Manikka Vinayagam is an Indian playback singer and actor known for his work in South Indian films, particularly Tamil cinema. Born in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu on December 10, 1943, Vinayagam came from a family with a strong artistic background, learning Carnatic and Hindustani music from his uncle as well as developing a passion for playing the Nadaswaram, a traditional wind instrument. He made his debut as a playback singer in the Tamil film Dhill with the song "Kannukkulla Gelathi" composed by Vidyasagar. He went on to sing nearly 800 songs across myriad languages and genres, as well as close to 15000 devotional folk, love and Carnatic songs, most notably "Dhill" (2001), "Thiruda Thirudi" (2003), "Gambeeram" (2004), "Perazhagan" (2004), "Donga Dongadi" (2004), "Bose" (2004), "Kalvanin Kadhali" (2006), "Thimiru" (2006), "Thullal" (2007), "Puli Varudhu" (2007), "Santosh Subramaniam" (2008), "Thozhi" (2009), "Vettaikkaran" (2009), "Bale Pandiya" (2010), "Va Quarter Cutting" (2010), "Yuddham Sei" (2011), "Avargalum Ivargalum" (2011) and "Embathettu" (2017.) Vinayagam passed away on December, 26, 2021 at the age of 78 due to a cardiac arrest at his home in Chennai, having left an indelible mark on both the Tamil film and music industries. In 2023, his hit song "Arjunaru Villu" from the 2004 film Gilli saw a resurgence in popularity, charting at number 149.
