Dr. K. Kanthimathi

Dr. K. Kanthimathi was born on January 13, 1947, in Tirupur, Tamil Nadu, India. Her father, Mr. K. Sellamuthu Gounder, was a well known cotton merchant, and her mother was Mrs. S. Nachammal. Dr. Kanthimathi was the first of three children. She was a model student in her school and college days, earning several academic distinctions in a time when girls rarely completed school, and went on to complete her M.Sc. in Zoology in Chennai (Madras). She took up a career in teaching and served in colleges as a lecturer and ultimately as a professor of Zoology. She received her doctorate in Zoology in 1993.

Dr. Kanthimathi married Dr. K. V. Kaliappan - a psychologist and fellow academician - on November 3, 1968,  and became the mother of two sons. Dr. Kanthimathi continued her quest for excellence, of which she had her own yardstick and never measured it in terms of anybody else, in all aspects of her family life as well. She was the foundation on which her husband built a very successful career as a psychologist, teacher and social worker. She doted on her sons and nurtured them into responsible adults with their own families. She loved her parents and expressed that love in all situations, through trials and tribulations, disease and death. She was passionate about parenting (which extended to her grandchildren), Tamil, nature, cooking, and her belief system about God and religion. Dr. Kanthimathi left this earthly abode and her loved ones behind on February 9, 2015, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.

This website is dedicated to the memories, values, talents and personality of Dr. K. Kanthimathi, an all-round amazing and loving human being.