Ilayaraja, Vivek wins Padma Bhushan Award

“Chinna Kalaivanar” Vivek was received the prestigious Padma Shri at the hands of President Prathiba Patil on recently. Ninety-three famous personalities from various fields including cinema were awarded Padma Shree this year; surprisingly 14 of them, including Vivek, hail from Tamil Nadu.

The award has been presented in batches; the first batch had several famous personalities of the nation including film stars Akshay Kumar and Aishwarya Rai. The second batch included Vivek and cricketers Dhoni and Harbahajan (sadly both of them failed to show up).

For Vivek, who has given a new lease of life to Kalaivanar N.S. Krishnan’s technique of “contemplation through humor”, Padma Shree is a fitting tribute. Vivek uses his astute and sharp with to form comedy tracks that carry a valuable social message.

Recently, a huge crowd of fans of this wonderful comedian met him and honoured him with garland and mementos. Overwhelmed by his fans’ affection and care, Vivek thanked each and every fan profusely.