Marlon Brando celebrated as the best screen actor ever conceded that he was more than his equal.  France, the world’s capital of art bestowed on him the highest honor the Chevalier.  The US made him the honorary Mayor of Niagara and the King of Egypt considered him as a friend.  Tamil’s all over the world revere him  as the Emperor of Acting and most superstars of Indian cinema put him on the pedestal as the dictionary of acting.

Alas! Today the opening ceremony of the Nadigar Thilagam Sivaji Ganesan memorial (to be held on the 1st of October) is under a cloud as both the State heads and the Nadigar Sangam are still uncertain as to who would attend the function and who would do the inauguration.  Apart from political reasons, there are also silly superstitions that are forcing many to shun the event.

Sivaji Ganesan never received the Best Actor National Award when he was alive and more painfully filmmakers never wrote scripts to suit him in his old age and now after his death, we see his statue being removed and an event that may not get the grandeur it deserves.  If only he was born in the US for example, there would have been an entire Hall of Fame dedicated only to him, he would have acted as leading man till his last breath and his legacy would have been appreciated forever.  However Sivaji has an imperishable monument in the hearts of Tamils with whom we join in remembering the immortal legend on his 90th birthday with the deepest respects.