G. Viswanathan, the Founder and Chancellor of VIT University in India, was born on December 8, 1938 in a remote village in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. He has also served as a Member of Parliament and also as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Tamil Nadu. He was elected to the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly as an Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam candidate from Anaicut constituency in 1980 election and from Arcot constituency in 1991 election.