Sankethi people

The Sankethis are Smartha brahmins residing in Karnataka. They are one of the groups related to the Tamil Iyers. There are also some Sanketis in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Of late, they have migrated worldwide. They are believed to have migrated from southern Tamil Nadu a millennium ago. They are said to have left their homeland under the guidance of a saintly lady, nAcAramma (also called nengAramma and nAnjiyAramma). They initially settled predominantly in Kaushika near Hassan, Karnataka and Bettadapura in Mysore District. They became the Kaushika and the Bettadapura Sankethis. They later spread to many other villages.

= Geographical distribution = The four predominant groups are Kaushika, Bettadapura, Mattur-Hosahalli and Lingadahalli sankethis (in that order numerically). All put together, they number about 50,000. They mainly live in Hassan and Mysore Districts and parts of Mandya District and Shimoga District. A large number have migrated to cities such as Bangalore, Mysore and Hassan, and sizeable numbers now live in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the North American Sankethi Association (NASA) has helped sankethis to interact and maintain religious, cultural, charitable, educational and social activities. The community is traditionally famed for intelligence, hard work, and its expertise in music, vedas and in growing the areca palm.

Family Tree

The Sankethi community is working on a family tree project to develop an evolving record of who they have been, who they are, and who they will be. It is a unique learning opportunity that can be carried forward to future generations.

Notable Sankethi Members

*Late Dr.R.Shamasastry Author Translated Kautilya's Arthashastra.
*Late Natyacharya, Natya Vidwan Guru Sri H.R. Keshava Murthy Bharatanatyam, Legendary dance teacher [http://keshava.org/founder-Director.aspx]
*Late Shri Karachi Krishna Rao, Industrialist [http://www.sankethi.com/famous.htm]
*S.Ramaswamy,Engineer, Founder of National Institute Of Engineering- [NIE,Mysore] [http://www.nie.ac.in] ]
*R. K. Srikantan, Eminent Carnatic Vocalist [http://www.hindu.com/mag/2004/06/27/stories/2004062700280500.htm]
*Late R. K. Suryanarayan Eminent Carnatic Veena Player [http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb152004/sh7.asp]
*R. R. Keshavamurthy Eminent Violinist Player [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._R._Keshavamurthy]
*R. K. Padmanabha, Eminent Carnatic Vocalist
*S Shashank Eminent flute player
*Mano Murthy, Popular kannada film music director
*Dr. K. Krishnamoorthy, world renowned Sanskrit, Kannada and English scholar.Hanasoge Vishwanath ( South Zone - Madakarinayaka Award - Kho-Kho, Union Leader- United Auto Workers Union)
*Dr. Mathoor Krishnamurti, world renowned speaker on Indian mythology, author of many books on Indian culture and history; and founding Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, UK Centre.

ee also

*Sankethi language
*Brahmins
*Forward Castes
*SmartismR K Prakash (veena vidwan)Paneesh murty--I gate chief

External links

* [http://www.ourroots.info/sankethi Family Tree Web Site]
* [http://home.comcast.net/~kartik.subbarao/sftcharter.html Family Tree Charter and Contribution Guidelines]
* [http://www.sankethi.org/ North American Sankethi Association]