List of people from Tamil Nadu

This is a list of notable people from Tamil Nadu state in India.

Administrators and heads of state

Leaders

Periyar E. V. Ramasamy

• Periyar E. V. Ramasamy, Self-Respect Movement

Presidents of other countries

• Veerasamy Ringadoo (1920–2000), was Governor-General & President of Mauritius .
• Angidi Veeriah Chettiar, Acting President of Mauritius (Feb 15, 2002 - Feb 18, 2002).
• Ariranga Govindasamy Pillay, Acting President of Mauritius (Feb 18, 2002 - Feb 25, 2002).
• Sellapan Ramanathan, President of Singapore (September 1, 2002 – August 31, 2011).

Administrators during British colonial rule

• N (Narayanaswamy). Sadasivam (d.1960), Auditor-General of Burma (-1942).
• Rao Sahib Adukkambarai Singaravel Veerasami Mudaliyar: Deputy Assistant Controller of Military Accounts, Burma. He was awarded the title of Rao Sahib by the then Viceroy Lord Wavell on 14 June 1945

International positions

• Navanethem Pillay - High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN.
• Radhika Coomaraswamy - Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict
• James Appathurai - Spokesperson for NATO.
• Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar - served as the first President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council,Member of the Viceroy's Executive Council.

Presidents of the Indian Union

• Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, 2nd President of India
• Ramaswamy Venkataraman (born 1910), 8th President of India (July 25, 1987 – July 25, 1992)
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam (born 1931), 11th President of India (July 25, 2002–2007)

Governor-General of India

• C. Rajagopalachari (1878–1972), only Indian Governor-General of India (1948 - January 26, 1950), writer and statesman

Dewans of princely states

• Ramayyan Dalawa, Dewan of Travancore from 1737 to 1756
• A. Seshayya Sastri (1828–1903), Indian administrator. Dewan of Travancore from 1872 to 1877 and Pudukkottai from 1878 to 1894.
• Ramiengar, Dewan of Travancore from 1881 to 1887
• K. Seshadri Iyer, longest serving Dewan of Mysore state
• Shungrasoobyer, Dewan of Travancore from 1892 to 1898
• P. Rajagopalachari, Dewan of Cochin from 1897 to 1901 and Travancore from 1904 or 1906 to 1914
• V. T. Krishnamachari, Dewan of Baroda
• R. K. Shanmukham Chetty, Dewan of Cochin from 1931 to 1945
• C. P. Ramaswami Iyer (1879–1966), Advocate General of State of Madras in the 1920s, penultimate Dewan of Travancore
• Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, last Dewan of Mysore state

Indian independence movement

• Chempakaraman Pillai, an Indian warrior who attacked the East India Company from the Emden Submarine. Formed International Cadet Corps ICC, many years before Nethaji's INA. Founded the slogan "Jai Hindh".
• Puli Thevar, Polygar chieftain who fought the British East India Company in the 1750s and 1760s. First general of Tamil origin to fight against the British.
• Thalapathy Venni Kaladi Devendrar, he was the general of Puli Thevar and a brave warrior who died while fighting the British(he belonged to the Devendra kula vellalar community).

• Kattabomman (1760–1799), Polygar chief of Panchalakurichi who fought the British in the First Polygar War. He was captured by the British at the end of the war and hanged.
• Veeran Sundaralinga Devendrar (1760–1789), General chief of Kattabomman Army who fought the British in the Polygar Wars. He was first suicide bomber in the world history, who fought for nation freedom.

• The Maruthu Pandiyar brothers Periya Marudhu and Chinna Marudhu, who fought the British in the First and Second Polygar Wars.

Subramanya Bharathi - Tamil poet

• Dheeran Chinnamalai (1756–1805), Polygar chieftain and feudatory of Tipu Sultan who fought the British in the Second Polygar War.
• Maadasamy Pillai, first male suicide bomber who fought for the Indian Independence for the first time in the world
• S. Subramania Iyer (1842–1925), lawyer, jurist and theosophist who co-founded the Home Rule Movement along with Annie Besant, Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He is affectionately called Grand Old Man of South India.
• G. Subramania Iyer (1855–1916), Freedom fighter and founder of "The Hindu" English newspaper.
• V. O. Chidambaram Pillai (1872–1936), independence fighter, who launched the first Indian ship on Indian waters under British Rule.
• V. V. S Iyer (1881–1925) Tamil scholar and freedom fighter
• Nammakkal Kavignar Ramalingam Pillai, Tamil freedom fighter and poet
• Subramanya Bharathy (1882–1921), Indian freedom fighter, Tamil poet and social reformer. Often regarded as the national poet of Tamil Nadu.
• V. Kalyanasundaram (1883–1953), scholar and independence fighter
• Subramaniya Siva (1884–1925), freedom fighter and close associate of Bharathi and V. V. S. Iyer
• Sathyamurthy (1887–1943), Indian freedom fighter and leader of the Indian National Congress in the erstwhile Madras presidency
• Vanchinathan (1886–1911), Indian Tamil independence activist who killed General Ash and committed suicide at Maniyachi
• Kalki Sadasivam (1902–1997), singer, journalist and film producer who was one of the founders of the Tamil magazine Kalki; husband of Carnatic classical singer M. S. Subbulakshmi.
• Tiruppur Kumaran, independence fighter
• Lakshmi Sehgal (1914-), head of Rani Jhansi Brigade, women's wing of the Indian National Army and a close associate of Netaji Subash Chandra Bose. Presidential candidate in 2002 President's election.
• P.K. Venkitaraman, Theni, independence fighter

Political leaders

Chief Ministers of Madras province, state and Tamil Nadu

• A. Subbarayalu Reddiar, Premier of Madras Presidency from December 1920 to July 1921
• P. Subbarayan, Premier of Madras from 1926 to 1930

C. N. Annadurai, first non-Congress Chief Minister

• P. T. Rajan, Premier of Madras in 1936
• C. Rajagopalachari, Premier of Madras (1937 to 1940) and Chief Minister of Madras state from 1952 to 1954
• O. P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar, Premier of Madras 1947 to 1949
• P. S. Kumaraswamy Raja, Premier of Madras 1949 to 1952
• K. Kamaraj, Chief Minister of Madras state from 1954 to 1962
• M. Bhaktavatsalam, Chief Minister of Madras state from 1962 to 1967
• C. N. Annadurai, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1967 to 1969
• M. Karunanidhi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 1969-1977, 1988–1991, 1996–2001, 2006–2011
• M. G. Ramachandran, actor and Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1977 to 1987
• Janaki Ramachandran, wife of M.G.Ramachandran 1988
• V. R. Nedunchezhiyan, Former Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu and Former Intermin Chief minister of Tamil Nadu
• Jayalalithaa Jayaram, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu 1991-1996, 2001–2006,2011–present
• O. Paneerselvam, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu May 14, 2001 and September 21, 2001

Ex-ministers in the Union government

• C. Subramaniam (1910–2000), former Union Minister, Bharat Ratna awardee, father of the Indian 'Green Revolution'
• R. K. Shanmukham Chetty (1892–1953), first Finance Minister of independent India
• Rangarajan Kumaramangalam, lawyer, former Union Minister and Congress/BJP Leader, son of Mohan Kumaramangalam
• K. Santhanam (1895–1980), first Railway Minister of independent India
• T. T. Krishnamachari (1899–1974), industrialist and Indian Finance Minister 1956–1958 and 1964–1966, resigning from the position twice
• Aravinda Bala Pajanor, (born 1935) Senior Advocate, Former Union Minister for Petroleum, Natural Gas, Chemicals & Fertilizers, and one of the first non-congress and Dravidian party members from Tamil Nadu along with Satyavani Muthu to be part of the Union government
• Murasoli Maran, former Minister of Industry India
• Mani Shankar Aiyar (born 1941), former Minister of Panchayat Raj, Youth Affairs, Sports and North East Region India
• Anbumani Ramadoss, former Minister of Health and Family Welfare India
• T. R. Baalu, former Minister of Shipping, Highways and Road Transport India
• K. Venkatapathy, former Minister of State for Law and Justice, India
• S. Regupathy, former Minister of State for Forests and Environment (Independent Charge), India
• E. V. K. S. Elangovan, former Minister of State for Textiles of India
• R. Velu, former Minister of State for Railways, India
• V. Radhika Selvi, former Minister of State for Home Affairs, India
• A. Raja, Former Minister of Communications and Information Technology India

Ministers to the Union of India

• P. Chidambaram (born 1945), Minister of Home Affairs, India
• G. K. Vasan, Minister of State for Statistics and Programme Implementation(Independent Charge), India
• M. K. Azhagiri Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers
• Dayanidhi Maran Minister of Textile in the Union Cabinet
• S. S. Palanimanickam, Minister of State for Finance, India
• Napoleon (actor), Minister of State for Social Justice And Empowerment
• S. Jagathrakshakan, Indian Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting
• V. Narayanasamy, Minister of State, Culture, Planning and Parliamentary Affairs

Defence (India)

Army

• General Paramasiva Prabhakar Kumaramangalam (1913–2000), 7th Chief of Army Staff (June 7, 1966–June 7, 1969)
• General Krishnaswamy Sundararajan (1930–1999), 14th Chief of Army Staff (February 1, 1986–April 30, 1988)
• General Sundararajan Padmanabhan (born 1940), 20th Chief of Army Staff (September 30, 2000–December 31, 2002)

Navy

• Admiral Sushil Kumar, 18th Chief of the Naval Staff (December 30, 1998–December 29, 2001)
• Admiral Laxminarayan Ramdas

Award winners

Nobel Laureates

Venkatraman Ramakrishnan

• Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, for Physics - 1930
• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, for Physics - 1983
• Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, for Chemistry - 2009

Ramon Magsaysay Award

M. S. Swaminathan

The Ramon Magsaysay Award was established in April 1957 in memory of Ramon Magsaysay, the late president of the Philippines. It is often considered Asia's equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

• M. S. Swaminathan, for Community Leadership - 1971
• M. S. Subbulakshmi, for Public Service - 1974
• R. K. Laxman, for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts - 1984
• Aruna Roy, for Community Leadership - 2000
• V Shanta, for Public Service - 2005

Bharat Ratna

M.G.R

The Bharat Ratna is India's highest civilian honour.

• C. V. Raman for Science & Engineering 1954
• C. Rajagopalachari for Public Affairs 1954
• S. Radhakrishnan for Public Affairs 1954
• K. Kamaraj for Public Affairs 1976 (posthumous)
• M. G. Ramachandran for Public Affairs 1988 (posthumous)
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for Science & Engineering 1997
• C Subramaniam for Public Affairs 1998
• M.S. Subbulakshmi for Arts & Music 1998

Padma Vibhushan

The Padma Vibhushan is India's second highest civilian honour.

This is not a complete list, please add/modify.

M. S. Subbulakshmi

• Kariamanickam Srinivasa Krishnan Science- 1954
• Naryana Raghvan Pillai for Public Affairs - 1960
• A. Lakshmanasamy Mudaliar for Medicine - 1963.
• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar for Science & Engineering - 1968
• Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar for Civil Service - 1970
• B. Sivaraman for Civil Service - 1971
• T. Swaminathan for Civil Service - 1973
• M. S. Subbulakshmi for Arts - 1975
• T. Balasaraswati for Arts - 1977
• M. S. Swaminathan for Science & Engineering - 1989
• A. P. J. Abdul Kalam for Science & Engineering - 1990
• Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer for Arts - 1990

Viswanathan Anand

• V. Arunachalam, for Literature & Education - 1990
• Lakshmi Sahgal for Public Affairs - 1988
• DK Pattammal for Arts - 1999
• R. Chidambaram for Science & Engineering - 1999
• R. K. Narayan for Literature & Education - 2000
• K. Kasturirangan for Science & Engineering - 2000
• C.V. Narasimhan for Civil Service - 2001
• C. Rangarajan for Literature & Education - 2002
• R. K. Laxman for Arts - 2005
• Raja Jesudoss Chelliah, for Public Affairs - 2007
• Balu Sankaran, for Medicine - 2007
• V. Krishnamurthy, for Civil Service - 2007
• Viswanathan Anand, for Sports - 2008

Padma Bhushan

The Padma Bhushan is India's third highest civilian honour.

• Sivaji Ganesan - Actor
• Ilaiyaraaja - musician and Tamil music director
• Rajinikanth - Actor
• Arogyaswami Paulraj - Professor

Padma Shri

The Padma Shri is India's fourth highest civilian honour.

• Sivaji Ganesan - Actor.
• Venu Srinivasan - Chairman of the TVS Motor Company
• A. Sivasailam - Chairman & MD of the Amalgamations Group
• Dr.G.Bakthavatvhalam - Chairman of KG Hospital
• Kamal Hassan-Actor
• A. R. Rahman - Musician and Tamil music director

Param Vir Chakra

The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military honor.

• Major Ramaswamy Parmeshwaran (1946–1987), awarded in 1987 (posthumous) for Indian Peace Keeping Force operations in Sri Lanka

Actor mr kamalahashan and actors ms manoramas is also winners in Padma Shri award

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award

The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award is India's highest sporting honour.

• Vishwanathan Anand, for Chess (1991–1992)
• Dhanraj Pillay, for Hockey (1999–2000)

Art, music, literature

• Akilan, Jnanpith Award (1975)
• Sivaji Ganesan, Chevalier awarded by the National Order of the Legion of Honour of France (1995)
• Jayakanthan, Jnanpith Award (2002)
• Subbu Arumugam, Sangeet Natak Akademi award (2005)
• R. K. Narayan, Sahitya Akademi
• Su Venkatesan, Sahitya Akademi(2011)

Arjuna Award

Main article: List of Tamil recipients of the Arjuna Award

The Arjuna Award was instituted in 1961 by the Government of India to recognize outstanding achievement in national sports.

Industrialists and entrepreneurs

• A M M Murugappa Chettiar, Industrialist, Founder of Murugappa Group.
• Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar, Industrialist, Philanthropist & Educator who established Annamalai University.
• Rajah Sir Muthiah Chettiar, Industrialist, Philanthropist and First Mayor of Madras.
• Alagappa Chettiar (1909–1957), Industrialist, Philanthropist & Educator who established Alagappa University.
• M. A. Chidambaram Chettiar, Industrialist.
• Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar, Industrialist & Educationist, Founder of erstwhile bank Bank of Madurai & institution Thiagarajar College of Engineering.
• Kulandaivel Mudaliar, The Chennai Silks founder.
• Chenniappan, Nilgiris founder.
• M.Thiagarajan, Paramount airways
• K.P.Natarajan, KPN Travels
• Pothy Moopanar, founder of Pothys Textiles.
• HRH.Rajagopala Marthanda Tondaiman, Haileyburia Industries CEO
• Thyagarajan Mudaliar, Founder Thiru Arooran Sugars Ltd.
• Rm. K. Visvanatha Pillai, founder of RmKV.
• Jayachandaran, Jayachandran Silks founder.
• S. Ramadorai, former CEO of Tata Consultancy Services
• Ayya Nadar, founder of Ayyan Group of Companies
• Shanmuga Nadar, founder of Standard Fireworks and other firework industries in Sivakasi
• Selvarathinam, founder of Saravana Stores, Chennai
• Shiv Nadar, founder and CEO of HCL Technologies
• A. C. Muthiah, Chairman of Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation SPIC
• V. G. Panneerdas, founder of VGP Group of Companies
• V S Thiruvengadasamy Mudaliar - Founder VST Motor Group
• G.Munusamy, founder of Gold Winner
• R. G. Chandramogan, founder of Arun Icecreams
• P. Rajagopal, founder of Hotel Saravana Bhavan chain of restaurants.
• H. Vasanthakumar, founder of Vasanth & Co and Vasanth TV.
• V. R. Muthu, CEO and son of founder of Idhayam oil
• K. P. Kandasamy, founder of Dinakaran
• S. P. Adithanar, founder of Dina Thanthi
• N.Mahalingam Gounder, Educator, Industrialist and Philanthropist.
• Kalanidhi Maran, Media Baron.
• M. G. Muthu, founder of MGM Group of Companies and MGM Dizzee World
• A Sivasailam, Chairman Amalgamations Group
• M. A. M Ramasamy Chettiar, Industrialist, Philanthropist and Pro-Chancellor of Annamalai University.
• Sivasankaran Chairman, Sterling group.
• Namakkal P.G.Periasamy, Founder and CEO PGP Groups.
• B Muthuraman, Managing Director, Tata Steel.
• Dharmaveera K Govindaswamy Naidu, Industrialist & Philanthropist
• Venu Srinivasan, Chairman of TVS Motor Company and Sundaram-Clayton.
• Mallika Srinivasan, CEO of Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited
• M. V. Subbiah, CEO of the Murugappa Group.
• KG Baalakrishnan, Chairman and Managing Director KG Group of companies, Coimbatore
• Mani Subramanian, CEO of the Keane India Private Limited.
• R V Perumal, CEO of Hotel New Vijaya, Bodi
• Narayanan Vaghul, ex-Chairman of ICICI Bank
• Saravanan Santhanam, Founder & CEO, Simha Incorporation
• Ganesan Natarajan, CEO & Wholetime Director of Ennore Coke Limited
• Anandan Sundararajan (Andy Iyengar) CEO | Founder | Director WORDINT Group
• Yaseva Founder Propel Global

Scholars

Academicians

• Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar, Mayor of Madras (1928–30), Vice Chancellor of University of Kerala (1951–61), Travancore
• A. Lakshmanaswami Mudaliar, first Indian principal of the Madras Medical College and longest-serving Vice Chancellor of the University of Madras
• V. L. Ethiraj Mudaliar, founder of Ethiraj College for Women
• Malcolm Adiseshiah (1910–1994), economist, former Deputy Director General of UNESCO and founder of MIDS (Madras Institute of Development Studies)
• V. C. Kulandaiswamy, educator and technologist. Formerly Vice-Chancellor of Anna University, IGNOU and Tamil Virtual University.
• Mu. Varadharasan, Tamil scholar, winner of Sahithya Academy award and ex-Vice-Chancellor of Madurai Kamaraj University
• Sivaraj Ramaseshan (1923–2003), scientist and ex-director of the Indian Institute of Science
• M. Anandakrishnan, Chairma
• Arjun Appadurai, contemporary social theorist, educator and founder of the School of International Relations, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
• M. Lakshmanan, microbiologist, former Vice Chacellor of Madurai Kamaraj University and ex-President of Association of Microbiologists of India
• V. C. Balasubramaniam, director of Institute of Pathology, MMC
• M Murugesh Mudaliar, principal, BMS College of Engineering, Bangalore
• T Kuthalingam, scientist and technologist, former Vice Chacellor of Madurai Kamaraj University
• H. S. S. Lawrence, educator, former Director of School Education, Tamil Nadu and UNESCO Expert to Government of Afghanistan

Agriculture

• M. S. Swaminathan, agricultural scientist, scientific father of Green Revolution in India
• S. Nagarajan, agricultural scientist, IARI agricultural research station

Botanists

• Ganapathi Thanikaimoni (1938–1986), often referred to as Thani, known for his contributions to the science of palynology

Computer science

• Madhu Sudan (born 1966), computer scientist, professor of computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a member of MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory
• Arogyaswami Paulraj (born 1944) wireless engineering, professor of electrical engineering at Stanford University. A pioneer of wireless smart antenna technology and also credited as the father of Indian military sonar technology during his earlier career in India.
• Siva Kumar, computer scientist, professor of computer science at the Indian Institute of Technology - Bombay and chairman of IIT Computer Centre
• Andrews Samraj, Computer Scientist, Professor of Computing Science and Engineering at the VIT University notable for his rehabilitation research in Malaysia. At present well known for wearable computing projects.

Finance and economics

• C. Rangarajan, economist and ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1992–1997)
• C.K. Prahalad, management expert and professor at the University of Michigan Business School
• Marti Subrahmanyam, finance expert and professor at New York University (NYU) and Board of Directors of Infosys and ICICI Bank
• Bala V. Balachandran, management expert and professor at the Kellogg School of Management
• Ravi Jagannathan, economist and professor at the Kellogg School of Management
• Lakshman Krishnamurthi, marketing expert and professor at the Kellogg School of Management
• H.V.R.Iyengar, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1957–1962)
• S. Jagannathan, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1970–1975) and executive at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
• M. Narasimham, banker, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1977) and executive at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund
• S. Venkitaramanan, ex-Governor, Reserve Bank of India (1990–1992)
• T. N. Srinivasan (born 1933), economist and the Samuel C. Park, Jr. professor of economics at Yale University
• Raghuram Rajan, ex-Chief Economist, International Monetary Fund
• V. G. Narayanan, Management Expert and professor at the Harvard Business School

Mathematics

Srinivasa Ramanujan - Indian Mathematician

• Srinivasa Aiyangar Ramanujan (1887–1920), 20th-century mathematician
• Subbayya Sivasankaranarayana Pillai (1901–1950), known for his work in number theory
• Kollagunta Gopalaiyer Ramanathan (1920–1992), known for his achievements in number theory
• C. S. Seshadri, director, Chennai Mathematical Institute and Trieste Awardee
• S.R. Srinivasa Varadhan, mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society
• M. S. Narasimhan, mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society (1996)
• M. S. Raghunathan, mathematician and Fellow of the Royal Society
• C. P. Ramanujam (1938–1974), worked on number theory and algebraic geometry
• T. S. Vijayaraghavan (1902–1955), worked on Pisot-Vijayaraghavan number
• Ravindran Kannan, Professor of Computer Science and Mathematics at Yale University. Joint winner of the 1991 Fulkerson Prize in discrete mathematics for work on the volumes of convex bodies.

Medicine

• Rangaswamy Srinivasan, ultraviolet excimer laser / LASIK. inventor at IBM Research
• V.S. Ramachandran, neuroscientist; director professor at UC San Diego
• S.S. Ratnam, pioneer in Singapore in-vitro fertilisation
• Ganapathi Thanikaimoni, palynologist, French Institute of Pondicherry, awarded the Fyson Prize in Natural Science
• Sundaram Ramakrishnan, cancer researcher and professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School
• Mohammed Rela, one of the world's top liver transplant surgeons at the King's College Hospital
• R. Venkataswami, founder of the Department of Plastic Surgery at the Stanley Medical College
• Govindappa Venkataswamy, founder of Aravind Eye Hospital
• Ravi Iyengar, professor and founder of the Iyengar Laboratory, Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Mayilvahanan Natarajan, orthopedic surgeon and pioneer of limb salvage surgery in bone tumours
• R. P. Shanmugam, founder, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology, Stanley Medical College, Chennai and the first to perform a liver transplant in a government hospital in India

Scientists

• Sukumar Devotta, chemical engineer, director of The National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI)
• Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman, 1930 Nobel Prize winner in physics
• Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, 1983 Nobel Prize winner in physics
• K. Kasturirangan, former Chairman of ISRO and present director of National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS)
• Raja Ramanna, former Chairman of Department of Atomic Energy, presided over India's first nuclear test in 1974
• P. K. Iyengar, former Chairman of Department of Atomic Energy
• Dr.M.R.Srinivasan, Former Chairman of Department of Atomic Energy

M.Annadurai - Aerospace Engineer

• R. Chidambaram, Scientific Adviser to the Prime Minister of India, ex-Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission
• S.R. Ranganathan, librarian who devised the five laws of library science
• A. Sivathanu Pillai, defence scientist and the CEO of the Indo-Russian Brahmos company which developed and manufactures the world's only supersonic cruise missile
• G. N. Ramachandran (1922–2001), Indian scientist who made major contributions to biology and physics
• Ranjan Roy Daniel (1923–2005), physicist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, ex-Chairman of the Advisory Committee for Space Science at ISRO

• Venkatraman Radhakrishnan (born 1929), space scientist and member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
• Mylswamy Annadurai (born 1958), project director of ISRO's Chandrayaan-1
• R. V. Perumal, former director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
• Vedhachalam, former director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre
• P. S. Veeraraghavan, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
• Dr Krishnan, associate director, ISRO Inertial Systems Unit
• S Ramakrishnan, associate director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre
• Annamalai Pillai, director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre
• M Natarajan, Scientific Advisor to Defence Minister, DGR&D and Secretary, DRDO
• Dr. Krishnamurthy Sekhar, Chief Controller R&D (Implementation), DRDO
• W Selvamurthy, Chief Controller R&D (Life Sciences) and R&D (Human Resources), DRDO
• G Elangovan, Chief Controller R & D (R&M), DRDO
• G.D.Naidu, former Chairman of UMS and scientist
• A. E. Muthunayagam, former director, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre and Chairman of Board of Governors, IIT Chennai
• V. S. Arunachalam, ex-defence scientist DRDO and professor at Carnegie Mellon University
• Ramanuja Vijayaraghavan (born 1931), physicist at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research
• Poondi Kumaraswamy (1931–1988), hydrologist and inventor of Kumaraswamy distribution
• Subra Suresh, Dean of School of Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
• C. Anandharamakrishnan, scientist, Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, India
• G.Kumaravel, bioanalytical scientist

Zoologist

• T N Ananthakrishnan, entomologist and zoologist. Former Head of the Department of Zoology and founder director of the Entomology Research Institute, Loyola College, Chennai.

• Mahadeva Subramania Mani, entomologist, famous for his studies in high-altitude entomology

Arts and music

Tamil music

• Muthu Thandavar, one of the Tamil Trinity
• Marimutthu Pillai, one of the Tamil Trinity
• Arunachala Kavi, one of the Tamil Trinity
• T M Soundararajan, playback singer

Carnatic music

Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan - classical music violinist

• Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer (1907–2003), singer of Carnatic music
• Madurai Mani Iyer (1912–1968), singer of Carnatic music
• Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman (1935-), musician, mridangist
• Vasundhara Devi, singer of carnatic music who acted in first colossal hit Tamil film Mangamma Sapatham.
• Ganesh and Kumaresh, violinists
• Gopalakrishna Bharathi (1811–1896), Carnatic music composer
• Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan (March 2, 1935 - September 8, 2008), violinist
• Lalgudi Jayaraman (1930-), Carnatic music composer and violinist
• Maharajapuram Santhanam (1922–1991), Carnatic music composer and violinist
• Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775–1835), composer. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Thyagarajar and Shyama Shastri.
• Nithyashree Mahadevan (1973-), Carnatic music singer; granddaughter of singer D. K. Pattammal
• D. K. Pattammal (28 March 1919 – 16 July 2009), singer of Carnatic music
• Shyama Shastri, composer. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Thyagarajar.
• Thiagaraja (1767–1847), composer of Carnatic music. Formed the "Great Trinity of Carnatic Music" along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri.
• P. Unnikrishnan (born July 9, 1966), Carnatic vocalist and National Award-winning playback singer
• Veena Dhanammal
• E. Gayathri
• M. S. Subbulakshmi (September 16, 1916 - December 11, 2004), singer of Carnatic music, Barath Ratna award winner
• Dr. N. Ramani
• L. Athira Krishna
• T. Brinda
• T. Muktha
• T. Viswanathan
• R. Vedavalli
• Sirkazhi G. Sivachidambaram
• Sanjay Subrahmanyan
• T. M. Krishna
• Seetha Rajan
• Sudha Raghunathan, singer of Carnatic music, Padma Sri award in the field of Carnatic vocal music (2004)
• Nisha Rajagopalan

Film music

M S Viswanathan - music director

• K. V. Mahadevan, musician, composer; winner of National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1968 and 1980)
• M. S. Viswanathan, musician and composer
• V. S. Narasimhan, musician, violinist , composer
• Ilayaraaja (born 1943), musician, composer, winner of National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1984, 1986 and 1989)
• A. R. Rahman (born 1966), musician, composer, winner of Academy Award for Best Original Song (2008), National Film Award for Best Music Direction (1993, 1997, 2002 and 2003). Oscar Award winner for Best Original Score and Best Song ("Jai Ho").
• Yuvan Shankar Raja, musician, composer, 'Best Musician' at Cyprus Film Festival in 2006
• Harris Jayaraj (born 1975), film composer from Tamil cinema

A R Rahman - Oscar winner (2009)

• Mani Sharma Yanamandra (born July 11, Kumbakonam, Tamil Nadu), film composer from Tamil and Telugu cinema
• Karthik Raja, film composer from Tamil cinema
• Musiri Subramania Iyer (1899-975), Carnatic music singer and film actor; acted in the 1938 Tamil movie Tukaram
• Anuradha Sriram, Tamil playback singer. Her husband is also a musician.
• S. P. Balasubrahmanyam (1946-), singer. Holds the Guinness Record for greatest number of songs recorded as a playback singer.
• Hariharan (1955-), Hindi and Tamil playback singer
• Krish, Tamil playback singer
• Mahalaxmi Iyer, Hindi and Tamil playback singer
• Naresh Iyer, male playback singer in Bollywood and Kollywood
• Papanasam Sivan (1890–1973), Carnatic music composer and singer
• Shankar Mahadevan, music director
• Thomas Rathnam , Music director. Tamil , kannada , English , Hindi
• Usha Uthup (b. 1947), pop singer and female playback singer in Bollywood
• Vijay Iyer, jazz musician

Western music

• Moksha, heavy metal band from Chennai

Classical dance

• Vyjayanthimala
• T. Balasaraswati
• Kamala Lakshminarayanan
• Padma Subramanyam
• Rukmini Devi Arundale

Cinema

Directors

• A. P. Nagarajan
• A. Bhimsingh
• Balu Mahendra (born 1946) director, cinematographer, winner of National Film Award for Best Cinematography (1978 and 1983)
• Bharathiraja (born 1941), winner of National Film Award for Best Screenplay (2001)
• K. Balachander (born 1930), winner of Dada Saheb Palke Award (2011)
• K. Bhagyaraj
• Cheran, winner of National Film Award for Best Film on Other Social Issues (2001)
• C. V. Sridhar
• J. Mahendran
• Ameer Sultan, winner of Filmfare Best Director Award (Tamil) (2007)
• Mani Ratnam (born 1956), winner of multiple National Film Awards
• A. R. Murugadoss
• B. Lenin, winner of National Film Award for Best Directing (2002)
• Agaththian, winner of National Film Award for Best Directing and National Film Award for Best Screenplay (1997)
• Bala, winner of National Film Award for Best Directing (2010)
• Dharani
• Parthiban, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (1989 and 1999)
• R. K. Selvamani
• Selvaraghavan, winner of Filmfare Best Director Award (Tamil) (2003)
• S. Shankar (born 1963), winner of Filmfare Best Director Award (2005)
• S. P. Jananathan, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (2003)
• Vasanthabalan, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil
• Vasanth
• Vikraman
• Kamal Hassan
• Gautham Menon, winner of National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil (2008)
• Kothamangalam Subbu, poet, lyricist, writer, actor and director

Music composers

• A. R. Rahman
• Ilaiyaraaja
• Yuvan Shankar Raja
• Harris Jayaraj
• M. S. Viswanathan
• Deva

Other entertainers

• Aziz Ansari, actor, writer, stand-up comedian
• Ajith kumar,Actor,Racer
• Suriya Sivakumar,actor
• Joseph Vijay,actor, Known popularly as 'Ilayathalapathy'
• vikram(actor),national award winner for best actor 2002

Sports and games

Carrom

• A. Maria Irudayam, World Carrom Champion and Arjuna Award winner for Carrom (1996)
• R. Arokiaraj
• K. Radhakrishnan
• B. Radhakrishnan
• E. Mahimairaj
• M. Natraj
• A. Ponnarasi
• G. Revathi
• G. Raja

Volleyball

• A. Palanisamy, first Arjuna Award winner for volleyball (1961)
• G E Sridharan, Arjuna Award winner
• Kumaran, played for Indian team; currently playing for Indian Overseas Bank, Chennai
• Sundaram, former setter for Indian team and Indian Overseas Bank, Chennai
• Mangala Jeyabalan, former setter for Indian team
• Muthuraj, played for Indian team; currently playing for Indian Bank, Chennai
• Sayee Krishnan, played for Indian team; currently playing for Indian Bank, Chennai
• Pradeep John, represented India in Asian Games 2006 as part of Beach Volleyball
• Mohan Poothanathan, represented India in Asian Games 2006 as part of Beach Volleyball
• Sivaraman, played for Indian team; considered the best back row attacker during his playing time
• Natarajan J, playing currently for India and IOB, Chennai. Also the captain of the Tamil Nadu volleyball team.
• Sivabalan, played for India; currently playing for IOB, Chennai
• Selvarasu, played for Indian junior team; currently playing for ICF, Chennai
• Raj Mohan, played for Indian junior team; currently playing for ICF, Chennai
• Kamaraj, represented Indian youth team which finished 2nd in the world championships
• Naveen Raj Jacob,playing currently for India , Chennai.

Chess

S.Selshyam, the next Grandmaster of the Universe. Guru of Vishwanathan Anand.

• Viswanathan Anand, World Chess Champion and the first Indian to earn the title of Grandmaster
• Manuel Aaron, first Indian to earn the title of International Master
• Murugan Thiruchelvam, chess player from United Kingdom
• Krishnan Sasikiran, Grandmaster and Arjuna Award winner for Chess (2002)
• S. Vijayalakshmi, six-time Women's national champion of India; the first female Grandmaster from India and Arjuna Award winner for Chess (2000)
• S. Meenakshi, female Grandmaster and sister of S. Vijayalakshmi
• Aarthie Ramaswamy, female Grandmaster and under-18 girls' World Chess champion
• R. B. Ramesh, Grandmaster and National Champion of India
• P. Mahesh Chandran, Grandmaster
• Ramachandran Ramesh, Grandmaster, winner of the 2002 British Chess Championship
• Deepan Chakkravarthy, Grandmaster, winner of the Asian Junior Championship at Colombo in 2002
• S. Arun Prasad, International Grandmaster, winner of Scottish Chess Championship in 2009
• G. B. Prakash, Grandmaster Elect
• P. Konguvel, International Master
• Lanka Ravi, International Master
• S. Kidambi, International Master
• K. Murugan, International Master
• T. S. Ravi, International Master
• V. Saravanan, International Master
• T. N. Parameswaran, International Master
• R. Balasubramanian, International Master
• S. Poobesh Anand, International Master
• M. R. Venkatesh, International Master
• Kasturi M, female International Master, winner of the Asian Junior Championship at Teheran in 2001
• N. Sudhakar Babu, International Master

Cricket

• Buchi Babu Naidu (died 1908), father of Indian cricket in Chennai
• Cota Ramaswami (born 1896, presumed dead), represented India in international cricket and tennis
• M. J. Gopalan (1909–2003), represented India in international hockey and cricket
• C.GOWTHAM BORN (1993), pace bowler, Indian cricket team
• C. D. Gopinath (born 1930), batsman, Indian cricket team
• S. Venkataraghavan (born 1945), ex-Captain of Indian cricket team and Test and ODI umpire
• K. Srikkanth (born 1959), ex-Captain of Indian cricket team and current Chairman of selectors.
• T.A. Sekhar (born 1956), pace bowler, Indian cricket team
• D.KRISH,BORN[1992] batsman, Indian cricket team
• L. Sivaramakrishnan (born 1965), spin bowler, Indian cricket team
• V. B. Chandrasekhar, batsman, Indian cricket team
• Bharat Arun (born 1962), pace bowler, Indian cricket team
• Murali Kartik (born 1976), spin bowler, Indian cricket team
• Sadagoppan Ramesh (born 1975), batsman, Indian cricket team
• Lakshmipathy Balaji (born 1981), pace bowler, Indian cricket team
• Dinesh Karthik (born 1985), wicketkeeper, Indian cricket team
• Vignesh Venkatramam (born 1984), wicketkeeper, batsman, Portslade Cricket Club, Sussex, England
• Nasser Hussain (born 28 March 1968, Madras, India) , former Essex and England cricketer, Test captain
• Ravichandran Ashwin (born 17 September 1986,Madras, India) , right arm off-break bowler Indian cricket team
• Bharat Reddy
• Woorkeri Raman

Basketball

• Palanikumar, represented national youth team which finished 2nd in the national championships

Football

• Peter Velappan (born 1935), General Secretary of Asian Football Confederation and member of FIFA Strategic Studies Committee and Organising Committee for the FIFA World Cup
• Peter Thangaraj, Olympian and goalkeeper of the Indian football team that won the Gold Medal at the 1962 Jakarta Asian Games
• Komaleeswaran Sankar, FIFA Assistant Referee for the Football World Cup; won Asia’s 'Best Assistant Referee' award in 1999
• Vikash Dhorasoo, French professional football midfielder, represented his country at the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Hockey

• Vasudevan Baskaran, captain of the Indian hockey team that won the Gold Medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics; Arjuna Award winner (1979–1980)
• Dhanraj Pillay (born 1968), ex-Indian hockey captain, Arjuna Award winner (1995), winner of Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award (1999–2000)
• Mohamad Riaz, Olympian, Arjuna Award (1998)
• Adam Sinclair, member of the Indian hockey team at the 2004 Athens Olympics
• Raja, member of the Indian hockey team
• Mathisan Selvananthan, member of the Indian hockey team

Kabaddi

• Subbiah Rajarathinam, captain of the Indian kabaddi team that won the gold medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games
• Perumal Ganesan, the Indian kabaddi team that won the gold medal at the 1994 Hiroshima Asian games

Racing

• Narain Karthikeyan, Coimbatore, India's first Formula 1 driver
• S. Karivardhan, Coimbatore, car constructor and National Champion
• N. Leelakrishnan, Coimbatore, 7-time National Rally Champion
• Naren Kumar, Coimbatore, 4-time National Rally Champion
• J. Anand, Coimbatore, 3-time National F3 Grand Prix winner
• R. Gopinath, Coimbatore, F3 National Champion and founder of SpitFire Motorsports
• B. Vijay Kumar, Coimbatore, Fiat Champion and LG Sports founder
• G. R. Karthikeyan, Coimbatore, 7-time South India Rally winner and father of Narain Karthikeyan
• Akbar Ebrahim, Chennai, 3-time National F3 Grand Prix winner

Tennis

• Vijay Amritraj, international tennis champion, actor
• Anand Amritraj
• Ashok Amritraj
• Prakash Amritraj
• Ramanathan Krishnan
• Ramesh Krishnan
• Nirupama Vaidyanathan
• Jeevan Nedunchezhian

Tamil Mind Sport- Thiruthamizh

• Rajakumar Gopalan, creator and promoter of Thiruthamizh India's first vernacular mind sport

Cultural icons

• Thirumuruga Kirupananda Variyar, scholarly saint
• Vyjayanthimala, Bharatanatyam dancer & she introduce semi-classical dance in Bollywood.
• Rukmini Devi Arundale, Bharatanatyam dancer, founder of Kalakshetra
• Balasaraswati, Bharatanatyam dancer
• Alarmel Valli, Bharatanatyam dancer
• Chitra Visweswaran, Bharatanatyam dancer
• Padma Subramanyam, Bharatanatyam dancer
• Medha Hari, Bharatanatyam dancer
• Pithukuli Murugadas, musician known for his songs on Lord Murugan
• K. B. Sundarambal, actress, singer
• Sirkali Govindarajan, vocalist and Carnatic music exponent
• Sirkali G. Siva Chidambaram, vocalist and Carnatic music exponent

Tamil language icons

• Arumuka Navalar (1822–1879), pioneer of Tamil prose, champion of Hinduism from Jaffna, Sri Lanka
• Maraimalai Adigal, Tamil scholar and activist
• Xavier Thaninayagam (1913–1980), from Jaffna, Sri Lanka, founder member of the International Association for Tamil Research
• Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar, Tamil scholar, researcher and poet
• U. V. Swaminatha Iyer (1855–1942), pioneer of Tamil, popularly known as 'Tamil Thaatha'
• Thanthai Periyar, businessman, politician, Indian independence and social activist who started the Self-Respect Movement
• Rajnikanth, popular Tamil actor born in Bangalore
• Annamalai Reddiyar, a Telugu but a great exponent of Tamil poetry
• Rajakumar Gopalan, inventor of Thiruthamizh, India's word-building board game in Tamil on the lines of Scrabble, and creator of many new Tamil words
• Mu.Varadharasanar, former Vice Chancellor, Madurai Kamaraj University (introduced distance education), author

Spiritual icons

• Alwars: There are 12 alwars, who are devotees of Lord Vishnu and exponents of Vaishnavism
• Nayanmars: There are 63 Nayanmars, who are devotees of Lord Shiva and exponents of Saivism
• Ramalinga Swamigal (1823–1873), popularly known as Vallalar
• Ramanuja (1017–1137), philosopher and one of the most important saints of Vaishnavism
• Vedanta Desika
• Mudaliandan (Dasharati), personal assistant to Sri Ramanuja
• Kuresa, personal assistant to Sri Ramanuja
• Yamunacharya (Alavandar), Srivaishnava Acharya and most important teacher in Achara Lineage next to Ramanuja
• Appayya Dikshidar (1520–1593), philosopher, followed Advaita School of Indian philosophy
• Raghavendra Swami (1595–1671), advocated Vaishnavism (worship of Vishnu as the supreme God) and Sri Madhvacharya's Dvaita philosophy
• Ramana Maharshi (1879–1950)
• Yogaswami (1872–1964), spiritual leader from Jaffna, Sri Lanka
• Sivananda Saraswati (1887–1963), proponent of Yoga and Vedanta
• Duraisamy Simon Lourdusamy (born 1924), Cardinal Priest of S Maria delle Grazie alle Fornaci fuori Porta Cavalleggeri, Vatican City
• Dayananda Saraswati, founder of the Arsha Vidya Gurukulam
• Vethathiri Maharishi, founder of The World Community Service Center, an organisation striving for world peace from 1911, and propagator of the blessing phrase "Vaazgha Vaiyagam Vaazgha Valamudan" (வாழ்க வையகம் வாழ்க வளமுடன்), roughly translated as 'Be Blessed by the Divine'
• Bala Prajapathi Adikalar, the present Pattathu Ayya of Swamithope pathi and leader of Ayyavazhi religion
• D. G. S. Dhinakaran, Christian evangelist and founder of Jesus Calls Ministries
• Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, spiritual and humanitarian leader
• Sri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari, current spiritual leader of Raja Yoga and president of Shri Ram Chandra Mission
• Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, founder of isha yoga

Literature

Classical literature

• Thiruvalluvar, poet and author of Thirukural
• Tholkaapiyar, author of Tholkaapiam, one of the first Tamil grammar books
• Illango Adigal, poet and author of Silappathikaram
• Srivilliputhurar, author of Tamil Mahabharatham
• Seethalai Saathanar, author of Manimegalai
• Kambar, author of Kamba Ramayanam
• Sekkizhar, author of Periya Puranam
• Auvaiyar, female saint and author of Aathichoodi
• Tirutakakatevar, author of Jivaka Chintamani
• Eelattu Poothanthevanar, Classical Sri Lankan poet of the Sangam period
• Ottakoothar, author of Saraswathi Anthathi

Spiritual literature

Hindu

• Nammalvar, author of Tiruvaymozhi and one of the alwars
• Ramanuja, author of Sanskrit manuscripts
• Ramaswamy Palli, author of Thiruvadanai Ramanathapuram
• Thirumular, author of Thirumandhiram
• Tiruvalluvar, author of Thirukkural
• Arunagirinathar, author of Thiruppugazh
• Sekkizhar, author of Periapuranam
• Manikkavasagar, author of Thiruvasagam and one of the Nayanmars
• Thirumazhisai Alvar, author of Tiruchanda-virutham and one of the alwars
• Andal, author of Tiruppaavai and Nacchiyar Tirumozhi and one of the alwars
• Kambar, Tamil scholar, poet and author of Kambaramayanam, the Tamil version of Ramayana
• Avvaiyar, Tamil poet and author of Aathichoodi and Konraiventhan
• Abirami Pattar (original name Subramaniya Iyer; late 18th century - early 19th century), poet and author of Abhirami Anthadhi
• V. Akilesapillai, Tamil scholar, poet and author of Thirukonasala Vaipavam from Sri Lanka
• Vedanta Desika, composer in Tamil, Sanskrit and Manipravala (combination of both).
• Manavala Mamunigal, author of Upadesarattinamalai, Arti Prabhandam and multiple commentaries
• Periyavacchan Pillai, commentator and author of books on the doctrine of Vishishtadvaita

Christian

• Henry A. Krishna Pillai

Islam

• Umaruppulavar (1605–1703), author of Sirappuranam, Islamic spiritual work on the life of Muhammad
• Mohammad Ibrahim, author of Muhaidin Puranam, Islamic spiritual literature

Modern literature

• Subramanya Bharathy (1882–1921), nationalist Tamil poet
• Bharathidasan (1891–1964), Tamil poet and rationalist
• Pudhumaipithan (1906–1948), Tamil fiction writer known for his progressive thinking
• Karmegha Konar (1889–1957), Tamil poet
• Akilan, novelist
• Thi. Janakiraman, novelist
• Laa.Sa. Ramamirutham, novelist
• Kalki Krishnamurthy (1899–1954), novelist and journalist
• Jayakanthan (born 1934), writer and novelist
• Prabanjan author of Vanam Vasappadum
• Kannadasan (1927–1981), popularly called 'Kavi Arasu', poet, film lyricist, winner of National Film Award for Best Lyrics (1969)
• Vairamuthu (born 1953), poet, film lyricist, winner of National Film Award for Best Lyrics (1986, 1993, 1995, 2000 and 2003)
• Indira Soundarajan, novelist and short story writer
• Ashoka Mitran (born 1931), novelist and short story writer
• R. K. Narayan (1906–2001), English novelist and essayist
• Koththamangalam Subbu, poet
• Sandilyan, novelist
• Pa. Vijay, film lyricist, winner of National Film Award for Best Lyrics (2005)
• Vaali, film lyricist
• Sujatha Rangarajan (May 3, 1935 - February 27, 2008), contemporary Tamil screenplay writer
• Krishna Srinivas (born 1913), poet
• Kaavya Viswanathan (born 1987), novelist
• S. Ramakrishnan (born 1966), Novelist, short story writer

Crime

• Veerappan, Sandalwood smuggler and forest brigand
• Auto Shankar

See also

• List of people by India state
• List of Tamil people (not necessarily from Tamil Nadu)