Vamanan

Vamanan is an Indian writer, journalist, documentary film-maker and film music historian based in Chennai. He is known for his documentation of the lives of Tamil film music composers, singing stars and playback singers. Vamanan was awarded the Tamil Nadu government's Kalaimamani award by Chief Minister Jayalalithaa for his contribution to Tamil film history and won the first prize of the Government of Tamil Nadu Tamil development department for the first volume of Thirai Isai Alaigal (2000).

Career Vamanan worked in newspapers including The Hindu, The Indian Express and India Today in the editorial. He was film critic of The Indian Express in the eighties. His first book was Thirai Isai Alaigal. Subsequently, four more volumes of Thirai Isai Alaigal have been released. His biography of singer T. M. Soundararajan titled "TMS - Oru pann-pattu charithiram" traces the Soundararajan's life while exploring more than thirty years of film world history. His work Mellisai Mannargal Paattu Payanam is on the work of Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy (a duo consisting of M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy) in their individual capacities. The book was released by Justice S. Mohan and the first copy was received by film producer M. Saravanan.

Selected bibliography Year Book Language(s)Publication 1999 Thirai Isai Alaigal Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2000 Vajpayee Kavithaigal (A translation from Hindi of Vajpayee's poems) Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2002 TMS – Oru Pann-Paattu Charithiram Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2003 Thirai Isai Alaigal Part 3, Calcutta Netru Indru Naalai Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2004 Mellisai Mannargal Paattu Payanam, Thirai Isai Alaigal Part 4 Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2005 Siva Darshan English A Tattvaloka Publication 2006 Sangitha Chakravarthy G. Ramanathan Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2007 Vallalar – A pictorial biography Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2011 Thirai Isai Alaigal Part 5 Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2012 Gundusi B.R.S.Gopal – A life and anthology Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2014 Thirai Isai Kalanjiam (1278 page Omnibus edition of five volumes of Thirai Isai Alaigal) Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam 2015 Mannavan Vandhaanadi (Part 1 of K.V.Mahadevan biography) Tamil Manivachagar Pathippagam