News18 Tamil Nadu, Network18’s regional news channel for the South market, culminates its first successful edition of Magudam Awards. The prestigious platform recognizes excellence across the fields of Sports, Business, Arts & Literature, Entertainment, Social Service and Science & Technology. At the awards function, the winners under each category were honored by the Vice President of India Hon’ble Shri Venkaiah Naidu, who graced the event along with Honorable Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Shri O Panneerselvam as well as other dignitaries and celebrities. The attendees also included Shri TK Rajendran, Director General of Police (Tamil Nadu), R Madhavan, Mrs Latha Rajinikanth, Dhanush, Chief Minister of Pondicherry Shri V. Narayanasamy among others.

An esteemed 12-member jury selected 2 winners under each category. The first winner in each category included, Mr. Tho.Paramasivan, who won the award for his work in Arts and Literature, while Mr. Velumani (Thyrocare) bagged the award for Business and Mr. Seenu Ramsamy received the award for his achievements in the entertainment sector. The roster of winners also comprised Mr. S.P. Thyagarajan, who won under the Science and Technology category, Prince Gajendra Babu won for Social Service, while Mr. Arokia Raj and Mr. Lakshmanan were recognized for their success in sports. Actor M Nassar won the Lifetime Achievement award for his lifelong contribution towards the growth of Tamil cinema. They were felicitated by the Vice President of India Hon’ble Shri Venkaiah Naidu at the event.

The celebrations for the evening included an enthralling cultural performance and a detailed panel discussion on the topic – ‘What it takes to be successful in Tamil Nadu’ The panelists included eminent personalities such as Gautami Tadimalla, Cine Actor, Khushboo Sundar, Cine Actor and politician, CK Ranganathan, Chairman and Managing Director, CavinKare, Kris Srikkanth, former Indian cricketer, Justice Kirubakaran, Judge of the Madras High Court, G Viswanathan, Founder and Chancellor, Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) University.

Speaking about the winners and the Magudam Awards, the Vice President of India Hon’ble Shri Venkaiah Naidu said, “From cinema to science to sports and culture, Tamilians have greatly contributed towards the growth of the nation as a whole. The state is progressing with great speed at its current growth rate of 7.49 percent that is expected to shoot up to 9 percent next year. And it is leaders like these, across fields, who are making this happen. It is great to see that such leaders and their persistent efforts towards their state, are being recognized by the Magudam Awards. Today, is the celebration of their success and I am happy to be a part of it.”

Speaking about the first edition of the Magudam Awards, Senior Editor News18 Tamil Nadu, M Gunasekaran said, “We were honored to have the Vice President of India Hon’ble Shri Venkaiah Naidu to felicitate the finest talents across sectors in Tamil Nadu. The presence of the dignitaries, celebrities and leaders from different sectors, bolstered the reach of our flagship awards. We are glad that the inaugural edition of the awards has been a grand success and we hope to extend the awards property as well as its reach in the coming years.”