திரு. வி.ஐ.சுப்ரமணியன்
தமிழ்ப் பல்கலைக்கழக
முன்னாள் துணைவேந்தர்
Obituary of Prof. K.M.Venkataramiah
with great sorrow we report the passed away of Prof. K.M.venkataramiah on 31-1-94 around 11.A.m. in the Medical College Hospital. About 8.30 A.M. on that day it is reported that he met with an accident. The Auto driver carried him to the Medical College Hospital and admitted him. He had a head injury which according to a Junior Doctor was not serious. When the Senior Doctor who attended him later found it to be serious and informed that the next of kin to be intimated. His sons at Tirupanandal near to Kumbakonam and Madras were informed through phone and telegrams. The body was to be sent by Ambulance on 1-2-94 to Tirupanandal. It was too sudden and was hard to believe his passing away.
The details of the accident are not yet know.
Prof. K.M. Venkataramaiah took his masters Degree in History but studied Tamil, Passed the Vidwan Examination and was the Principal of the oriental College, Tiruppanandal, Tanjore for a long time. His mother tongue was Telugu.
On the suggestion of late M. Arunachalam he was appointed as Hon.Professor in the Department of manuscripts in the Tamil University around 1982. With in two years he brought out a substantial volume on the Modi records of the Maratha Kings of Tanjavur. This was followed by another volume. Later he was invited by the International School in 1990 to be a Research Fellow to do the Hand Book of Tamil Nadu which he completed competently. Then he took over the job of completing the variorum Edition of Tolkappiyam which also he had compled and is being edited for publication, when death snatched him form our midst.
Prof. K.M.Venkataramiah was dear to all, young and old in the ISDL. He did his work with dedication without any organisational compulsion. He was unobtrusive, soft spoken and dignified in his comments. He was eighty years but can work two hours more than an industrious young man of thirty.
We feel his loss very severely. The suddenness of his death makes us feel very sad.
Prof. K.M.Venkataramiah has an honoured place through his contribution to Tamil research, when the brain is numb this assessment has to wait.
The loss is very personal to me because he was so dear and so respectful in his dealings.
1-2-1994. (V.I.Subramanian).
⏏⏏⏏
