Chennai Insider's 20 Most Influential People of 2020
Sridhar Vembu
Entrepreneur
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The founder of Zoho Corp, Sridhar Vembu claims that the corporation has been built by ‘a 1000 heroes.’ They have the capability to build 1000 start-ups and cresting job opportunities for the people in India. At TechSparks this year, Sridhar Vembu gave an in-depth analysis upon building world-class products and emphasized upon technology for the future.
Adhil Shetty
Entrepreneur
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Founded in 2008, the Founder of BankBazaar, Adhil Shetty has earned his company an EBIDTA profit, along with a monthly profit of 46% from October, 2019 to January, 2020. Having amassed a database of 40 million users, Shetty plans to look out for an IPO by FY22.
Girish Mathrubootham
Entrepreneur
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Having seen a growth of 100% in revenue, Girish Mathrubootham, the CEO and Founder of Freshworks is the accurate representor of the phrase, ‘the sky is the limit.’ With the assurance to provide free technology to small and medium enterprises, they have also offered a free version of the Freshchat platform.
Karthik Jayaraman
Entrepreneur
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Karthik Jayaraman, the Founder of WayCool Funds, an Agri-tech start-up, along with Sanjay Dasari has raised INR 120 Crore. This is under the equity and debt from the LGT Impact, angel investors and potential lenders, including Caspian and Arc Capital. WayCool is a food distribution platform, combining advanced technology to operate as a supply chain.
Pratik Shah
Entrepreneur
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South India’s largest retail chain, Specsmakers Opticians Pvt Ltd begun its journey in 2007. With a vision to expand and have 500+ stores all over the country by this year, Pratik Shah has a mission to make the company become the No. 1 Optical Retailer in India.
Madhulika Kapilavayi
Entrepreneur
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From being a Content Analyst at Amazon and a Designer at the Cultural Foundation to being the Founder of Margazhi Designs and the Sales Advisor for the Aditya Birla Group, Madhulika Kapilavayi is an inspiration to all. With just 15 patchwork saris and a Social Media handle in hand as an initial start, she currently owns a visual studio in Alwarpet and is yet to go the long way.
Osman Abdul Razak
Entrepreneur
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The pandemic has certainly not let the Creative Designer and Resident Stylist at Gabbana Life, Osman Abdul Razak down. With #WFH being the ‘new normal,’ his designer line provides a comfortable yet chic clothing, while you start your day with a cup of coffee and loads of meetings to attend.
Gowri Adappa
Entrepreneur
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Gowri Adappa, the Co-Founder and Principal Architect at ADC, received recognition for having been the brainchild behind designing 4 typologies for a South Indian home. This project came under the ‘Asian Paints colourbook 2020.’
Venu Srinivasan
Entrepreneur
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The Bhushan Awardee, the third highest civilian award in India, Venu Srinivasan, the Chairman and Managing Director of TVS Motors and Sundaram-Clayton, found January, 2020 to be lucky for him.
Vinoth Chandar
Entrepreneur
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Being the Founder, CEO and Creative Director of ChuChu TV Studios, Vinoth Chandar is in charge of the ownership of a network of channels for children aged 6 and below on YouTube. As of now, ChuChu TV is rated No 1 on YouTube and comes under the category of Top 25.
Charanya Kannan
Entrepreneur
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Shifted from Chennai to the USA about 5 years ago, Charanya Kannan pursued her MBS from Harvard Business School. Having been nominated for the Stevie Awards, she received recognition for the ‘Woman of the Year Award.’ She was categorised under it due to the pioneering work on the behavioural strategy in the Silicon Valley and the ‘Management Professional of the Year Award,’ in the Internet/ New Media category.
Kavitha Gopal
Entrepreneur
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Having graduated with a B Tech Degree in Computer Science and Engineering, Kavitha Gopal from Chennai gained popularity and is likely to be remembered in Current Affair discussions for winning the ‘President of India Prize.’ She is the first female student from IIT Madras to be privileged with the same.
Entertainment
Rajinikanth
Entertainment
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Having received the ‘Padma Bhushan Award’ in 2020, Rajinikanth is also considered as the ‘Amitabh Bachchan’ of the Tamil Cinema Industry. He has also announced his entry into Politics and the launch of the new political party, which he will be heading in January 2021, along with the upcoming elections.
Archana Chandhoke
Entertainment
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Serving the role of a mother, wife and daughter, Archana Chandhoke defines the role of a true woman. Being in the Tamil Industry for 20 years, she is one among the popular hosts of the Industry. She was among the many contestants who took part in Bigg Boss Tamil, Season 4 and has received awards for the best host, including Zee Kudumbam Viruthugal in 2018, Ananda Vikatan Nambikkai Viruthugal and Zee Kudumbam Virudhugal in 2019.
Zaara Vineet
Entertainment
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Daughter of Archana Chandhoke, Zaara Vineet, who co-hosted the reality show, ‘Super Mom,’ is all set to be showcased on-screen as a Child Actor. She is likely to be seen in ‘Doctor,’ an upcoming film in 2021, starring across Sivakarthikeyan.
Aishwarya Rajesh
Entertainment
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The recipient of two SIIMA Awards, Aishwarya Rajesh won the Award for ‘Best Actor’ for her role in the sports drama, ‘Kanaa’ at the ‘Zee Cine Awards Tamil 2020.’
Dhanush
Entertainment
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Known by his stage name as ‘Dhanush,’ Venkatesh Prabhu Kasthuri Raja is an Indian Actor, Director, Producer, Lyricist, Writer, Playback Singer and Screenwriter is known for his work in the Tamil Cinema Industry. In the ‘Zee Cine Awards Tamil 2020,’ Dhanush received the ‘Best Actor Award,’ for his performance in the ‘Vetrimaaran directoral Asuran.’
Samantha Akkineni
Entertainment
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Having received an Award for ‘Best Actress’ and an Award for ‘Oh Baby’ and ‘Majili,’ Samantha Akkineni is an Indian Actress who has established her career in the Tamil and Telugu Cinema Industry. She bagged these set of awards at the ‘Zee Cine Telugu 2020.’
Iswarya Menon
Entertainment
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Working under the Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam Cinema Industry, Iswarya Menon surprised her fans with singing. Along with photoshoots and workout videos during the lockdown, she also went out of the box to give singing a try. Having received compliments and recognition, she also posted a video of her singing ‘Ennai Konjam Maatri’ from ‘Kaakha Kaakha.’
Sakshi Agarwal
Entertainment
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All set to team up with SA Chandrasekhar and Samuthirakani, Sakshi Agarwal stated on missing her work on the previous project. She was also a part of Bigg Boss Tamil 3 and will welcome the New Year in Goa.
Sillu Karuppatti
Movie of 2019
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Receiving a critic review of 4/5, the romantic anthology directed by Halitha Shameem, received an award at the ‘Toronto Tamil International Film Festival’ in 2019. Moreover, Shameem won the ‘JFW Woman Director of the Year, 2020.’
Lalitha and Saroja Chidambaram
Artist
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Being the resident of Chennai from the past 40 years, C. Saroja and C. Lalitha frame themselves as the ‘Bombay Sisters.’ The duo won themselves the Padma Shri Award in Carnatic Music.
Kaleeshabi Mahaboob and Sheik Mahaboob Subhani
Artist
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Completing each other’s sentences and complementing the two in every way, Kaleeshabi Mahaboob and Sheik Mahaboob Subhani have received the ‘Padma Shri Award’ in Carnatic music. Being the representors of the 8th generation of ‘Nadaswaram Vidwans,’ the Sriranganam-based couple is yet to create history.
Manohar Devadoss
Artist
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An Indian Painter, Manohar Devadoss is another Padma Shri Awardee who received recognition on being an Artist, despite having lost his vision five years back. Even then, he has a positive attitude towards strangers and is affectionate towards his wife.
Pradeep Thalappil
Science & Technology
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An Institute Professor in the Department of Chemistry at IIT Madras, Pradeep Thalappil has bagged the ‘Padma Shri Award,’ for his distinctive work in the field of Science and Technology.
Vinisha Umashankar
Science & Technology
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The 12-year-old, Vinisha Umashankar, a student of SKP Vanitha International School in Tiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, has done her bit to save the environment. Back in the 2018, she worked on the idea of designing a solar ironing cart. This ideology is based on the reduction of charcoal. In 2019, her idea took flight by a group of engineers at the National Innovation Foundation, Ahmedabad. She also won the ‘Dr APJ Abdul Kalam IGNITE Award’ and the ‘Children’s Climate Awards’ for young innovators.
Dr Sailakshmi
Social Worker
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With Oneness, Truth, Compassion and Self-Obsolescene as the values incorporated by the Ekam Foundation, Dr Sailakshmi has been working towards reducing the child mortality rate amongst the poor, by providing them with access to upgraded health services.
Manju Jain
Social Worker
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The Advisor of the Ullas Trust, Manju Jain has taken up the initiative to help out those in need during the pandemic. With a mission and vision in mind, the Ullas Trust is in the bid to encourage the ‘Can do’ spirit, which has been proved by the Trust in times of need.
Jyothi Thomas
Social Worker
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The Project Co-ordinator of the Care for Cops Project, an initiative of FICCI FLO, Jyothi Thomas and Deepali Goyal has ensured that policemen and women have masks, under the ‘Mission Mask’ initiative. Playing a multitalented role as a Corporate Trainer, NLP and Gestalt Practitioner, Jyothi Thomas volunteers and works in the sector of development.
Dr G. Balamurali
Social Worker
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One among the best Spine Surgeons in Chennai, Dr G. Balamurali was recognised for his work in the field of Paediatric and Adult Spine Surgery from the Tamil Nadu’s Health and Family Welfare Minister this year.
D. Chandrasekhar
Social Worker
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The ‘Avaz Reader App,’ an optical character-recognition application, was designed by the Invention Labs. It took about 18 months to create the application. The MDA Founder, D. Chandrasekhar, an IIT-M alumnus stated that through this application, reading strategies will be provided to inculcate the habit within dyslexic children. Catering to the same, they also won the ‘Champions of Chennai Award.’
Krishnammal Jagannathan
Social Worker
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Heading the Land for Tillers’ Freedom (LAFTI), an NGO working in favour for women belonging to the Schedules Castes, Krishnammal Jagannathan received the ‘Padma Bhushan Award 2020.’ She has assisted 14, 000 landless labourers in becoming landowners and helped the victims overcome Cyclone Gaja.
S. Ramakrishnan
Social Worker
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Social Activist, S Ramakrishnan received the ‘Padma Shri Award’ for having helped people with disabilities, despite of having a paralysed neck. He came out with the ‘Amar Seva Sangam’ in 1981. It is known for social work and conducting polio camps in integrated schools and villages.
Hafiz Khan
Social Worker
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Having collected over 80, 000 cases during the Diwali Season, the Founder of CommuniTREE, Hafiz Khan collects cardboard cases from crackers, in the move to plant and grow saplings. Along with cracker cases, they also make use of the flower pots, rocket shells and cylindrical bombs. Within those cases, they grow jackfruit, neem, guava and beech tree. To be eco-friendly, they wash the cases with cow dung water, as it neutralizes the chemicals.
Dr. Lakshmi Vijayakumar
Social Worker
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On the R. Ramachandran Remembrance Day, the Founder of ‘Sneha,’ an organisation working towards suicide prevention, Dr Lakshmi Vijayakumar received the ‘Hamsadhwani R. Ramachandran Award of Excellence.’ She is responsible for the survival of dozens and counselled the suicide victims, in the bid to save them.
Sandeep Nanduri
Social Worker
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Sandeep Nanduri received the ‘Best Collector Award’ from the Government of Tamil Nadu for his service to the disabled. ‘Café Able,’ handled by differently-abled people stands as the beacon of empowerment and is a role model to many.
Rathika Ramasamy
Photographer
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Wildlife Photographer, Rathika Ramasamy must be having a cupboard full of trophies and awards to look at, each day. In Feb, 2020, she received the ‘Sakthi Award’ under the Literary Category from Puthiya Thalamurai TV Group, Chennai. She also won the ‘Women of Excellence’ and ‘Lens Queen Award,’ from Karpaga Vinayaga College of Engineering Technology, Chengalpatt, Tamil Nadu. Within the same month, she won the ‘Women of Wonder-Realistic Award’ and in March, 2020, she received the ‘Women Achiever 2K20 Award’ from the Asan Memorial Institution Group.
Sambath Subbaiah
Photographer
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Sambath Subbaiah, the Chennai Birder and Wildlife Photographer, happen to step upon a short-toed snake eagle and a rat snake in combat. This was at the Senneri Lake in Kanchipuram. He took his camera out and took the shot. This shot won him the ‘Wildlife Photographer of the Year Award,’ from London’s Natural History Museum, bagged under the ‘Birds Behaviour Category.’
Badhri Narayanan Seshadri
Influencer
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The platform where Tamil Music is celebrated and sung, not by celebrities, but the audience, ‘Motta Maadi Music’ emphasizes on the fact that each and everybody is a singer. In July, 2019, the Saturday Evening was moonlit with A. R. Rahman’s songs being rejoiced on loop. The Founder, Badhri Narayanan Seshadri, put together 15 sessions, which focused on different themes, celebrating the ‘Mozart of Madras.’
Sumukhi Suresh
Influencer
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An Actor, Stand-up Comedian, Writer and Director, Sumukhi Suresh is well-known for her sarcasm and humour that she confidently portrays, while on stage. This year, she bagged the ‘Best Actress’ under Comedy at the ‘Filmfare OTT Awards 2020.’
Nithyashree Venkataramanan
Influencer
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Having won hearts, 21-year-old Singer, Performer and Dancer, Nithyashree Venkataramanan, has launched a music video, reincarnating the version of ‘Paadadha Patellam.’ She also received the ‘Silver Play Button’ for her surreal journey on YouTube and also released the teaser of ‘Audience Choice Mashup 2.’
Malvika Iyer
Influencer
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The Bomb-blast survivor, Malvika Iyer is the second woman to handle, Prime Minister, Narendra Modi’s Social Media handle. On the International Women’s Day, 2020, the Prime Minister handed his account in the hands of seven women achievers. She survived a ghastly bomb blast in Bikaner, Rajasthan, at 13, which made her an amputee. Despite the struggle, she received a PhD degree and is an award-winning Disability Rights Activist, with a Doctorate in Social Work. Her work has been highly recognized by Dr A. P. J. Abdul Kalam and is an International Motivational Speaker, a Model for Accessible Fashion and a Global Shaper at the Global Shapers Community.
A. R. Rahman
Musician
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The man who needs no introduction, who is a renowned Music Composer, Singer and Music Producer, A. R. Rahman is known for his work in the Tamil and Hindi Cinema Industry. At the ‘Zee Cine Awards Tamil,’ he received the title of ‘Pride of Indian Cinema.’
Kumaran S. S.
Musician
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The 23-year-old Kumaran S. S., is a Drummer and Session Artist. He recently played at a live YouTube concert for the speedy recovery of late, S. P. Balasubramaniam. He stepped into the career of music at the age of 6 and is widely known as ‘DK.’ He was also categorised under the ‘Asia Book of Records’ for playing the drums, non-stop for 50 hours.
Vijay Ganesan
Musician
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With an interest in music from the age of 10, Vijay Ganesan is a ‘Music Icon.’ He is a part of bands like, ‘Karnautic,’ ‘Alkemy,’ ‘Super Something’ and ‘Tunestation.’ The latest single, ‘Vidaigal Thedu Nee’ was written and produced by Manoj Krishna, but the role of the Guitarist was played by Ganesan. He has a fanbase of dozens and was also a part of the ‘Super Singer – Champion of Champions.’
Lydian Nadhaswaram
Musician
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The emerging musical prodigy in India, the 14-year-old Lydian Nadhaswaram received a ‘1-million-dollar prize’ at the ‘World’s Best Global Talent Contest.’ He also appeared at ‘The Ellen Show’ and has come in contact with the renowned musician, A. R. Rahman.
Harsha Iyer
Musician
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An occasional Poet and Singer, the 28-year-old Harsha Iyer has released singles like ‘Love Is Blind,’ ‘Not yet Dead,’ ‘I Find You Boring’ and ‘No Say.’ He has also shared spaces with, ‘The Hindu,’ ‘News18’ and ‘Bangalore Mirror,’ seeking out to grabbing opportunities with pragmatism.
Viswananthan Anand
Sportsperson
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The five-time world champion, Viswanathan Anand, was named the ‘Ambassador of the World-Wide Fund, India.’ He also received the ‘National Sports Award’ for Chess.
Mariyappan Thangavelu
Sportsperson
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At the age of 5, when Mariyappan Thangavelu met with an accident and suffered from permanent disability, he had no idea that one day, he would be the beholder of the ‘Khel Ratna Award.’ The 25-year-old, who was once selling newspapers, is among the five athletes to win a Gold Medal in high-jumps. The Paralympic Gold-Medallist, Mariyappan Thangavelu received the award on an online ceremony conducted in August, amidst the pandemic.
A. Maria Irudhayam
Sportsperson
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The only ‘Carrom Player’ to have won an ‘Arjuna Award,’ is A. Maria Irudhayam. The two-time World Carrom Champion and nine-time National Champion also received the ‘Champions of Chennai Award’ in 2019. Besides, the All-India Carrom Federation (AICF) also announced Irudhayam as the judge for adjudicating the best slams for the World Challenge organized by the International Carrom Federation’s President, Josef Meyer.
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