Highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India
Award
Kalaimamani The Kalaimamani being presented to an individual by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister
M. Karunanidhi Awarded for Best in the arts Location Tamil Nadu ,India Presented by Tamil Nadu Eyal Isai Nataka Manram Status Active First award 1954
TheKalaimamani (lit. 'Jewel of Arts') is the highest civilian award in the state ofTamil Nadu , India.[citation needed These awards are given by theTamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture,Government of Tamil Nadu , to recognise artists in the state for their achievements.
The Tamil Nadu government has appointed dancerChitra Visweswaran as the secretary of Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Manram. Film music director Deva is its chairman.[ 1]
Actor Actor The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1958–69.[ 2]
Actor Music K. S. Narayanaswamy (vainika) Actor Music The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1971–72.[ 3]
Music Actor Music Actor Actor Actor Music The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1980–81.[ 4]
Actors Music AJITH KUMAR ===1981–82===The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1981–82.[ 5] [ 6]
Music Actor Actors The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1986–87.[ 7]
Music Music Music The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1991–92.[ 9] [ 10]
Actor Music The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1992–93.[ 11]
Actor Music The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1993–94.[ 12]
Actors Music Other L. S. Ramamirtham (tamil literature) Malavika Sarukkai (bharatanatyam)Sundararaj naidu (karagam artiste) The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 1994–95.[ 13]
Actors Director Music Music Bharatnatyam Actors Music Bharatnatyam Bharatanatyam Writer Actors Music Actors Literature Music Shashank Subramanyam Vairamangalam Lakshmi Naryanan Manakkal S. Rangarajan M. A. Sundareswaran (violin) Madurai T. Srinivasan (mridangam) T. M. Krishnamurthy (mridangam) R. Kalyanaraman (ghatam) Rajalakshmi Narayanan (veena) Seetha Doraiswamy (jalatarangam)Adyar S. Jayaraman (nadhaswaram) Thirunageswaram T. R. Govindarajan (thavil) Valayapatti S. Malarvannan (thavil) P. V. N. Nadhamani (clarinet) K.Somu (devotional songs) Karandhai G. Damodaran (devotional songs) Rathinasabapathy Desikar (thevaram) Bharatanatyam Udipi Lakshmi Narayanan M. V. Narasimhachari Vasanthalakshmi Narasimhachari Nellai D. Kannan T. K. Padmanabhan C. R. Radha Badhri Folk Arts A. Gunavathi (karagam) V. Dakshinamurthy (street play). Actors Literature L. P. Karu Ramanathan Chettiar Ponnadiyan Music T. S. Narayanasamy (vocal) Meera Sivaramakrishnan (violin) Ramani (veena) Vaikkom R. Gopalakrishnan (ghatam) S. Venkataraman (flute) T. S. Vasudeva Rao (tabla) A. C. Jayaraman (nadhaswaram) S. Kasim (nadhaswaram) Vazhuvur R. Manickavinayakam (light music) Kovai Natarajan (harmonium) Dr. S. Sunder (music research)
Bharatanatyam Krishnaveni Lakshmanan Ananda Shankar Jayant C. V. Chandrasekhar Mannargudi N. Sakthivadivel C. P. Venkatesan Yogam Santhanam Melattur S. Kumar Folk arts Sarangapani (karagam) P. A. Subbulakshmi Palaamadai (villupattu) Actors Musical dance Music Sulochana Pattabhiraman (vocal) Nagai Muralidharan (violin)S. Ravindaran (veena) Mannargudi A. Eswaran (mridangam) R. Raman (morsing) H. Ramakrishnan (konnakkole) Mannargudi M. S. K. Sankaranarayanan (nadhaswaram) Denkanikotta Mani (thavil) Purisai Arunagiri (devotional music) Bharatanatyam Thanjavur Rajalakshmi G. Lakshmi Rajam K. S. R. Aniruddha Ramya Ramanarayan. Folk arts Thenmozhi Rajendran (karagam) S. Sivasankaran Pillai (Oyilattam) Other arts 'Rocket' Ramanathan (mimicry) S. Parthasarathi (for spreading art and culture) The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2004.[ 14] [ 15]
Actors Mohiniyattam The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2005.[ 16]
Actors Music Tamil film historian Bharatanatyam The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2006.[ 17]
Actors The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2009.[ 18]
Actors Art director Dancer Director Music Writer Best serial The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2010.[ 19] [ 20]
Actors Music Tamil scholar Theatre personality Dramatist Spiritual orators Mangaiyarkkarasi S. Sathyaseelan The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2011.[ 21]
Actors R. Rajashekar Kutti Padmini P. Rajasekar T. Venkatraman P. Pandu M. S. P. Kalaimani Tamil literature Keezhambur S. Shankarasubramaniyan Kovi Manishekaran Lena Tamizhvannan Dr. Tiruppur Krishnan Tamil poetry Carnatic music Neyveli R. Santhanagopalan Violin Mridangam Cherthala R. Ananthakrishnan Flute Prapancham S. Balakrishnan Nadaswaram Tavil Harmonium Pallatam S. Venkataraman Rao Sitar Light music Bharatanatyam Radhika Surajit Dr. Lakshmi Ramalakshmi Kuchipudi Choreography Singer Costume designing Art criticism Harikesanallur Venkatraman Live music performance Kunniyur R. Kalyanasundaram Villupattu The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2012.[ 21]
Actors Tamil literature Vasuki Kannappan Ilakkiyavithi Iniyavan Orator Tamizharuvi M. P. Ramalingam Journalist Author A. Subbulakshmi Ganapathy Carnatic music Veena Flute Nadaswaram Percussion Morsing Devotional music Harmonium Harikatha Bharatanatyam Bhagavatha Mela Gaana songs Director Cinematographer Kavadiattam Puraviattam The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2013.[ 21]
Actors Tamil literature Author Singer Carnatic music Dr. Shuba Ganesan Sugantha Kalamegham Violin Mohiniattam Stunt choreographer Folk singers T. Velmurugan Paravai Muniyamma Puppet show Sculptor The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2014.[ 21]
Actors Karthi Saravanan M. S. Subramanian U. M. Kannan Thanjai P. K. Selvam Ponvannan Tamil literature Author Tamil poetry Carnatic music Meera Nathan R Vijayalakshmi R Chitra Flute Nadaswaram K. S. Senthilkumaran Shanthi Senthilkumaran Bharatanatyam Drama actor and director Singer Choreographer Cultural promotion Journalist Folk singer The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2015.[ 21]
Actors Tamil literature Carnatic music Shyamala Venkateswaran A. Vadivelan Violin Mridangam Veena Nadaswaram Saxophone Bharatanatyam Sarayusai J. Suryanarayanamurthy Director Music composer Cinematographer Singer Villupattu Percussion Other The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2016.[ 21]
Actors Tamil literature K. N. Kodandam Pavalar K. Guhanandam Carnatic music Harmonium Flute Nadaswaram Percussion Violin Bharatanatyam Drama producer Religious discourses Folk singer Journalist The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2017.[ 21]
Actor Priyamani G. Sivan Srinivasan K. Nallasivam K. R. Singamuthu R. S. Jayalatha Carnatic music S. Sowmya Dr. Prema Rangarajan R. Suryaprakash Dr. T. Lokanatha Sharma Sriram Parasuram Ghatam Flute Tavil T. K. Ranganatha Pattacharyar Bharanatyam Director Music composer Producer Photographer Seshadri Nathan Sukumaran Stills Ravi Silambattam Karakattam Thappattam Nadaswaram Villupattu Journalist The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2011.[ 21]
Actors Medical journal writer Tamil poetry Tamil literature Dr. K. Ganesan Nirmala Periyaswami Manavai Ponmanickam Author Carnatic music S. J. Jananiy Lakshmi Mohan Vidya Subramanian Shanmukapriya and Haripriya (Priya sisters) Rajakumar Bharathi Violin Veena Nadaswaram Thiruppanandhal S. Balasubramaniam S. A. Karupayya Keyboard Light music Bharatanatyam Padmalakshmi Suresh Nandini Ramani Lavanya Shankar Niveditha Parthasarathy Binesh Mahadevan Dr. Latha Rajendran P. Muralidharan Producer Cinematographer Singer Leather puppeteer A. Muthulakshmanrao P. Muthuchandran Percussion The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2019.[ 22] [ 23] [ 24]
Actors Director Producer Music director Dialogue writer Camera man Editor Choreographer Stunt director Lyricist Singers Pianist Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Special Kalaimamani Award Carnatic Music K. Krishnakumar Binni Krishnakumar Bharatanatayam Costumer Makeup man Other The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2020.[ 22] [ 25] [ 26] [ 27]
Actors Director Shehnai Players & Hindustani Musicians & Playback SingersProducer Music Director Lyricist Carnatic Music Makeup man Journalist Religious discourse Writer Thamarai S. Senthurpandi M. S. Perumaal Author Debater Vocalist Rathnakumari K. Kalyanasundaram Ranjani–Gayatri S. V. Usha Ghatam Harmonium Mridangam Thanjavur Murugaboopathi Sairam Sundaram T. R. Sundaresan Ramesh Srinivasan Nadaswaram Vaduvur S. N. R. Krishnamoorthy Thavil Thiruppanandal S. Marimuthu Keyboard Tevaram narrator P. Shanmugasundara Desikar Saxophone Vainika Nirmala Rajasekar Jayalakshmi Sekhar Performers Mangalam Natarajan J. Pazhani Poovai Mani Bharatanatyam A. Janarthanan Kavitha Charles Sreelatha Vinod S. Vijayalakshmi Bhoopathi Aparna Ramesh Terukkuttu Kaniyan koothu The individuals listed below were recipients of the Kalaimamani for the year 2021 and announced in September 2025.[ 34]
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