampath Iyengar:CEO, PSI Systems
12)Sridar Iyengar:Director of Infosys and President of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) in Silicon Valley
13)Suresh Krishna:CEO, Sundaram Fasteners
14)A Krishnan:Ex Managing Director, State Bank of Mysore, Author of a rendition of The Ramayana
15)N Sampath Kumar:Executive Director, Finance, IndusInd Bank Ltd.
16)Ravi Parthasarathy:Vice-Chairman & Managing Director, IL&FS Ltd.
17)S V Parthasarathy:Executive Director- operations, IndusInd Bank Ltd.
18)Kuppuswamy Vijay Raghavan:Ex-Chairman, Engineers India Limited, Chairman, premier explosives Limited and President, EID Parry Ltd.
19)N S Raghavan:Co-Founder of Infosys.
20)Arvind Raghunathan:Managing Director and Head of Global Arbitrage, Deutsche Bank
21)Prof T.K.S.Kumar:Founder and Chief Exeutive, Ananth's Group of Companies, Large Consumer Durable service providers
22)P Ragunathan:Senior Vice-President, IndusInd Bank Ltd.
23)Srini Rajam:Chairman and CEO, Ittiam Ltd
24)Shyam Ramanna:CEO of Crest Communictions, a famous animation firm and son of Dr Raja Ramanna
25)R. Seshasayee:President of Confederation of Indian Industry and CEO of Ashok Leyland, part of the Hinduja group
26)Balaji Sreenivasan:Founder & CEO, [Aurigo] Software Technologies Inc.
27)Ramanujam Sridhar:Author and CEO of Brand-Comm, a prominent Brand consulting firm
28)Raj Srikanth:Managing Director, Deutsche Bank Alex Brown Securities, New York
29)Venu Srinivasan:MD, TVS Motor Company Ltd
30)T. V. Sundram Iyengar:Founder of T.V.S. group (automobile and finance)
31)Vidyadharini:Former Business Development Manager of Covansys, Sanjose now Business Head Innova Inc CA.
32)TT Srinivasaraghavan:MD Sundaram Finance Ltd
33)S. Madhavan:MD i|Nautix Technologies India (P) Ltd.,
34)N.S.Iyengar:Founder of Ultramarine & Pigments Ltd and Thirumalai Chemicals Ltd - two companies in the top 500 of BSE
35)M.R.Srinivas Prasad:Vice President - IT, Fidelity Investments Ltd
36)Ramesh Vangal:Ex Pepsi India Chief and serial entrepreneur
37)T.K.Balaji:MD, Lucas TVS
38)C.P. Raman:Erstwhile MD, Union Carbide and Ex President TVS Motors
39)P.K.Madhav:CEO,Maytas Infra
40)S.Narayanan:Managing Director, PPN Power
Diplomacy, Bureaucracy and Politics
1)Shamaiya Iyengar:minister of post and police under tipu sultan
2)C V Rangacharlu:Diwan of Mysore
3)A. R. Badrinarayan (late):Former Minister for Education, Govt. of Karnataka, Former Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha), Former President, Hebbar Srivaishnava Sabha.
4)C. V. Narasimhan:former Under secretary General, United Nations
5)C.Vijayaraghvachariyar:President, Indian National Congress (1920), All India Hindu Maha Sabha (1931), Member Imperial Legislative Council.
6)Sir T.Vijayaraghavachariyar:Dewan of Udayapur.
7)Sir V.T.Krishnamachari:Dewan of Baroda.
8)N.Gopalaswamy Iyengar:Nehru's Minister for Kashmir Affairs
9)C. S. Venkatachar:Dewan of Udayapur
10)C. S. Srinivasachar:Secretary to Sir M. Visvesvaryya and founder of Malleswaram Co-operative Bank, Malleswaram, Bangalore
11)C. S. Kuppammal:Educationist and one of the founder members of Malleswaram Ladies Association Group of Institutions in Malleswaram, Bangalore.
12)Rajaji:Freedom fighter, national leader, the first Indian Governor General of Independent India and also the Chief Minister of State of Madras.
13)C V Ranganathan:Former Indian Ambassador to China.
14)TCA Srinivasavardan:Former Home Secretary, Government of India.
15)Justice K.S. Paripoornan:Former justice Supreme Court of India.
16)Dr.K.Sreenivasan:Former DGP & IGP of Karnataka State.
17)L N Rangarajan:Indian Ambassador to Norway, Professor at Manchester University, UK and author of an English translation of Arthasastra.
18)H V R Iyengar:(Late) ICS, Home Secretary, RBI Governor, Secretary to the Constituent Assembly etc among various positions in the administrative services in both pre and post independence India.
19)Vijay Rangarajan:Acting British Ambassador to Mexico.
20)N Gopalaswami:Election Commissioner, Government of India.
21)G. Parthasarathy:Former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, Cyprus and Australia.
22)S. Ramaswamy:Former Director General of Technical Development, Ministry of Industries, Govt.of India.
23)Venkat Chary:Former Chairman Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission and Addnl Chief Secretary Govt of Maharashtra, currently Chairman MCX, Multi Commodity Exchange of India.
24)N. Rangachary:Director, Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA), India.
25)C.V. Narasimhan:Under Secretary General of the UN.
26)C. Rangarajan:Former Governor of Reserve Bank of India and governor of Andhra Pradesh, India.
27)M Ananthasayanam Ayyangar:First speaker of the Indian Parliament.
28)K. Santhanam:An attorney, Gandhian, 1st Railway Minister in Free India, Governor of Vindhya Pradesh, Chairman of Santhanam Committee on Corruption, authored several books), including a critical edition on the Jallianwallah Bagh massacre.
29)K Parasaran:Attorney General of India for Indira Gandhi.
30)Mohan Parasaran:Eminent Lawyer - SC
31)Ashok Parthasarathi:Scientific Adviser to Indira Gandhi.
32)Sir Bhashyam Iyengar:Eminent Lawyer and one of the first Indian Judges of the Madras High Court.
33)T.T. Krishnamachari:Industrialist, Minister of Finance for Jawaharlal Nehru.
34)J. Jayalalithaa:Former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu.
35)K N Govindacharya:RSS Idealogue.
36)R K Raghavan:Director of Central Bureau of Investigation.
37)T Narasimha Iyengar:Renowned Criminal Vakil who was a member of the jury investigating the Arbuthnot Crash and grandfather of Rangaswamy Srinivasan and P Ragunathan.
38)Sr. Advocate Embar Varadha Iyengar:Renowned Criminal lawyer.
39)N Kannan:Head, Civil Affairs, U.N Mission in Cyprus.
40)Justice .M. Srinivasan:Judge, Supreme Court.
41)Justice S. Ranganathan:(retired judge Supreme Court and the Delhi high Court)
42)Sr. Advocate Late Heragu Singaiyengar:Renowned lawyer
43)Late Venkatachari Srinivasan (V.Srinivasan):Eminent Lawyer, Secretary, Madras Bar Association
44)TT Vasu:Eminent Personality
45)Jairam Ramesh:Member of Parliament
46)Late M.Narayanan :Served as Divisional Traffic Superintendent, Souther n Railways, Mysore & President 0f Southern Railway Association, and Vice President of All India level, and a member of ZRVCC.
47)Jagannathan: - Former RBI Governor
Sports
1)M J Gopalan:- Cricket & Hockey Player.
2)S. Venkataraghavan:Cricketer.
3)Krishnamachari Srikanth:Cricketer.
4)Sadagopan Ramesh:Former Opening Batsman, Indian Cricket Team.
5)W V Raman:- Opening Batsman, Indian Cricket Team.
6)M. Chinnaswamy:Cricket administrator.
7)M.R. Srinivas Prasad:Former Cricket player, Karnataka.
8)Sudararajan Kidambi:International Chess Master.
9)Krishnan Sasikiran:Chess Grandmaster.
10)TE Srinivasan:Former Test Cricketer
CR Rangachari - Test cricketer
Sridharan Sriram ( India cricket International- Played for India in a couple of ODI s)
Films and Entertainment
1)R. Madhavan:Tamil actor
2)Vyjayantimala Bali:Tamil/Hindi Actress.
3)Hema Malini:Hindi Actress.
4)Kavignar Vali:Tamil Lyricist.
5)Madhoo:Kollywood and Bollywood actress. Heroine in multilingual blockbuster Roja.
6)Dr.P.B.Srinivas:Playback singer.
7)Y. G. Mahendran:Dramatist, film actor and comedian.
8)B.S.Ranga:Veteran producer and director of Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films with more than 70 movies to his credit, winner of 2 President's Awards, Rajotsava Awardee.
9)Kamal Haasan:- Actor.
10)"Crazy" Mohan:Scriptwriter and dramatist.
11)Maadhu Balaji:dramatist
12)M.S.Sathyu:Kannada and Hindi Film Director.
13)Sandeep Prasad:[citation needed]-Actor.
14)Aathreya:Telugu lyricist.
15)Sadagopan Venkatesh:Vice President Cambridge worldwide Inc. Former DJ of New Jersey FM, actor and stage performer.
16)Yashoda Ranganathan:Indo-Canadian Actress.
Sabrina Setlur - German rapper Of Iyengar heritage (Father Iyengar).
17)Chithralaya Gopu:Tamil Playwright and Film Director.
18)Vasundara Das:Actress (Kannada, Tamil And Hindi Movies).
19)Y G Mahendran:Famous Drama / Cinema Actor
20)Raman Vijay:- Famous local comedian of champagne / aspiring Cinema Actor
21)Suhashini Manirathinam:Film Actress W/o Manirathinam Famous Director in Tamil, Hindi
22)Geetha[citation needed]:Tamil Film and TV Actress
23)Srikanth:Upcoming Tamil Film Star
24)Late "Major" Sundarrajan:Yesteryears Film Personality
25) "LIC" Narasimhan:Film and TV Actor
26)Charu Hassan:Tamil Actor - Brother of Kamal Haasan and father-in-law of Manirathinam
27)Anu Hassan:Tamil Actress - D/o Chandra Hassan
28)Shruti Hassan:Tamil Actress/Singer - D/o Kamal Haasan
29)Jayalalitha:Tamil Actress Ex- Chief Minister of Tamil nadu
30)Vedham K Kannan:Director, Scriptwriter and dramatist
31)Air Vice Marshal Rama Iyengar Krishnan:(Retired) IAF, DRDO
Army and Police
1)Aprameya Sreenivas Malurkar:Former (17th) DG & IG of Police Karnataka State.
2)Gen. K. Sundarji:Former Chief of the Indian Army.
3)General Sundararajan Padmanabhan:Former chief of the Indian Army.
4)Dr.K.Sreenivasan - Former DGP & IGP of Karnataka State.
5)S. Parthasarathi Ayyangar:Former Commissioner of Police in Madras Presidency.
6)Lt Gen C R Sampath Kumar:Military Secretary to Shankar Dayal Sharma, President of India.
7)Lt. Gen.S.S.R.Iyengar:Former commandant of School of Artillery
8)Air Marshal(Retd.)Sriperampudur Raghavan former AO-in-C(Logistics), HQMC
9)B. N. Garudachar:Director-General and Inspector-General of Police Karnataka.
10)K. R. Srinivasan:Director-General of Police Karnataka.
11)Dr.P. S. Ramanujan:Director-General of Police Karnataka & a Sanskrit scholar
12)K.Seetharam:Black cat to Rajiv Gandhi and Aide-De-Camp(ADC) to Governor of Karnataka
13)Maj. Gen. (Retd.) C. Thiruvengada Chari:Army Corps of Engineers
14)H.N.B.Vasan:Border Road Organisation, Executive Engineer.
15)Air Chief Marshall Srinivasapuram Krishnaswamy:Former Chief of the Indian Air Force
Miscellaneous
1)Sri Tirumalai Krishnamacharya:Father of modern Yoga, great Yogi and healer who taught B.K.S. Iyengar, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and Indra Devi.
2)B.K.S. Iyengar:Yogi and founder of Iyengar Yoga.
3)Srinivasa (Hal)Iyengar:Chief Structural Engineer of the Sears Tower, John Hancock Tower and Spain's Guggenheim Museum.
4)Dr. K.R. Srinivasa Iyengar:Former Vice Chancellor of Andhra University, who pioneered Indian writing in English
5)V. Krishnaswamy Sharma:Founder LIFCO Books
6)Thathachariars of Srirangam:Owners of the world famous Thathachariar Gardens in Srirangam, Trichy.
7)Mallur Krishnaswamy Famous civil constructer in Mysore.
Hebbar Iyengars
Hebbar Iyengars are followers of Ramanuja's philosophy preaching Vishishtadvaita. They are mainly from Hassan, Mandya, Mysore, Tumkur, Bangalore, and the surrounding places in southern Karnataka. The etymology of Hebbar, in Kannada, resolves to "hebbu/hiridhu" (meaning big) + "haaruva" (meaning brahmin).
The characteristic dialect of the Hebbar Iyengars is called "Hebbar Tamil" and is a mixture of Kannada and archaic Tamil, along with a minor influence of Sanskrit. However almost all Hebbar Iyengars are conversant in Kannada as the language of communication with others in society.
An excellent analysis on Hebbar Tamil has been done here
History: Hebbar iyengars are an endogamous group originating from five (main pancha grama) villages Shanti Grama, Belur, Nuggehalli, Nonavinakere and Bindiganavile. There are however more than a dozen villages scattered around in southern karnataka region from which their origins could be traced are Kadaba, Melkote, Ambuga, Sampige, Hiremagalur, Heragu, Shanku, Hebbalalu, Gorur, Mavinakere, Chikkamenahalli, Halthore, Maloor and Hampapura.
The lack of any written historical records hampers the search for the origin of the Hebbar Iyengars and hence nothing can be precisely concluded about the origin of Hebbar Iyengars. One theory is that the Hebbar Iyengars of today are descended from the Jains residing in Karnataka who were converted to Vishishtadvaita philosophy along with their monarch, Bittideva, the Hoysala king, around 1180 AD, by the philosopher Ramanuja. Ramanuja was residing at Melkote (near Mysore) at that time. However another theory is that Hebbar Iyengars are local Kannadigas introduced to the Vishishtadvaita philosophy by Ramanuja. Another possibility is that the Hebbar Iyengars are the descendants of Ramanuja's disciples from Tamil Nadu during his stay at Melkote. An interesting fact is that Hebbar Iyengars use the Solar calendar (souramana) for celebrating certain festivals viz. Nrusimha Jayanti. This tradition coincides with the traditions of the Srirangam temple.[1]. This supports the argument of these people being direct descendants of Ramanuja's disciples.
At least one group of Hebbar iyengars from Shantigrama know their origins. The village and the tank were constructed by a Kashi Brahmin who was a minister in Hoysala Veera Ballala's court. This is based on records carved on tablet of stone in the Yoga Narasimha temple. The name Shanti Grama is due to the queen Shanthala Devi of Hoysala dynasty. See www.shantigrama.com.
Distinguished Hebbar Iyengars
1)Asha Gopal:Padmashri, Bharatanatyam dancer.
2)B.S. Ranga:film producer & director.
3)Dr. B. Narasimha Iyengar:director of agriculture under Maharaja Sri Krishnaraja Wodeyar.
4)Chikkupadhyaya: 17th century A.D, Kannada poet, Tutor and minister of Maharaja Sri Chikkadevaraja Wodeyar.
5)G.P. Rajarathnam:Kannada novelist.
6)Gopivallabha Iyengar:High Court judge.
7)Gorur Ramaswamy Iyengar:Kannada novelist.
8)N S Raghavan:Former Advocate General of Andhra Pradesh.
9)Grama Srinivasa Desikachar:Abhinava Ramanuja, Asthana Vidwan at Sri Andavan Ashrama, Sanskrit and Kannada scholar.
10)H.V.R. Iyengar:ICS, Secretary to the Constituent Assembly, Home Secretary, SBI Chairman, RBI Governor.
11)Indira Iyengar:table tennis.
12)Jairam Ramesh: Member of Parliament.
13)Kalyan Kumar: Kannada actor.
14)Masti Venkatesh Iyengar: Kannada novelist.
15)Prof. Mallur K. Sundareshan: Director, Information Processing and Decision Systems Lab, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson AZ, USA.
16)Dr. Sudarshan: remote sensing & oceanography.
17)Narakesari Narayandas:Harvard professor.
18)Raja Ramanna:nuclear scientist.
19)Revathy Satyu: Bharatanatyam dancer.
20)Shyla Yogananda:adventurous motor sports.
21)Vasundhara Das:singer and actress.
Iyer
Iyer (Tamil : அய்யர்) is the common designation given to Tamils from the upper Brahmin caste of Hinduism who adhere to and sometimes profess the Advaita philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara.
Origins
Iyers are South Indian Brahmins who reside in the states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. Iyers are predominantly Smarthas or followers of the Smriti texts.
The term Iyer is derived from the term Ayya which is often used by Tamils to designate respectable people. The word Ayya is a Prakrit corruption of the Sanskrit word 'Arya' which means 'noble'.[2][3]
The origin of Iyers, like other South-Indian Brahmin communities, is shrouded in mystery. There have been evidences of Brahmin presence in the southern states even prior to the Sangam Age. However, it is generally believed that they were few in number and that most Iyers migrated from other parts of India at a later stage. According to some sources, these early inhabitants comprised mostly of priests who ministered in temples known as "Gurukkals". Large scale migrations are generally believed to have occurred between 200 and 1600 AD and most Iyers are believed to have descended from these migrants.[4][5][6][7]. However, this theory has come under attack in recent times from historians and anthropologists who question the validity of this theory due to lack of evidence.[8][9][10][11][12]
Though initially divided into distinct groups, they have slowly evolved into a single community with similar culture and habits. They have preserved their unique common identity, even after migrating to other places.
During the early medieval period, when Ramanuja founded Vaishnavism many Iyers adopted the new philosophical affiliation and were called Iyengars.[13]
[edit] Iyers and the Aryan Invasion Theory
See also: Aryan Invasion Theory (history and controversies)
Iyer men and women are fairer in complexion to the average Tamilian and this, along with the meaning of the word "Iyer" itself are regarded as sufficient evidences of an "Aryan origin" for Tamil Brahmins.[14] Moreover, some Iyer communities pay homage to the river Narmada instead of the South Indian river Cauvery in their rituals and revere legends proposing a northern origin for their community. This issue is still being debated and researched by anthropologists, linguists and archaeologists alike. However, regardless of whether the "Aryan theory" of origin for Iyers is true or not, still it has often been a major propaganda tool for politicians who have frequently utilized this canard to inflame caste and communal passions and get votes.
Recent genetic studies amongst Iyers of Madurai reveal close proximity to populations from Eurasian steppes of Central Asia.[15][16] However, when genetic analysis of South Asians was performed while discarding caste-based ramifications, it was observed that South Indians, in general had lesser genetic affinity with Central Asian people than the inhabitants of North India and that Indian caste and tribal populations all emerged from the same source.[17] Some geneticists like Toomas Kivisild and Stephen Oppenheimer even postulated that these affinities might have originated in India and propose an Indian home for the Aryan race.[18]
[edit] Subsects
Iyers have many sub-sects among them, such as Vadama, Brahacharanam, Vathima, Sholiyar or Chozhiar , Ashtasahasram, Mukkani and Gurukkal.[19][20] Each sub-sect is further subdivided according to the village or region of origin. They also maintain a similar culture regardless of specific origin, due to cultural interaction for more than a millennium.
Iyers are also divided into different sects based on the Veda they follow. Iyers belonging to the Yajur Veda sect usually follow the teachings of the Krishna Yajur Veda.[21]
A small but very important sect is that of Sivacharya or Gurukkal. They are the hereditary priests or Archakas of the Siva and Sakthi temples in Tamil Nadu. They are Saivas and follow the philosophy of Shaiva Siddhanta. They are well versed in Agama Sasthras and follow the Agamic rituals of these temples.
The Mukkani sub-sect of Iyers are traditionally helpers to the priests in the temples of Thiruchendur - a shrine to Subrahmanya, the son of Lord Siva. Legend has it that the Mukkanis were the "bhoothaganas" - the demon bodyguards of Lord Siva - and that they were given the responsibility for guarding Subrahmanya's shrines by Siva. Since they are darker-complexioned perhaps the Mukkani sub-caste is until today viewed by the other Iyer sub-castes as a "lower Iyer sect"[22]. The Mukkanis predominantly subscribe to the Rig Veda.
Gotra or Lineage
See Also: Brahmin gotra system
Iyers—like all other Brahmins—trace their paternal ancestors to one of eight rishis or sages. Accordingly they classify themselves into eight gotras, based upon the ancestor rishi. A maiden in the family belongs to gotra of her father, but upon marriage takes the gotra of her husband.
Demographics
Today, Iyers live all over South India, but an overwhelming majority of Iyers continue to thrive in Tamil Nadu. They form roughly 3% of the state's total population and are quite evenly distributed all over the state.[25]
They are concentrated mainly along the Cauvery Delta districts of Mayiladuthurai, Thanjavur and Tiruchirapalli where they form almost 10% of the total population. In Northern Tamil Nadu they are found in the urban areas of Chennai, Kanchipuram, Chengalpattu, Sriperumbudur and Vellore. They are almost non-existent in rural parts.
Iyers are also found in fairly appreciable number in Western and Southern districts of Tamil Nadu. Iyers of the far south are called Tirunelveli Iyers and speak the Tirunelveli Brahmin dialect. The most prominent Tirunelveli Iyer was Subramanya Bharathy, often regarded as the "national poet of Tamil Nadu". In Coimbatore, there are a large number of Kerala Iyers from Palakkad.
Telugu-speaking Smartha Brahmins, especially of the Mulukanadu sect, often identify themselves as Iyers. They are found all along coastal Andhra Pradesh and North Tamil Nadu. The fall of the Vijayanagar Empire in 1565 prompted large scale migrations from Vijayanagar as thousands of Telugu Brahmins moved southwards and settled in the districts of Tamil Nadu. There were also periodic migrations from the southern districts of Andhra Pradesh during the 19th and early 20th centuries when Southern and Eastern districts of Andhra Pradesh were parts of Madras province.Savant Tyagaraja, the Paramacharya of the Kanchi mutt and singer S.P.Balasubramanyam are prominent Iyers of Telugu origin.
Migrations
Migration to West Bengal
The oldest recorded migration of Tamil Brahmins is to West Bengal. They are known as Dākṣiṇātyas amongst Vaidika Brahmins. See Bengali Brahmins.
Though the date of migration is being hotly debated, the general opinion is that they came during the period of the Senas.[27] It is also possible that they arrived in the train of the Chola armies during Rajendra Chola's invasion which took place between 1021 and 1024 C.E. See Mahipala. Some historians have reported that the Adi Sura (Vira sena) who is supposed to have brought the five Brahmin families to Bengal was himself a Tamil Brahmin.
Migration to Karanataka
Over the last few centuries, a large number of Iyers have also migrated and settled in parts Karnataka. The erstwhile Mysore state had been home to a significantly large Mulukanadu community. During the enlightened rule of the Mysore Maharajahs, a large number of Iyers from the then Madras province migrated to Mysore and contributed to the cultural and economic growth of the kingdom. The Ashtagrama Iyers are also a prominent group of Iyers in Karnataka.
Migrations to Kerala
A series of large-scale migrations of Iyers from the Tamil country into Kerala over the past few centuries has created a slightly unique 'Kerala Iyer' community. According to anthropologists, two streams of migration actually took place:
From Tirunelveli and Ramnad districts of Tamil Nadu first to the erstwhile princely states of Travancore and Cochin and later to Palakkad and Kozhikode districts.
From Tanjore district of Tamil Nadu to Palakkad. They are known as Palakkad Iyers.
[edit] Iyers in Travancore and Cochin regions
Today, majority of the Iyers living in the historic Travancore and Cochin regions of Kerala are the descendents of Iyers migrated from the former Pandya kingdom and the Madras Presidency after 18th century. However, as a Tamil Brahmin community strictly following Smartism, Iyers were neither considered eligible nor allowed to officiate as priests in the temples of Kerala, which followed 'Tantra Vidhi'- a very complex and ancient branch of Tantric traditions preserved by Namboothiris unlike in other parts of India, with the exception of Nanjilnad. (Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu which was formerly part of Travancore). In Kanyakumari district, Iyers were also allowed to officiate as priests due to cultural reasons.
Iyers were skilled in commerce and culinary art and were employed as cooks, accountants (Karyakars), other higher officers and ministers to the Royal family. Iyers are generally credited with having introduced previously unknown dishes as idli, sambhar, dosa and vadai to Kerala.
The first prominent member of the Iyer community in Kerala was Ramayyan Dalawa, who was the Prime Minister (Dewan or Dalawa) of Travancore State during the reign of Raja Marthanda Varma.
Tamil Brahmins have fully integrated into Kerala society while retaining their Tamil cultural heritage and Smartha traditions.
Since there were not many schools teaching standard Tamil in Travancore and Cochin they have been learning Malyalam for generations. Hence, most of them speak a Brahmin Tamil dialect influenced by Malayalam vocabulary at home. They have also heavily contributed to the Malayalam Literature, Political and Cultural scenes. C. P. Ramaswami Iyer, Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, Malayattoor Ramakrishnan, V. R. Krishna Iyer and Jayaram are a few of the notable examples.
Palakkad Iyers
The basic difference between the 'Palakkad Iyers' and the 'Travancore Iyers' is that while Palakkad Iyers migrated to the Palakkad district from the Chola kingdom at the invitation of the Raja of Palakkad due to religious reasons, Travancore Iyers migrated and settled in the modern day south Kerala from the Pandya lands around Madurai and Tirunelveli due to economic reasons. The Brahmins of Palakkad were given lands by the Raja and owned land. Besides, they also officiated in temples as priests. The Palakkad Iyers stayed in large agraharams and retained Thanjavur culture while Travancore Iyers retained the Pandya traditions and mostly owned and lived in houses known as 'Madom', not in Agraharams in the interior parts of south Kerala.(in the districts including Kottayam and Alappuzha). As an exception to this, there are large Agraharams of Travancore Iyers in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala.
The Palakkad Iyers were one of the worst affected by the Kerala Agrarian Relations Bill, 1957 (repealed in 1961 and substituted by The Kerala Land Reforms Act, 1963) which abolished the tenancy system, and assigned proprietary right on land to the cultivating tenants.[28]
The people of Tamil Nadu easily identified them as Palakkad Tamil Brahmins or Palakkad Iyers. They are known as Palakkad Iyers only because many of them settled down in the Palakkad district of Kerala which is close to Tamil Nadu. Palakkad was a part of Madras state till 1956.
The mother tongue of all Iyers is Tamil but the form of Tamil that a common Palakkad Iyer speaks is influenced by Malayalam vocabulary and grammar to some extent. Their slang is highly influenced by Sanskrit as well. This might have resulted partially due to the absence of sufficient number of Tamil language schools in Kerala, where Iyers are a linguistic minority group.
Migrations to Sri Lanka
Brahmins in general are known in Sri Lankan history from the beginings of Indic migrations to the island from about 500 B.C. Currently Tamil Brahmins are an important part of the Sri Lankan Tamil ethnic group in Sri Lanka. Tamil Brahmins played an important historic role in the formation of the Jaffna Kingdom circa thirteenth century. (See Aryacakravarti dynasty)
Recent Migrations
Apart from South India, Iyers have also migrated to and settled in places in North India. There are significantly large Iyer communities in Mumbai, Kolkata, Orissa and Delhi. These migrations, which commenced during the British rule, were often undertaken in search of better prospects and contributed to the prosperity of the community.
In recent times Iyers have also migrated in large numbers to the United Kingdom, Europe and the USA in search of better fortune. They are one of the fastest growing Asian communities in the US.
Rituals, Ceremonies and Festivals
Iyer rituals comprise rites as described in Hindu scriptures such as Apastamba Sutra attributed to Apastamba. The most important rites are the shodasa samskaras or the 17 essential Saṃskāra. Although many rites and rituals that were practiced in ancient times are no longer followed, some traditions are continued to this day[29][30]
Rituals
Iyers are initiated into rituals at the time of birth. In ancient times, rituals used to be performed when the baby was being separated from mother's umbilical cord. However, this practice is no longer observed. At the time of birth, a horoscope is made for the child based on the position of the stars. The child then named. This affair is important as the name given during this ceremony is the individual's ritual name, and is used whenever prayers or ceremonies are conducted, where that individual has to be mentioned by name. However, the child is officially christened in the Hindu sense only at the Ayushya Homam or the birthday of the child. This birthday however is unrelated to the child's birth date as per the calendar, rather it corresponds to the nakshatra, or star, corresponding to the time at which the individual is born. The child's first birthday is the most important and is the time when the baby is formally initiated by piercing the ears of the boy or girl. From that day onwards a girl is expected to wear earrings.
A second initiation (for the male child in particular) follows when the child crosses the age of seven. This is the Upanayana ceremony during which a Brahmana is said to be reborn. A three-piece cotton thread is installed around the torso of the child encompassing the whole length of his body from the left shoulder to the right hip. The Upanayana ceremony of initiation is solely performed for the members of the dvija castes, generally when the individual is between 7 and 16 years of age. In exceptionally rare cases, the Upanayana may be performed for an individual immediately before his marriage. In ancient times, the Upanayana was often considered as the function which marks the commencement of a boy's education, which in those days, comprised mostly of the study of the Vedas. However, with the Brahmins taking to other vocations than priesthood, this initiation has become more of a symbolic ritual these days. The neophyte was expected to be extremely disciplined and practice absolute celibacy during the period known as Brahmacharya. He was expected to beg for a living and confine himself to vegetarian diet. The individual had to perform daily fire worship, and utter prayers without fail. More importantly, he was expected to perform the Sandhya Vandanam ritual[34][35] and utter a prescribed set of prayers, three times a day: dawn, mid-day, and dusk. The most sacred and prominent of the prescribed set of prayers is the Gayatri Mantra,which is as sacred to the Hindus as the Kalima to the Muslims and Ahunwar to the Zoroastrians. Once a year (usually in the month of August or September) Iyers change their sacred thread. This ritual is exclusive to South Indian Brahmimns and the day is commemorated as 'Avani Avittam'.
Iyer women have their own ceremonies such as the one at the time of attaining puberty (mostly a private family affair) and regular prayers that they organize for the welfare of their family. They learn shlokas and devotional hymns, and regularly worship various deities. However, there are no texts in the Vedas that are held to be suitable for study by women.
The other extremely important rituals for the Iyers are the death ceremonies. All Iyers are cremated according to Vedic rites, usually within a day of the individual's death. The death rites include a 13-day ceremony, and regular Tarpanam (performed every month thereafter, on Amavasya day, or New Moon Day), for the ancestors. There is also a yearly shraarddha, that must be performed. These rituals are expected to be performed only by male descendants of the deceased. Married men who perform this ritual must be accompanied by their wives. The women are symbolically important in the ritual to give a "consent" to all the proceedings in it.
Festivals
Iyers celebrate different festivals where they worship God. They offer different kinds of sweets to God unique to that festival. These offerings usually include fruits and sweets. Worship of the divine is done by reciting Sanskrit hymns and by the offering of special flowers. Iyers celebrate almost all Hindu festivals like Deepavali, Navratri, Pongal, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Janmāshtami, Tamil New Year, Sivarathri and Karthika Deepam.
However, the most important festival which is exclusive to Brahmins of South India is the Avani Avittam festival.[37][38]
Iyers set aside certain days for fasting. Some of the days when the Iyers fast are Amavasya, Ekadasi, and Sivarāthri.
Iyer Marriage
A typical Iyer marriage consists of Sumangali Prārthanai (Hindu prayers for prosperous married life) , Nāndi(homage to ancestors), Nischayadhārtham(Engagement) and Mangalyadharanam(tying the knot). This is a highly ritualistic affair. The main ritualistic events of an Iyer marriage include Vratam (fasting), Kasi Yatra(pilgrimage to Kasi), Oonjal (Swing), Kanyadanam (placing the bride in the groom's care), Mangalyadharanam, Pānigrahanam and Saptapathi(or seven steps - the final and most important stage wherein the bride takes seven steps supported by the groom's palms thereby finalizing their union). This is usually followed by Nalangu, which is a casual and informal event.
Agraharams
AgraharamIn ancient times, Iyers, along with Iyengars and other Tamil Brahmins, lived in exclusive Brahmin quarters of their village or town known as an 'agraharam'(in Sanskrit Agram means tip or end and Haram means Shiva). Shiva and Vishnu temples were usually situated at the ends of an agraharam. In most cases, there would also be a fast-flowing stream or river nearby.
A typical agraharam consisted of a temple and a street adjacent to it. The houses on either side of the street were exclusively peopled by Brahmins who followed a joint family system. All the houses were identical in design and architecture though not in size.
With the arrival of the British and commencement of the Industrial Revolution, Iyers started moving to cities for their sustenance. Starting from the late 1800s, the agraharams were gradually discarded as more and more Iyers moved to towns and cities to take up lucrative jobs in the provincial and judicial administration.
However, there are still some agraharams left where traditional or old Iyers continue to reside. In an Iyer residence, people wash their feet first with water on entering their house before going further into the house. This is not possible in flats in cities due to the layout of the same. But in houses in villages, the layout permits this and is still practiced.[44][45]
Social and political issues
Since ancient times, Iyers, as members of the privileged priestly class, exercised a near-complete domination over educational,religious and literary institutions in the Tamil country [46] [47]. Their domination continued throughout the British Raj as they used their knowledge of the English language and education to dominate the political, administrative, judicial and intellectual spectrum. Upon India's independence in 1947, they hoped to consolidate their hold on the administrative and judicial machinery . Such a situation led to resentment from the other castes in Tamil Nadu; an upshot of this atmosphere was an "non-Brahmin" movement and the formation of the Justice Party[48] . In the early days,the Justice Party functioned on a principled high-ground as a representative organization of non-Brahmins of the Madras Presidency and campaigning for their grievances to be addressed and for the fulfillment of their education and monetary needs. However, with the passage of time, the movement soon led to a power struggle between the Brahmins and other upper castes like the Mudaliars, Pillais and Chettiars. Periyar, who took over as Justice Party President in the 1940s, changed its name to Dravida Kazhagam, and formulated the view that Tamil Brahmins were Aryans as opposed to a majority of Tamils who were Dravidian based on Robert Caldwell's writings [49]. See Iyers and the Aryan Invasion Theory. The ensuing anti-Brahmin propaganda and the rising unpopularity of the Rajaji Government left an indelible mark on the Tamil Brahmin community ending their political aspirations forever. In the 1960s the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (roughly translated as "Organisation for Progress of Dravidians") and its subgroups gained political ground on this platform forming state ministries, thereby wrenching control from the Indian National Congress, in which Iyers at that time were holding important party positions. Today, apart from a few exceptions, Iyers have virtually disappeared from the political arena. [50][51][52][53][54][55] [56][57][58]
Traditional Iyer Ethics
Iyers are an orthodox community that adhered steadfastly to their customs and traditions till the turn of the 20th century, when they started leaving their traditional priestly duties for more secular vocations, causing contemporary Iyers to be more flexible than their parents and grandparents. They followed the Manusmriti (Hindu Code of Laws or The Institutes of Manu) and the Grihya Sutras of Apastamba and Baudhayana. The society is patriarchal but not feudal.[59]
An Iyer man dressed in traditional clothes for a Hindu ritualIyers observed many rules in the past when they used to live and marry only within their community; many continue to adhere to their roots. Their dietary habits can be considered to be strict, consuming only vegetarian food which excludes fish and fowl, eggs and egg products. Some abjure onion and garlic on the grounds that they activate certain base senses. Milk and milk products, preferably from the cow, were approved. They were mandated to avoid the consumption of intoxicants, including alcohol and tobacco.
Iyers follow elaborate purification rituals, both of self and the house. The women of the household cook food only after a bath, while the males perform religious rites after a purificatory bath. An Iyer does not visit a temple without taking bath. Food is partaken of only after it is offered to the deity/deities in a prescribed manner. Like any other Brahmin community, bathing everyday is mandatory, and is, strictly speaking, the first thing to be carried out, before beginning any work of the day or before the start of any ritual or prayer. So much importance was given to this, that it was not unusual to see Iyers bathe many times during the day (before performing any important ritual).
The bathing was considered sufficiently purifying only if it confirmed to the rules of madi. The word madi is used by Tamil Brahmins to indicate that a person is bodily pure. In order to practice madi, the brahmin had to wear only clothes which had been recently washed and dried, and the clothes should remain untouched by any person who was not madi. Only after taking bath in cold water, and after wearing such clothes, would the person be in a state of madi. This practice of madi is followed by Iyers even in modern times, before participating in any kind of religious ceremony.
Until recently, an Iyer widow (but not a widower) was never allowed to remarry. Divorces were considered a "great evil". Once a widow, an Iyer woman had to shave her head and lead the life of Sanyasin. She had to stop wearing the kumkum/bindi on her forehead, and was recommended to smear her forehead with sacred ashes. All of these practices have diminished over the last few decades, and modern Iyer widows lead less orthodox lives.
There is also a restriction on Iyer women during menstruation. During this time, the Iyer women are prohibited from touching any person in the house and are not permitted to enter the worship or prayer room. She does not visit temples and does not partake any holy offerings such as prasadam. While these restrictions were well-intentioned and followed in order to relieve women from their household chores, and give them time to recuperate, they did become highly restrictive in the 18th and 19th centuries. In recent years, these rules have been considerably relaxed, though many Iyer women prefer to avoid religious activity during menstruation.
Traditional Attire
Iyer men traditionally wear veshtis, which cover them from waist to foot. These are made of cotton and sometimes silk. Veshtis are worn in different styles, the veshtis are worn in a typical brahminical style during religious ceremonies, the style is popularly known as panchakacham (from the sanskrit term pancha gajam meaning "five yards" or "ten cubits"; the length of the veshti used in non-ceremonial daily life is, by contrast, four or eight cubits long). They sometimes wrap their shoulders with a single piece of cloth known as angavastram (body-garment). Many centuries ago, Iyers involved in the most sacred rituals also draped their waist or chests with deer skin or grass.
The Iyer woman is often portrayed as woman draped in a nine yard saree, also known as madisar in Tamil.[61] Though such dress is worn regularly only by the older women, on festivals and other religious occasions young women wear it as well.
Iyers Today
A Tamil Brahmin couple, circa 1945Akin to Bengali Brahmins, the Brahmins of South India were one of the first communities to be Westernized. However, this was restricted to their outlook on the material world. They have retained their Smartha traditions despite almost two centuries of western influence.
This newly created elite became the dominant social and cultural stratum in South Indian society producing a plethora of British style academicians, industrialists and political leaders. They also played an active role in the Indian independence movement. Prominent leaders from the Iyer community included Subramanya Bharathy. Bharathy fought against the caste system which was widely in vogue during his times.
In addition to their earlier occupations, Iyers today have diversified into a variety of fields — their strengths particularly evident in the fields of Mass Media, science, mathematics and computer science. It is a small percentage of Iyers who voluntarily choose, in this era, to pursue the traditional vocation of priesthood, though all Hindu temple priests are Brahmins. Some Iyers today have even married outside of their caste in Europe and therefore produced children of mixed background. Iyers have been prominent in the field of literature too, especially in English and Tamil. Iyers have been active in the cultural field also. Music has always been integral to the Iyer community. Bharatanatyam has been ardently pursued by female members of the Iyer community from the time of its reinvention in early 20th century. These classical art forms, Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam, enjoy public patronage during the Chennai cultural season in the months of December and January.
Language of Iyers
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of
Brahmin TamilSee also: Brahmin Tamil
Tamil is the mother tongue of most Iyers residing in India and elsewhere. However, Iyers speak a distinct dialect of Tamil unique to their community. This dialect of Tamil is known as Braahmik or Brahmin Tamil, but is more popularly known by its colloquial term "Iyer baashai" or "language of Iyers". Brahmin Tamil is highly Sanskritized and has often invited ridicule from Tamil nationalists due to its extensive usage of the Sanskrit vocabulary. However, with Brahmins moving out of their agraharams to urban centres or migrating to foreign countries, Brahmin Tamil is being increasingly discarded and is facing the prospect of extinction. The Palakkad Iyers have a unique dialect of their own. Palakkad Tamil is characterized by the presence of a large number of words of Malayali origin. The Iyers of Tirunelveli speak a form of Tamil which is closely allied to the Tirunelveli dialect. The Sankheti Iyers speak a dialect of Tamil called Sankheti.
Apart from Tamil, Iyers in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala are also fluent in the local languages of their state i.e. Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam, respectively. Iyers who reside in Mumbai and North India are well-versed in Hindi and English. Iyers have the highest literacy rate amongst all communities in Tamil Nadu and most of them are educated and good in English.
Iyers and Art
DK Pattammal:Classical Music Singer, in concert with her brother, DK Jayaraman; circa early 1940s.For centuries, Iyers have taken a keen interest in preserving the arts and sciences. they undertook the responsibility of preserving the Bharata Natya Shastra, a monumental work on Bharatanatyam, the classical dance form of Tamil Nadu. During the early part of trhis century, dance was usually regarded as a degenerate art associated witrh devadasis. However, it was an Iyer woman, Rukmini Devi Arundale, who revived the dying art form thereby breaking social and caste taboos about Brahmins taking part in dance programmes or learning Bharatanatyam.
However, compared to dance, the contribution of Iyers in field of music has been considerably noteworthy. The Trinity of Carnatic Music were responsible for making some excellent compositions towards the end of the 18th century. In more recent times, Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer and D. K. Pattammal have enthralled audiences with some soul-stirring renderings. Today, there are Iyers who give traditional renderings as well as playback singers in Indian films like S P Balasubrahmanyam, Hariharan, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Nithyashree Mahadevan, Usha Uthup, Shankar Mahadevan, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Hamsika Iyer and Naresh Iyer . Iyers have also contributed considerably to drama, short story and temple architecture.
In the field of literature and journalism, the Iyer community has produced stalwarts like R. K. Narayan, R. K. Laxman, Subramanya Bharathy, Kalki Krishnamurthy, Ulloor Parameswara Iyer, and Cho Ramaswamy to name a few. The adoption of Western education at a very stage has ensued their proficiency in the English language. They have also contributed in an equal amount to Tamil language and literature.There are innumerable hymns composed on different deities worshipped in the South such as Meenakshi, Amman, Shiva, Murugan, Vishnu, etc. The style of these poems are indeed unique and beautiful. Besides Tamil, they have also written a number of works in Sanskrit which is the language used in rituals.
The Iyer community has also produced a number of film stars and cine artistes. Two of Kollywood's greatest directors, K. Balachander and Mani Ratnam hail from the Iyer community. Gemini Ganesan was one of the greatest Tamil film actors of the black-and-white era along with Sivaji Ganesan and M. G. Ramachandran. At present, Ajith and Trisha are amongst the top five stars in Tamil cinema.
Food
The main diet of Iyers is composed of vegetarian food, mostly rice which is the staple diet for millions of South Indians.Vegetarian side dishes are frequently made in Iyer households apart from compulsory additions as rasam,sambar,etc. Home-made ghee is a staple addition to the diet, and traditional meals do not begin until ghee is poured over a heap of rice and lentils. While tasting delicious, the cuisine eschews the extent of spices and heat traditionally found in south Indian cuisine. Iyers are mostly known for their love for curd. Other South Indian delicacies such as dosas, idli, etc. are also relished by Iyers[63]. Coffee amongst beverages and curd amongst food items form an indispensable part of the Iyer food menu. Iyers denounce the use of wine and alcohol.
Accusations of Casteism and Racism
The legacy of Iyers have often been marred by accusations of racism and counter-racism against them by non-Brahmins and vice versa. The Manusmriti forbids Brahmins from eating with individuals of particular castes (particularly the Scheduled Castes) and prescribed a strict code of laws with regard to their day-to-day behavior and dealings with other castes. Iyers of orthodox families generally obeyed these laws strictly.
It was found that prior to Independence, the Pallars were never allowed to enter the residential areas of the caste Hindus particularly of the Brahmins. Whenever a Brahmin came out of his house, no Scheduled Caste person was expected to come in his vicinity as it would pollute his sanctity and if it happened by mistake, he would go back home cursing the latter. He would come out once again only after taking a bath and making sure that no such thing would be repeated.
However, as a mark of protest a few Pallars of this village deliberately used to appear before the Brahmin again and again. By doing so the Pallars forced the Brahmin to get back home once again to take a bath drawing water from deep well.
Grievances and instances of discrimination by Brahmins are believed to be the main factors which fuelled the Dravidian Movement. With the dawn of the 20th century, and the rapid penetration of western education and western ideas, there was a rise in consciousness amongst the lower castes who felt that rights which were legitimately theirs were being denied to them. This, in combination with the depressed economic and social conditions of non-Brahmins, led the non-Brahmins to agitate and form the Justice Party in 1916, which later became the Dravidar Kazhagam. The Justice Party banked on vehement anti-Hindu and anti-Brahmin propaganda to ease Brahmins out of their privileged positions. Gradually, the non-Brahmin replaced the Brahmin in every sphere and destroyed the monopoly over education and the administrative services which the Brahmin had previously held.[65]
However, with the destruction of Brahmin monopoly over the services and introduction of adequate representation for other communities, anti-Brahmin feelings did not subside. On the contrary, they were fully exploited by scheming politicians, who often indulged in venomous anti-Brahmin rhetoric primarily in order to get non-Brahmin votes. With the passage of time, they reached such a pitch that even individuals who had previously been a part of the Dravidian Movement began to cry foul. Deprived of opportunities, Tamil Brahmins began to migrate en masse to other states in India and foreign countries in search of livelihood.[66] There were frequent allegations of casteism and racism against Brahmins very similar to the ones made by the lower castes against them in the decades before independence.
Professor George L. Hart in a speech in 1997 on Tamil, Brahmins, & Sanskrit, however, rubbishes the claims of anti Brahmins that Brahmins favored Sanskrit to Tamil.[67]
Here are some facts:
1. Brahmins are only 2% of the population, yet they have contributed much more to Tamil literature than their number would indicate.
2. The purest (i.e. least Sanskritized) Tamil was written by the medieval Saiva Brahmin commentators on Tamil. For example, Parimelazakar translates the yoga asanas into Tamil, and the only way anyone can figure out what he is saying is to read the sub commentary (by Gopalakrishnamachari), who gives the original Sanskrit terms. You will find no Tamil any purer than that of Naccinarkkiniyar et al.
3. Brahmins have contributed to Tamil from Sangam times. Kapilar is one of the greatest Tamil poets.
4. Yes, of course Brahmins have had their own political agenda to push. They have been responsible for many things that I feel are entirely unconscionable. But is this any different from the other high castes? I have heard many many stories of high non-Brahmin castes killing and abusing Dalits. You can't blame the Brahmins for this. In fact, the most pernicious example of the caste system was in the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka, where there are virtually no Brahmins and never have been.
5. You cannot blame the Brahmins for Sanskritizing Tamil. Tenkalai Aiyengars often use Tamil words where most non-Brahmins use Sanskrit ones. The Sanskrtization of Tamil is a very old process and cannot be understood except in an all-South-Asian context. The Bengali used in Bangladesh is highly Sanskritized, and the Muslims are quite proud of their language. The fact is, Sanskrit was the lingua franca of South Asia for intellectual purposes, much as Latin was in Europe. Buddhists used it, Jains used it, much as Spinoza, a Jew, wrote his philosophical treatises in Latin. The Tamil of Ramalinga Swamigal, a non-Brahmin, is highly Sanskritized.
Dalit leader and founder of political party Pudiya Tamizhagam, Dr.Krishnasamy admits that the Anti-Brahmin Movement had not succeeded up to the expectations and that there continues to be as much discrimination of Dalits as had been before.
So many movements have failed. In Tamil Nadu there was a movement in the name of anti-Brahmanism under the leadership of Periyar. It attracted Dalits, but after 30 years of power, the Dalits understand that they are as badly-off - or worse-off - as they were under the Brahmans. Under Dravidian rule, they have been attacked and killed, their due share in government service is not given, they are not allowed to rise.
Spiritual leaders
1)Abirami Pattar :(Subramania Iyer) Author of Abirami Anthathi and other religious works in Tamil.
2)Bharati Krishna Theerthaji (1884-1960) was the Shankaracharya of Puri. He also introduced Vedic mathematics to the modern world.
3)Sri Chandrasekhara Saraswathi (1894-1994):former pontiff of the Kanchi Mutt.
4)Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986):spiritual leader, hailed as the "Maitreya Buddha" by the Theosophical Society . A protege of Annie Besant
5)Muralidhar Guruji(1961-):a devotee of Shri Krishna
6)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.
7)Ramana Maharishi (1879-1950):one of India's greatest Spiritual Teachers of the Twentieth Century. His millions of followers are spread across the world.
8)Sri Sri Ravi Shankar (1956-):a mahayogi and founder of 'Art of Living'.
9)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
Scientists and academicians
1)L. K. Ananthakrishna Iyer (1861-1937):anthropologist
2)Sir Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (1882-1950):winner of the 1930 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the dispersion of light
3)Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar (1910-1995):winner of the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physics
4)Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvarayya (1861-1962):scientist, administrator, engineer and academician
5)G.N. Ramachandran (1922-2001)biochemist
6)Rappal Sangameswaraier Krishnan (1911-19990:physicist
7)Vilayanur Ramachandran (born 1951):neuroscientist
8)M.S. Swaminathan (born 1925):agricultural researcher
9)S.R. Ranganathan (1892-1972):figure in library science
10)Raghavan Iyer (1930-1995):Indian-born political philosopher and Hindu scholar
11)Palamadai S. Lokanathan:economist
12)Rajagopala Chidambaram: former director of BARC, now chief scientific advisor to the prime minister of India
Journalists and writers
1)Professor K. V. Krishna Iyer:Respected professor and author of standard reference books on Kerala History
2)Ramachandra Guha (1958-):Historian, columnist and author of a popular treatise on Cricket
3)Ulloor Parameswara Iyer (1877-1959):Malayalam poet
"Kalki" B. Krishnamurthy (1899-1954) Journalist and Novelist par excellence, founder of Tamil weekly "Kalki".
4)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
5)Pico Iyer (1957-):author
6)Mowni (real name S. Mani Iyer):short story writer
7)R. K. Narayan (1906-2001):Famous Indian writer. Invented the fictitious village Malgudi.
8)R. K. Laxman (1924-)Indian cartoonist and humorist. R. K. Laxman is the younger brother of R. K. Narayan
9)T. P. Kailasam:Kannada writer and considered as the "Father of modern Kannada Theater"
10)Malayattoor Ramakrishnan (1927-1997):Malayalam novelist
11)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]
12)T. V. Ramasubbier, Founder of "Dinamalar": a leading Tamil newspaper.[2]
13)Devan (1913-1957): Tamil short-story writer, creator of fictitious character Thuppariyum Sambu
14)S. Swaminathan Anklesaria Aiyar: economist, journalist and brother of Mani Shankar Aiyar
Advocates and social activists
1)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.
2)Sir P. S. Sivaswami Iyer (1864-1946):Advocate General of State of Madras from (1907 -1911).
3)Sir S. Subrahmanya Aiyar :Second Indian Judge of the High Court of Madras and one of the founders of the Home Rule movement in South India.
4)Rajah Iyer :Former Advocate General of State of Madras
5)Patanjali Sastri: Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India
6)Govind Swaminathan (1909-2003):Eminent Lawyer and former Advocate General of Tamil Nadu[3][4]
7)G. Ramaswamy-Former Attorney General for India
8)Alladi Kuppusami :Former Chief Justice Andhra Pradesh High Court
9)M. Subbaraya Iyer (1885-1963):Lawyer and educationist
10)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.
Freedom fighters
1)Subramanya Bharathy,:the national poet of Tamil Nadu, remains the most recognized and revered Iyer in Tamil NaduSathyamurthy (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.
2)Vanchinathan (1886-1911):Patriot who killed General Ash and committed suicide at Maniyachi.
3)V. V. S Iyer (1881-1925):Tamil scholar and freedom fighter.
4)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.
5)Subramaniya Siva (1884-1925):Freedom fighter and close associate of Bharathi and V.V.S.Iyer
6)G. Subramania Iyer (1855-1916):Freedom fighter and founder of "The Hindu" English newspaper.
6)Kalki Sadasivam (1902-1997):Freedom fighter and husband of famous singer M.S. Subbulakshmi.
Sportspersons
1)Professor K. V. Iyer (1900-1990):World famous bodybuilder[6].
2)Nirupama Vaidyanathan (1977-):First Indian woman to play a round in Grand Slam.
4)Ramanathan Krishnan (1937-):Indian tennis player of the 1950's and 60's and considered the greatest Indian singles player of all time
5)Ramesh Krishnan (1961-):was one of India's foremost tennis players
6)Vishwanathan Anand (1969-):grandmaster, World Chess Champion
7)K. N. Ananthapadmanabhan:former Kerala Ranji Trophy cricketer
Artists and musicians
1)Thiagaraja (1767-1847):Composer of Carnatic music. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri.
2)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.
3)Madurai Pushpavanam Iyer:vocalist
4)Chembai Vaidyanatha Iyer (1895-1973):Carnatic music singer
5)Musiri Subramania Iyer(1899-975):Carnatic music singer and film actor; acted in the 1938 Tamil movie Tukaram
6)Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1907-2003):singer of Carnatic music
7)G. N. Balasubramaniam (1910-1965):singer of Carnatic music
8)D. K. Pattammal (1919-):singer of Carnatic music.
9)Madurai Mani Iyer (1912-1968):singer of Carnatic music
10)Palakkad Mani Iyer (1912-1981):Musician/Mridangist
11)Palghat R. Raghu (1925-):Musician/mridangist
12)Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (1935-):Musician/mridangist
13)Trichy Sankaran (b.1942-):mridangist
14)Dr. N. Ramani (1934-):Flautist
Papanasam Sivan (1890-1973), Carnatic music composer and singer.
15)L. Subramaniam (1947-):Violinist of International fame.
16)Lalgudi Jayaraman (1930-):Carnatic Music composer and violinist.
17)Ganesh and Kumaresh:Violinists of international fame.
18)Maharajapuram Santhanam (1922-1991):Carnatic music composer and violinist.
19)M. S. Gopalakrishnan (1931-):violinist
Sowmya (1977-), Carnatic music singer
20)Nithyashree Mahadevan (1973-):carnatic music singer. Granddaughter of singer D.K.Pattammal.
21)M. L. Vasanthakumari (1928-1990):singer
22)M. D. Ramanathan (1923-1984):composer/vocalist
23)S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1946-):Singer. Holds the Guinness Record for maximum number of songs recorded as a playback singer. A Telugu Brahmin.
24)Sundaram Balachander (1927-1990): Veena Vidhwan
25)Hariharan (1955-):Hindi and Tamil playback singer.
26)Mahalaxmi Iyer:Prominent Hindi and Tamil playback Singer
27)Hamsika Iyer (1972-):Hindi, Marathi and Tamil playback singer
28)Anuradha Sriram: Tamil playback Singer.Her husband is also a musician
29)Naresh Iyer: Male Playback Singer in Bollywood and Kollywood
30)Shankar Mahadevan: Music Director
31)Vijay Iyer: Jazz musician[7]
32)Usha Uthup (1947-):pop singer and female playback singer in Bollywood.
33)Kavita Krishnamurthy: Hindi playback singer
34)Balamuralikrishna (1930-):Carnatic classical singer.
35)Rukmini Devi Arundale(1904-1986):danseuse and artist. Popularized the dying art of Bharatanatyam. Founder of Kalakshetra. Married G.S.Arundale.
36)Padma Subramanyam (1943-):- Bharathanatyam dancer.
Politicians and administrators
1)Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) First Vice President(1950-1962) and Second President(1962-1967) of the Indian Union. A Telugu Mulukanadu Iyer .
2)R. Venkataraman (1910-):8th President of India (1987-1992); Vice-President of India (1984-1987)
3)P. Ramamurthi:Veteran Communist leader and freedom fighter.
4)K. Subrahmanyam:Former Secretary (Defense Production), Home Secretary (Tamil Nadu) and Director (Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses).
5)Ramayyan Dalawa:, Dewan of Travancore from 1737 to 1756. Strategic advisor to Maharaja Martanda Varma during the Battle of Colachel against the Dutch.
6)Sir C.P. Ramaswami Iyer (1879-1966):Advocate General of State of Madras in the 1920's, penultimate Dewan of Travancore
7)Subramanian Swamy (1939-):Lawyer, Academician, Economist, Politician, President of the Janata Party.
8)L.Ganesan (1945-):President of Tamil Nadu state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party.
9)Jana Krishnamurthi (1928-2007):Ex-President of the BJP & Former Union Law Minister.
10)T. N. Seshan (1930-):10th Chief Election Commissioner of India. A Palakkad Iyer
11)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.
12)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".
13)Janaki Ramachandran (1923-1996):Wife of M.G.Ramachandran and the first woman Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. A Kerala Iyer
Entertainers
1)Arvind Swamy (1967-) Actor cum entrepreneur.
2)G V Iyer (1916-2003):Internationally renowned Director-Producer of Sanskrit movies like Adi Shankaracharya,Ramanujacharya and Bhagawad Gita.
3)Gemini Ganesan (1920-2005):Tamil Actor.
4)Rekha Ganesan (1954-):Bollywood actress, daughter of Gemini Ganesan.
5)Jaishankar (1940-2000):Actor in the Tamil film industry.
6)K. Balachander (1930-):cinema director.
7)S.S.Vasan (1903-1969):Tamil and Hindi film director. Known as the Cecil DeMille of India.
8)Kalpana Iyer (b.1955-):, Former Miss India and Bollywood actress.
"Cho" Ramaswamy - Actor, Stage Director, Lawyer, Journalist, Political Analyst
9)T.R.Mahalingam (1923-) - actor, singer,director in the 1950s-1960s.
10)Mani Ratnam (1956-):Movie Director, full name: Subramanian Gopalaratnam Iyer.
11)Y. V. Rao (1903-1973): actor and director, who directed the first Kannada talkie, Sati Sulochana.
12)Lakshmi (b.1951) Kollywood and Bollywood actress and TV anchor.
13)Moulee, Playwright and comedy actor in Tamil cinema.
14)S. Ve. Shekher:Comedian and AIADMK MLA from Mylapore constituency
15)Ajith Kumar (1970-):Kollywood actor. A Palakkad Iyer.
16)Trisha Krishnan (1983-):Kollywood actress. A Palakkad Iyer.
17)P.C. Sreeram:Ace Cinematographer of "Nayakan" and "Agni Natchathiram" among several other famous films. Also director.
18)Ramya Krishnan (1964-):Tamil Actress, TV Hostess
19)Padma Lakshmi (1970-):Supermodel, hostess and ex-wife of Salman Rushdie
20)Vidya Balan (1978-):Bollywood Actress.
21)Siddharth Narayan (1979-):Upcoming Actor in the Telugu, Tamil and Hindi film industry, a Tanjore Iyer
22)Bhanupriya: Bharatanatyam dancer and Kollywood actress.
23)Priyamani (1984-):Tamil Actress
24)Swarnamalya:Bharatanatyam dancer and Kollywood actress
Suchitra Krishnamurthy, Bollywood actress and former wife of Shekhar Kapur
Business-persons, professionals, miscellaneous
1)S. N. N. Sankaralinga Iyer (1901-):Founder, India Cements (now part of Sanmar Group), Chennai.
2)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.
3)Indra Nooyi:CEO of Pepsico.
4)S. Gurumurthy:Economist and Convenor of the Swadeshi Jagaran Manch.
5)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
6)Subrah Iyar:, CEO of WebEx [8]
7)W. Guhan Iyer:CEO, Permicity LLC [9]
8)N. Vaghul: Chairman of ICICI Bank[10]
Iyers in popular culture
Malini Iyer: Lead character in a TV-series of the same name. The series ran from 2004 to 2005 and was played by popular Kollywood and Bollywood actress Sridevi
Meenakshi Iyer: The character played by Konkona Sen Sharma in Bollywood movie Mr and Mrs Iyer
Sethurama Iyer: a fictional CBI officer and lead character in Malayalam movie series 'Sethurama Iyer CBI'. The character is played by Malayalam actor Mammootty.
Ven Iyer: fictional character in the novel The Holder of the World by Bharati Mukherjee.
Thuppariyum Sambu: a fictitious South Indian detective, who was the main character in a crime series of the same name by Devan which appeared in the Ananda Vikatan during the early 1940s.
The characters played by Arshad Warsi (Balu) and Priya Gill (Paro) in the film Tere Mere Sapne.
MARRIAGE
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4 comments:
I happened to read your blog on the Iyengar and Iyer communities. There is a wealth of information in the article. Thanks for writing such an informative content.
Are you a regular contributor to the Net? Looking forward to read more such content.
Best wishes to you.
Regards,
R.Varadarajan
Bangalore
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In the Hebbar Iyengar section I would like to mention the name of my late fateher:
B.V. Iyengar Phd. IAS
Gold medalist from Central College Bangalore, Msc. (Geology)
Phd from the Imperial College of Science ( Geology)
Director of the Indian Beareau of Mines
Joint Secretary Minsitry of Defense Government of India
Chairman, Revenue Appellate Tribunal Government of Karnataka
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