V. D. Swami

2021-08-29T17:58:08Z

2409:4073:40F:B044:18BE:EFA7:91FA:A1FE: /* Death */

{{short description|Indian industrialist}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2018}}
{{Orphan|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox person
| name = V. D. Swami
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Venkatarma Doraiswami
| birth_date = {{birth year|1910}}
| birth_place = [[Melattur, Tamil Nadu|Melattur]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{death-date and age|1993|01 January 1910}}
| death_place = [[Chennai]], [[Tamil Nadu]], [[India]]
| nationality = [[Indian people|Indian]]
| occupation = [[Industrialist]]<br>[[Philanthropist]]
| spouse = Vasantha Swami
| children = [[Arvind Swami|Arvind Swamy]]
| relatives = Adhira Swamy (grandchild)<br>Rudra Swamy (grandchild)
| signature =
}}

'''V. D. Swami''' (born '''Venkatarma Doraiswami'''; 1910 {{endash}} 1993) was an Indian industrialist and philanthropist who was one of the founders of the eye hospital [[Sankara Nethralaya]] in [[Chennai]].<ref name="thehindu_20101225">{{cite news|title=V. D. Swami's contributions to noble causes recalled|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Chennai/article979124.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=25 December 2010}}</ref><ref name="thenewindianexpress">{{cite news|title=Sankara Nethralaya dedicates auditorium|url=http://m.pressmart.com/Home.aspx?event=TNewInExpress&dt=26122010&page=004_049&mdl=|work=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref> He is the father of [[Tamil cinema|Tamil]] [[actor]] [[Arvind Swami|Arvind Swamy]].

== Career ==

Swami was born in 1910 in [[Melattur, Tamil Nadu|Melattur]] in [[Tanjore District (Madras Presidency)|Tanjore District]].<ref name="srilakshminarasimhajayanthip15">{{cite book|title=Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Jayanthi Bhagavata Mela Natya Nataka Sangam: golden jubilee celebrations, souvenir|page=15|publisher=Gnanodaya Press|year=1990}}</ref> In 1956, Swami founded V. D. Swami and Company in [[Madras]] along with M. V. Subramaniam and T. S. Narayanaswami of Sanmar Group. V. D. Swami and Company are pioneers in the [[steel]] [[export]] business.<ref name="vdswami_aboutus">{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.vdswami.com/aboutus.html|publisher=V. D. Swami and Company}}</ref> and one of [[Asia]]'s major wholesalers and retailers.<ref name="asiaretailersp327">{{cite book|title=ASIA Major Wholesalers & Retailers|page=327|publisher=Business Information Agency|year=2011|isbn=978-1-4187-8514-7}}</ref> Swami was also one of the promoters of Kaveri Engineering Company Limited, a capital machinery and process machinery manufacturing company based in [[Tiruchirappalli]].<ref name="moneycontrol">{{cite book|title=Kaveri Engineering Industries|url=http://cricketnext.storeguru.com/company-facts/kaverieng/history/KEI01|publisher=moneycontrol.com}}</ref>

== Other activities ==

In 1962, Swami attended a Bhagavata Mela performance in his native [[Melattur, Tamil Nadu|Melattur]].<ref name="musicjapanp114">{{cite book|title=Music and society in South Asia: perspectives from Japan|page=114|first=Yoshitaka|last=Terada|publisher=National Museum of Ethnology|year=2008|isbn=978-4-901906-58-6}}</ref> Interested in promoting the art outside Melattur, Swami founded the Melattur Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidhya Sangam in 1964.<ref name="musicjapanp114" /><ref name="mbmnvs_aboutus">{{cite web|title=About us|url=http://www.melatturbhagavatamela.org/BMNVS.html|publisher=Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidya Sangam}}</ref><ref name="bmelaresurg">{{cite web|title=Resurgence of Bhagavata Mela in Melattur|url=http://www.bhagavatamela.org/resrgnc.html|publisher=MELATTUR SRI LAKSHMI NARASIMHA JAYANTI BHAGAVATA MELA NATYA NATAKA SANGAM}}</ref>

Swami was instrumental in persuading [[medical practitioner]] [[S. S. Badrinath]] to set up the eye hospital [[Sankara Nethralaya]] in Madras.<ref name="thehindu_20101225" /><ref name="thenewindianexpress" /> He also designed welfare measures for its employees.<ref name="thehindu_20101225" /> The Sankara Nethralaya recognised his efforts by dedicating an auditorium in his memory on the occasion of his birth centenary.<ref name="thehindu_20101225" /><ref name="thenewindianexpress" />

== Death ==
Swami died in [[Chennai|Madras]], [[Tamil Nadu]] in 1994 at the age of 83.<ref name="thenewindianexpress" />

== Family ==

Swami was the husband of Bharathnatyam dancer Vasantha Swamy and the father of prominent south Indian actor [[Arvind Swami]].

== Notes ==

{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swami, V. D.}}
[[Category:1910 births]]
[[Category:1993 deaths]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Chennai]]
[[Category:People from Thanjavur district]]

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V. D. Swami