Stamp to honour Sivaji

``I AM the right person to be here today. I come from the land of Chatrapathi Sivaji,''said the Union Minister for Communication, Mr. Pramod Mahajan, releasing the `Sivaji' Ganesan commemorative stamp. ``In our State, there are many actors who have donned the role of Sivaji but none has been so immortally associated with him,'' he remarked.

At the function, short and sweet, organised by the Music Academy on October 1, there was a common appeal that the veteran should be honoured with the Bharat Ratna. Saroja Devi first proposed it, and everybody including Shatrughan Sinha, agreed with her.

Mr. Vaiko of Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, an ardent fan of Sivaji Ganesan, who was instrumental in getting the stamp released, recalled the names of some of the popular characters played by the legend.

In a moving tribute, Shatrughan Sinha said that some of the wonderful roles that Sivaji Ganesan played could not be done by anybody. Ms. Vyjayanthimala Bali reminisced about the ``Irumbuthirai'' days. Music maestro Ilaiyaraaja sang a song in praise of `Sivaji' GanesanVijayakanth spoke of the magnetic power of Sivaji's eyes. If the Government had decided that only living persons should be conferred the highest award of the country one could say that `Sivaji' was not dead, observed Kamal Haasan. ``He lives in every actor.''

- SRA

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