Tamil Nadu accords state honours to Sivaji Ganesan on 99th birth anniversary
The Tamil Nadu government on Thursday accorded state honours to legendary actor 'Nadigar Thilagam' Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan on his 99th birth anniversary, with ministers, family members and film personalities paying tribute to the celebrated actor.
Legislative Assembly Speaker J C D Prabhakar, along with ministers P Venkataramanan, A Rajmohan and Vanni Arasu, garlanded Sivaji Ganesan's statue and offered floral tributes to his portrait at the Sivaji Ganesan Mani Mandapam in Adyar here.
The event was attended by the actor's sons, actors Ramkumar and Prabhu, besides other family members, film personalities and senior government officials.
Speaking to reporters after the tributes, Rajmohan said the government was commemorating the actor's birth anniversary with state honours on behalf of the Tamil Nadu chief minister.
"Greetings to all. Today, on the birth anniversary of 'Nadigar Thilagam' Chevalier Sivaji Ganesan sir, we are offering state honours and floral tributes on behalf of the Honourable Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, brother C Joseph Vijay," he said.
Separately, the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee marked the actor's 99th birth anniversary by organising elocution competitions for school and college students across the state.
TNCC president Manickam Tagore said district Congress committees, along with Sivaji Ganesan fan club members, had conducted speech competitions across 69 party districts over the past 15 days.
Higher Education Minister Viswanathan inaugurated the final round of the competition.
Tagore said the winner would receive Rs 1 lakh, while the second, third and fourth prize winners would get Rs 60,000, Rs 40,000 and Rs 20,000 respectively.
Born V C Ganesan on October 1, 1928, Sivaji Ganesan went on to become one of Indian cinema's most celebrated actors, earning acclaim for his powerful performances, distinctive voice and command of the craft.
He was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest cinema honour, in 1997. He was also the first Indian actor to be conferred the title of Chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by France.
