THE GREAT IYERS There have been many great people; my salutations to all of them! - Shri Tyagaraja Swami (1759-1847) The Iyers have, for centuries, been outstanding thinkers, scholars,philosophers, musicians and scientists. The two classical languages of India, Sanskrit and Tamil thrive in Iyer households, vibrant and strong as ever. The Iyers are Smarta by belief and practice. Some of the greatest Iyers are listed here, classified according to their field of expertise: * SCIENCE o Gadhadhara, 17th cent., pre-daltonian expositor on the Atomic Doctrine (Vaisesika Sutra) of Kanada (c. 500 B.C., India) o Chandrashekhara Venkata Raman (1888-1970), was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930 for his discovery of the Raman Effect. o Mankombu Sambasivan Swaminathan, (b. 1925) was the father of the Green Revolution in Indian agriculture in the 1960s. As a result of his efforts, India became a net exporter of food by the mid 1970s. He has been Director General, International Rice Research Institute (Manila), and has received the Magsaysay Award (1971). o Subrahmanyan Chandrashekhar (1910-1995), was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1983 for "his theoretical studies of the physical processes of importance to the structure and evolution of the stars". He was the first to suggest the existence of white dwarfs and black holes. * PHILOSOPHY o Dharmaraja Adhvarin (16th century) of Kandramanikkam (Thanjavur district) was a philosopher affiliated to the Advaita (non-dualist) school. He used the techniques of Nyaya (logic) to expound on advaita vedanta [Vedanta literally means "the end of the vedas". However it is taken to represent the philosophies embodied in the Upanishads, which are the final sections of the Vedas] . His most important work is the "Vedanta Paribhasha" (the Language of Vedanta). He authored many more works on Nyaya. From his name (Adhvarin), it appears that he was a Yajurvedin of the Taittriya school. o Appayya Dikshitar (16th century) was a Samavedin and a scholar of advaita vedanta. He also wrote many treatises on other philosophies like nyaya-vaisesika and purva-mimamsa. He was patronized by the Nayak chieftains of Vellore. Some of his important works were the "Chitramimamsa" and "Lakshanavali" on literary criticism; the "Kuvalayananda" which was a vehicle for an exposition on figures of speech; and the "Vrittivarttika" on the significance of words in poetics. He also commented upon the "Yadavabhyudaya" of the 13th century Vaishnavite preceptor, Vedanta Desika. * LITERATURE & POETICS o Dandin [Image] (7th century AD) was associated with the court of Narasimhavarman I (630-668 AD) of the Pallava dynasty at Kanchipuram. He authored some of the classics of Sanskrit prose such as "Dasakumara charita" and "Avantisundari katha". He also wrote the "Kavyadarsa" on Sanskrit rhetoric, which was a landmark in the history of literary criticism. o Uddanda Shastri (15th century) was born in Tamil Nadu, but migrated to Kerala after attaining a mastery of Sanskrit grammar and literature. Once in Kerala, he wrote some great poetic masterpieces like the "Kokilasandesha" and the "Mallikamaruta" . o "Ratnakheta" Srinivasa Dikshitar [Image] (16th century) of Satyamangalam is said to have authored eighteen plays and sixty poetical pieces in Sanskrit. Most of these works have been lost. We do, however, know of the "Bhaimi parinaya" (a play) and the "Sahitya sanjivini" (a work on rhetorics). o Rajachudamani Dikshitar [Image] (16th-17th centuries) was a son of Srinivasa Dikshitar (see above) and a Sanskrit scholar. In 1636, he authored a commentary on Jaimini's "Mimamsa sutra" called the "Tantrashikhamani" . He also wrote a biography of Sankara titled the "Sankarabhyudaya". He also wrote the "Rukmini Kalyanam", "Vrittaratnavali" and "Chitramanjari", all poems of high calibre. A technical masterpiece by him is the "Raghava-yadava-pandaviya", a poem consisting of triple puns. This work relates the stories of Rama, Krishna and the Pandavas respectively, in the same work! o Nilakantha Dikshitar [Image] (early 17th century) was a student of Venkateshvara makhin (see Music section). A Sanskrit litterateur, his best works include "Nilakanthavijaya champu", "Sivalilavarna", "Nalacharitanataka" and "Halasyabhyudaya". The "Nilakanthavijaya" is a work in 5 chapters and is characterized by a pacy style. The "Sivalilavarna" is a grand poetic work in 22 cantos describing the acts of Sundaresvara of Madurai. o Ramabhadra Dikshitar [Image] (late17th century) lived in a village near Kumbhakonam. He studied under Nilakantha Dikshitar (see above). He wrote a poetic biography of Patanjali in 8 cantos entitled "Patanjali charita kavyam". His other works are "Janaki parinaya natakam" and "Saddarsanisiddhanta samgraha". All his works were in Sanskrit. o Rashipuram Krishnaswami Laxman (b. 1927) is the foremost cartoonist in India today. His cartoons appear under the title "You Said It" each day in the Times of India. o Rashipuram Krishnaswami Narayanaswami Ayyar, popularly known as R. K. Narayan [and older brother of R. K. Laxman (see above)], is one of India's best known authors in English. He was born in Madras in 1906. Over the years, he has produced such classics as "The Guide" (1958), "The Man-Eater of Malgudi" (1961) and "Swami and friends" (1935). o Mahamahopadhyaya U. V. Swamintha Iyer (1855-1942) was a scholar of Tamil. He collected, categorized and published a large number of Tamil palm leaf manuscripts. This effort was vital to the preservation for posterity of the Tamil literary heritage. For his efforts, he was awarded the title "Mahamahopadhyaya" [Great, Great Scholar]. People referred to him affectionately as "Tamil Thathaa" [Tamil Grandpa]. o Mahakavi Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer (1877-1949) was a Malayalam poet, who composed numerous literary works in Malayalam (even though his mother tongue was Tamil!). He won the coveted title of "Maha Kavi" [Great Poet] for his work. He compiled a monumental history of the literature of Kerala called the "Kerala Sahitya Charitam". His other noted works are "Uma Keralam", "Pingala", "Mangala Manjari" and "Karnabhushanam". o "Kalki" B. Krishnamurthy (1899-1954) established the Tamil semi historic novel genre with works like "Sivakamiyin Sapatham" and "Parthiban Kanavu". As a journalist, he left his unmistakable mark on the periodicals "Ananda Vikatan" and "Kalki". He was also a music critic and short story writer. o B. R. Rajam Iyer (1872-1898) edited "Prabuddha Bhaarat". His contributions to Tamil literature began at the age of 19. His work "Kamalambal Charithiram" is considered a significant work. He passed away at the age of 26. * MUSIC o Venkateshvara makhin was a son of the legendary Govinda Dikshitar (see below). He invented a classification for the the ragas of karnatic music called the "Melakarta system" described in his "Chaturdandi prakasika. He was also a scholar of Mimamsa, and wrote the "Vaarttika-bharanam" on this subject. o Tyagaraja (1759-1847), was a Telugu speaking Smarta brahmin from Tiruvarur, in Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu. He is commonly referred to as "Tyagayya", and thus deserves recognition in this list of Iyers. He is arguably one of the greatest composers India has ever produced. Along with Muthusvami Dikshitar and Shyaama Krishna Shastri (see below), he formed the Great Trinity of Karnatic Classical Music. o Muthusvami Dikshitar (1765-1835)was one of the great Iyers - his contribution to the Karnatic tradition of Indian Classical Music has been truly phenomenal. More information on Karnatic Music may be found here. o Shyaama Shastri (1762-1826), also an Iyer, was another legendary composer. o Parameshvara Bhagavatar lived in Travancore (Kerala) in the late 18th-early 19th centuries. He was associated with the composer-king Svaathi Thirunal's court. o Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar,(1896-1974), was one of the greatest exponents of Karnatic classical music of this century. Some of the tales surrounding his life have grown to become near-legends, especially in his native Kerala. o Look here for a long list of Iyers who have excelled at music. * DANCE o Bharatanatyam + Rukmini Devi Arundale[Image] was one of the greatest exponents of Bharatanatyam in the 20th century. She was born in Madurai in 1904. In 1936, she established the now prestigious "Kalakshetra Art Centre" in Madras, an institution that has become the leading producer of quality artistes in recent times. She choreographed some remarkable works such as the dance-dramas "Kumarasambhavam", "Gita-Govinda" and the "Ramayana". + Padma Subrahmanyam[Image] is known for her fearless innovation in the interpretation of Bharatanatyam. Her renditions entitled "Krishnaya tubhyam namah", "Ramaya tubhyam namah" and "Silappadikaram" have been outstanding successes. Her literary contributions include the "Bharata's Art - Then and Now". + Chitra Visveswaran o Mohiniaattam + Kalamandalam Saraswathy * OTHER ART FORMS o T. S. Balakrishna Shastrigal is one of the foremost exponents of the "Harikathakalakshepam", an artform that involves the narration of stories from the puranas and other traditional texts, with musical accompaniment. * ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY o Gemini Ganeshan dominated the Tamil film industry for over 3 decades from the 1950s to the 1980s. o Rekha Ganeshan (daughter of Gemini Ganeshan) was the undisputed diva of the Hindi film industry in the 1970s and the early 80s. Some of her most memorable performances were in "Umrao Jaan", "Silsila" and "Utsav". o Hariharan (b. 1955) has become one of the leading playback singers in the tamil and hindi film industries. He first made his mark in ghazal singing, an art form prevalent in northern India involving the musical expression of Urdu poetry. Check out his unofficial biography. There is also a Hariharan Fan Club on the web! o S. S. Vasan * POLITICS o Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), became the first post-independence Vice-President of India (1952-1962), the second President of India (1962-1967) and the first Indian to hold a Philosophy Chair at Oxford. He was also Chairman, UNESCO, and was the recepient of the Bharat Ratna (1954) and the Templeton Prize (1975). o Subrahmanya Bharati (1881-1921) was a poet and a freedom fighter. His patriotic poems galvanized the anti-British sentiment in southern India. He eloquently expressed sentiments like the desire for personal freedom, national liberty and the equality of all people. Some of his best known works include "Kuyilpaattu" [Song of the cuckoo], "Kannanpaattu" [Songs about Krishna] and "Paanchaali Shapatham" [Paanchaali's Oath]. o T. N. Seshan [Tirunellai Narayaniyer Seshan] (b. 1932), former Chief Election Commissioner of India. In 1996, he was responsible for conducting the general election - the largest and most elaborate democratic event in the history of humankind! He won the Magsaysay Award in 1996. o Ramaswamy Venkataraman (b. 1910), was the Vice-President of India from 1984 to 1987 and the 8th President of India from 1987 to 1992. * VEDIC LEARNING / SRAUTA RITUAL o Venkata Madhava [Image] (10th century AD) lived in a village on the banks of the Kaveri during the reign of the Chola Parantaka I. He wrote the "Rigarthadipika", a significant work elucidating the Rig Veda. o Govinda Dikshitar lived in Tanjore in the 16th century, and was responsible for the continued health of the Srauta tradition in Tamil Nadu. As the adviser to the Nayak ruler of Tanjore, he encouraged vedic learning and sacrifices. In fact the Raja Veda Pathashala at Kumbhakonam was established by him in 1542, and is still in existence! Venkata Makhin (listed above) was one of his 6 sons. Govind Dikshitar was a Rig vedin of the Asvalayana school. In his life time, he performed most of the Srauta sacrifices, including the Agnistoma, Agnichayana and the Vajapeya. He was also a great musician, and wrote the "Sangitasudhanidhi". o "Upanyasachakravarti" Sengalipuram Anantarama Dikshitar has been the foremost performer of Srauta ritual in the 20th century. * THEOLOGY & RELIGION o Over the centuries, hundreds of Iyers have been theologians, and have contributed to the spread of bhakti [devotional hindu religion] throughout south India. Since there are too many individuals, we are compiling a concise list containing only some of the most significant players in this movement. Watch this space! * OTHER FIELDS o Vishwanathan Anand (b. December 11, 1969) is a Chess Grandmaster and is ranked World No. 2. [Image] [Iyer Home] [Vedic Schools] [Vedic Texts] [Sounds of the Veda] [Iyer Society] [Iyer Greats] [Iyer Genetics] [The Gotra Page] [Gotra Survey] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 1997 by Ravi R. Iyer. All rights reserved.