Veteran film producer Ramanathan dies aged 83
Veteran film producer S Ramanathan died at his Chennai home on January10. He was 83 and is survived by wife and three children.
Ramanathan began his career with theatre in Bangalore. He later shifted to Madras, now called Chennai, where the film industry was thriving. He began as an assistant to director A Bhim Singh and later became a director in his own right.
In a career spanning several decades Ramanathan as worked with actors Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth, Kamalhaasan, Mehmood, Vinod Mehra, Vishnuvardhan, Raj Kumar and Shivraj Kumar.
He produced and directed films in all south Indian languages and Hindi. His hit films in Hindi were Bombay to Goa, Ganga Jamuna Saraswathi and Girafthar.
He is credited with giving Bachchan his first hero role in Bombay to Goa (1972).
Dental council members held for corruption
Dr M Murukesan, a senior member of the Dental Council of India (DCI), and three others were arrested for demanding bribes from the Adiparasakthi Dental College in Melmaruvathur, about 92km from Chennai.
Acting on a tip-off, the Central Bureau of Investigation raided Murukesan’s clinic at Royapettah in Chennai and recovered about Rs2.5mn and incriminating documents. They also found out that Murukesan had demanded similar bribes from 12 other colleges.
The bribes were demanded to give approval to these colleges to launch certified postgraduate courses as the DCI is the regulatory authority of dental programmes.
Murukesan is also the dean of the SRM College in Chennai.
Six killed as van and bus collide
Six people were killed and 13 injured when a Salem-bound bus and van collided on the national highway at Chithodu in Erode district last week.
Reports said the bus entered the highway from a side road and hit the van. In the impact the bus toppled on the van crushing the victims to death. A minor fire from the bus fuel tank was put out before further damage could be done.
The injured were rushed to hospital. The bus driver who survived was blamed for the accident.
Villagers have demanded an over bridge at the Chithodu junction to prevent further accidents.
Student run over by priests
Violence broke out in Thalavady town of Erode district when two Christian priests learning to drive a car on a school playground fatally knocked down Santhiya, a class X student last week. Tragically the school was for disabled children.
She died instantly while her companion sustained injuries. Police arrested the principal for allowing the priests to drive on the playground.
Meanwhile angry residents of the town stoned five buses and vandalised the school. They also blocked traffic demanding stern action against the priests. Hundreds of people including ministers attended Santhiya’s funeral.
Jayalalithaa to open memorial
Chief Minister Jayaram Jayalalithaa will open today a memorial for British engineer John Pennycuick (1841-1911) who constructed the Mullaiperiyar dam across the river by the same name between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The Mullaiperiyar dam is the major water source for both states. Pennycuick’s memorial was constructed at a cost of Rs12.5mn. Jayalalithaa will also give away awards to Tamil scholars at the same function.