CHENNAI: Renowned artist and writer Manohar Devadoss (86) passed away on Wednesday at his residence in Santhome. He is survived by his daughter. The funeral is expected to take place at CSI Church in Santhome on Friday.
Born in Madurai in 1936, Manohar was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive, incurable degenerative eye disease which leads to total blindness, when he was in his 30s. But Devadoss never gave up his enthusiasm and kept focussing on his art and writing.
He authored many books and also made illustrations for them. The books include a biographical novel on Mahema titled A poem to courage, Multiple facets of my Madurai, Mahe and Mano: Challenges, Green Well Years, etc.
Some of his sketches relating to Madurai include Goripalayam mosque, a view of his house in Goripalayam in the 1940s, an elegant house in North Masi Street, a jewellery store’s front view in South Avani Moola Veedhi, a view of the west gopuram of Madurai Meenakshi Amman temple Pudhu Mandapam, chariot procession during Chithirai festival, Madurai railway junction, Madura Mills, etc. In Chennai, too, he drew many places and historical buildings.
He also launched a charitable trust named after his wife to provide medical assistance to rural people afflicted with eye-related diseases. The central government recognised his contributions to art by honouring him with the Padma Shri award in 2020.
In one of his memoirs about his house in Goripalayam in Madurai, Devedoss wrote: “When Mahatma Gandhi visited Madurai in the 1940s, he took a procession in an open car in North Maasi Street, which we could see him from our house. Most importantly, during the Chithirai festival, all the processions took place in the four Maasi streets, and we could conveniently witness all this from our house.”
CM MK Stalin condoled the death of Devadoss. In his message, he recalled that Devadoss’ ink drawings of temple sides, historical buildings, ancient churches, Vaigai river, and historical places around Madurai made an icon out of the temple town.