COLORS Tamil recognizes eight achievers from Kanchipuram; Celebrates legacy of the city with Namma Ooru Thiruvizha

Kanchipuram, March 31, 2019: The temple town of Tamil Nadu, Kanchipuram, internationally renowned for its vibrant weaving industry, came alive on Saturday as eight of its leading luminaries were felicitated here on Saturday by COLORS Tamil. The popular GEC organized a star-studded evening as part of their mega show Namma Ooru Thiruvizha to recognize the efforts of these eight local residents for their contribution to the society.
Hosted by energetic Kiki and Vijay, the evening began with a slew of entertaining dance performances by Dance Vs. Dance title winners Ankita - Pooja and dancing duo Sabari-Bharathi who grooved to popular tunes of K-town. The evening also witnessed an intriguing performance by Dance Vs. Dance fame Guru and Tanisha, along with Divya Dharshani of COLORS Tamil’s upcoming fiction show Myna highlighting the long festering issue of bonded labor.
The highlight of the evening was the awards ceremony, wherein eight stellar achievers from the city were recognized for their contributions under the title Namma Ooru Namma Hero:
• Mr. Pasumai Charanraj: A resident of Nanganallur village, Charanraj is a local hero after his exemplary work in protecting the environment. With a strong desire to seed environment sensitivity among children at a tender age, he joined hands with school children to plant and nurture trees every week. As greenery flourished, he is confident about watering good values and morals in these young hearts, who have set out to protect Mother Earth.
• Mr. Srinivasan: Addressed affectionately as Kanchi Teresa, Srinivasan is well-known for his compassion towards mankind and hid unmatched social work. Inspired by Mother Teresa, Srinivasan brings dignity to the destitute deceased people in his village by performing their final rights. Srinivasan has carried out the final rotes of close to 906 people, treating them as part of his own family. His struggles to cremate his mother inspired him extend this service to the abandoned deceased people.
• Mr. Kanchi Amudhan: Playing a pivotal role in Paalar protection, Amudhan continues to strive hard for water conservation in the district. Palar which once flourished the lands of Kanchipuram with its gushing waters, is now a dry and barren-land. Amudhan along with the support of his neighbors strived to protect the river by increasing its water flow.
• Ms. Vijayalakshmi: With deep-rooted confidence and success in the spinach agriculture, this single mother overcame various challenges and continues to inspire women in her district. Abandoned by her husband, Vijayalakshmi turned to spinach agriculture to earn her living. With immense confidence and drive to raise her two children, she strives day and night to harvest the crop and overcome all the difficulties.

• Ms. Suguna: Having carved out a niche for herself with skilful styling and make-up, Suguna is a single mother who aspires to build a talent pool of women and offer them a new life through this art. Suguna rose to the occasion when she lost her husband at an unexpected juncture in life. Determined to support her family, she sought solace in beauty to build a career.
• Ms. Dhatchyayani: Spearheading the child protection division of the ‘Hand in Hand India’ organization, the differently abled hero is transforming the lives of children and sexually abused victims from the district. She has rescued many children from abuse by providing them education and protection. A true warrior, Dhatchayani has voiced against sexual exploitation of women and worked for their rehabilitation. Undeterred by her disability, she continues to create awareness and services as a guiding star for many rescued sexual abuse victims.
• Ms. Parvathi: Age did not stop Parvathi from achieving the National award for Best Design from the district. Born in Kanchipuram’s Periyar Palayam, Parvathi did not stop weaving even after moving to Eganampettai after marriage. Motherhood did not hold her back from joining the Murugan Co-operative Society to demonstrate her talent and achieve National recognition. She continued to weave extraordinary sarees and designs with extreme passion and dedication, even at the time when livelihood of traditional weavers were threatened by rise of powerlooms. In addition to this, her excellence in design and balance between family and weaving earned her this prestigious National award.
• Ms. Maheshwari: Acclaimed nationally as the Best Weaver, Maheshwari is undeterred even at the age of 60. Blessed with a beautiful and supportive family, Maheshwari brushes aside the challenges of old age and continues to weave through the day. Her award and designs stand testimony to the exemplary work of weavers not just in Kanchipuram but across the nation.