Bodhidharma was a Buddhist monk who lived during the 5th/6th century CE. He is traditionally credited as the transmitter of Ch'an (Sanskrit: Dhyāna, Japanese: Zen) to China, and regarded as the first Chinese patriarch. According to Chinese legend, he also began the physical training of the Shaolin monks that led to the creation of Shaolinquan.

Little contemporary biographical information on Bodhidharma is extant, and subsequent accounts became layered with legend. There are three principal sources for Bodhidharma's biography: Yáng Xuànzhī's (Yang Hsüan-chih) The Record of the Buddhist Monasteries of Luoyang (547), Tánlín's preface to the Two Entrances and Four Acts (6th century CE), and Dàoxuān's (Tao-hsuan) Further Biographies of Eminent Monks (7th century CE).

These sources vary on their account of Bodhidharma being either "from Persia" (547 CE), "a Brahman monk from South India" (645 CE), "the third son of a Brahman king of South India" (ca. 715 CE).Some traditions specifically describe Bodhidharma to be the third son of a Tamil Pallava king from Kanchipuram.

Suki (suhi / sugi) Sivam (Tamil: சுகி சிவம்) is a popular scholar in Tamil. His religious, motivational and philosophical speeches are famous among Tamil Hindus. He hosts a TV show Indha naal iniya naal on Sun TV. He has also written numerous novels and is highly regarded in India and neighboring countries.

He was awarded the Kalaimamani award by the Indian state government for his contributions towards Tamil literature.

His book, such as Vaazhthal Oru Kalai ("Living is an art"), deal with the suchjuect of how to lead a better life, retaining our own ideologies and principles. The book Vaazhthal Oru Kalai may be similar to The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tole, though not as different and subjective as the later.