Late Tamil film composer Deva is remembered for a wide range of music—from devotional and classical to folk, gaana and melodies—earning admirers across the world. Among his fans, the report notes, was Singapore’s former President S.R. Nathan.
S.R. Nathan, also known as Sellapan Ramanathan, was a prominent politician of Tamil origin who served as Singapore’s sixth President. He held office from 1999 to 2011, described as the longest-serving President in the country’s history.
According to the report, Nathan had expressed a personal wish that a Deva composition be played after his death. He specifically wanted the song “Thanjavoor manneduthu…” to be played.
Nathan died in 2016 at the age of 92. As per his wish, the song—featured in the film Porkaalam, directed by Cheran and starring Murali and Meena with music by Deva—was played during the Singapore government’s funeral ceremony held in the presence of world leaders.
The report highlights the rarity of a Tamil composer’s song being played at a foreign head of state’s funeral, and calls Deva’s passing a significant loss to Tamil film music.
