Sivanthi Adityan (24 September 1936 – 19 April 2013) was an Indian media proprietor who ran

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

newspapers

Daily Thanthi ''Dina Thanthi'' (, ; known as Daily Thanthi in English) is a Tamil language daily newspaper. It was founded by S. P. Adithanar in Madurai in 1942. ''Dina Thanthi'' is India's largest daily printed in the Tamil language and the ninth largest ...

and Maalaimalar. Sivanthi started the first evening Tamil Daily Maalai Murasu at Tirunelveli in 1959. He was an educationist, an industrialist and a philanthropist. He was awarded the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the Government of India. He was popularly called "Chinna Ayya" as a mark of respect by the people. In 2012 Adithan bought the NDTV Hindu news channel and renamed it as

Thanthi TV Thanthi TV (previously known as NDTVHindu) is a 24-hour Tamil news satellite television channel based in Chennai, India. It is owned by Dina Thanthi. History NDTV Hindu was launched on 16 May 2009, owned by NDTV (51%) and The Hindu Group (49% ...

. He was the President of

Indian Olympic Association The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Bhāratīya Olaṃpika Saṃgha'') is responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international spor ...

from 1987 to 1996.

Early life

Dr. Sivanthi Adityan was the second son of S. P. Adithanar and Govinthammal. His father S. P. Adithanar was a lawyer, ex-minister and founder of the Tamil daily newspaper

. He did his schooling at Ramakrishna Higher Secondary School and Besant Theosophical High School and his Bachelors at the Presidency College. He was an active NCC Cadet during his school and college days. He served as the NCC Commander in his college. He began his career as an ordinary worker in Dinath Thanthi, despite being the son of S.P.Adithyan, and gradually climbed the ranks to become the editor.

was printed in 3 cities (Chennai, Madurai, Trichy) when S. P. Adithanar handed over the mantle to him in 1959. During his era

was published in 15 cities across the country and became the most-read Tamil daily. He was also an avid sportsman and used to work out and train every day.

Philanthropy

He was a philanthropist and funded the renovation of many temples. In the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, there are many sports clubs bearing his name. He also constructed a state-of-the-art indoor

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

stadium in the Adithanar College, Tiruchendur, where the Indian team used to practice. Dr.B.Sivanthi Adityan renovated the 178 feet 'Rajagopuram' of Arulmigu Kasivishvanathar Temple

Tenkasi Tenkasi () is a town and headquarters of the Tenkasi district in Indian state of Tamil Nadu.Tenkasi is the third largest city in tenkasi district after Kadayanallur and Sankarankovil. Being one of the most significant spiritual and cultural ...

, whose gopuram was damaged 200 years ago. The magnificent Kasi Vishwanathat Temple Rajagopuram

Awards and recognition

The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

awarded him

in the year 2008 in recognition of his distinguished service in the field of Literature and Education. An Olympic Order of Merit for sports and education in 1995, Padma Shri in 2008, and the OCA Merit Award in 2010 at Guangzhou Asian Games all mirrored his impeccable stature in the world of sports. Adityan was at the helm of the Indian Olympic Association from 1987 to 1996. This was an eventful phase. He was compelled to fight various forces, legally and diplomatically. He was the first, and till now, the only one from the South, to head the IOA. In 1995, the International Olympic Committee conferred upon him the Olympic Order of Merit in recognition of outstanding source rendered by him for the development of Sports & Education. He was awarded a Gold Medal on 19 July 1989 by the International Volleyball Federation in recognition of his valuable contribution to the development of volleyball in India. His services rendered for the development of Sports and Education earned him the 'Sports and Study Award' of the International Olympic Committee for the year 1987. He is the first Indian to receive such an award. He was the vice-president of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu. During his tenure as president of the Indian Olympic Association, he played an instrumental role in bringing the South Asian Federation Games to India. He was also instrumental in building the South Asian Federation Games Village in Chennai. He was elected as the president of the Indian Olympic Association. He was also the president of the Indian Olympic Association and vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Death

Sivanthi Adityan died on 19 April 2013 in Chennai, India.-passes-away-714310.html Padmashri Sivanthi Adityan passes away
/ref> He was survived by two daughters and a son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adityan, Sivanthi Tamil businesspeople Businesspeople from Tamil Nadu 1936 births 2013 deaths Indian television executives Indian publishers (people) Indian sports executives and administrators Thanthi Group 20th-century Indian businesspeople