V. D. Swami
Born
Venkatarma Doraiswami

1910 (1910)
Melattur, Tamil Nadu, India
Died1993 (1994) (aged 83)
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityIndian
Occupation(s)Industrialist
Philanthropist
SpouseVasantha Swami
ChildrenArvind Swamy
RelativesAdhira Swamy (grandchild)
Rudra Swamy (grandchild)

V. D. Swami (born Venkatarma Doraiswami; 1910 – 1993) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who was one of the founders of the eye hospital Sankara Nethralaya in Chennai.[1][2] He is the father of Tamil actor Arvind Swamy.

Career

Swami was born in 1910 in Melattur in Tanjore District.[3] In 1956, Swami founded V. D. Swami and Company in Madras along with M. V. Subramaniam and T. S. Narayanaswami of Sanmar Group. V. D. Swami and Company are pioneers in the steel export business.[4] and one of Asia's major wholesalers and retailers.[5] Swami was also one of the promoters of Kaveri Engineering Company Limited, a capital machinery and process machinery manufacturing company based in Tiruchirappalli.[6]

Other activities

In 1962, Swami attended a Bhagavata Mela performance in his native Melattur.[7] Interested in promoting the art outside Melattur, Swami founded the Melattur Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidhya Sangam in 1964.[7][8][9]

Swami was instrumental in persuading medical practitioner S. S. Badrinath to set up the eye hospital Sankara Nethralaya in Madras.[1][2] He also designed welfare measures for its employees.[1] The Sankara Nethralaya recognised his efforts by dedicating an auditorium in his memory on the occasion of his birth centenary.[1][2]

Death

Swami died in Madras, Tamil Nadu in 1994 at the age of 83.[2]

Family

Swami was the husband of Bharathnatyam dancer Vasantha Swamy and the father of prominent south Indian actor Arvind Swami.

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 "V. D. Swami's contributions to noble causes recalled". The Hindu. 25 December 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Sankara Nethralaya dedicates auditorium". The New Indian Express.
  3. ↑ Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanthi Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam: golden jubilee celebrations, souvenir. Gnanodaya Press. 1990. p. 15.
  4. ↑ "About us". V. D. Swami and Company.
  5. ↑ ASIA Major Wholesalers & Retailers. Business Information Agency. 2011. p. 327. ISBN 978-1-4187-8514-7.
  6. ↑ Kaveri Engineering Industries. moneycontrol.com.
  7. 1 2 Terada, Yoshitaka (2008). Music and society in South Asia: perspectives from Japan. National Museum of Ethnology. p. 114. ISBN 978-4-901906-58-6.
  8. ↑ "About us". Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidya Sangam.
  9. ↑ "Resurgence of Bhagavata Mela in Melattur". MELATTUR SRI LAKSHMI NARASIMHA JAYANTI BHAGAVATA MELA NATYA NATAKA SANGAM.
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