Mathew Mullasseril Alex (25 May 1959 – 23 June 2015), popularly known as Dr. M. M. Alex was an Indian actor and a Human Life Scientist. He was known for starring in blockbuster Malayalam films, ''

Rajavinte Makan ''Rajavinte Makan'' () is a 1986 Indian Malayalam-language gangster film directed and produced by Thampi Kannanthanam and written by Dennis Joseph. It stars Mohanlal as crime boss Vincent Gomes, and also features Suresh Gopi, Ratheesh, Ambika a ...

'' (1986) and ''

Thoovanathumbikal ''Thoovanathumbikal'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan, based partly on his own novel ''Udakappola''. It revolves around Jayakrishnan (Mohanlal), who falls in love with two women; R ...

'' (1987) A career actor turned scientist, Alex had produced more than 220 documentaries and digitisations on World Peace, Religion, Tourism, Health Systems and Human Rights. He was also the founder of Vedik India Society and The Institute of Ancient Integrative Therapies Research. He also served as the jury member for the

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

. Alex was honoured with the "Ambassador of Peace Award" by

Universal Peace Federation The Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, widely known as the Unification Church, is a new religious movement, whose members are called Unificationists, or "Moonies". It was officially founded on 1 May 1954 under the name Holy Spi ...

and "Samskrita Mitra" award by the Government of India. He was also the president of Samskrita Bharathi – Tamil Nadu. Dr. M. M. Alex died from a

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

on 23 June 2015, aged 56.

Early life

Dr. Alex was born in Kottayam,

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. He was the son of M. M. Alexander, a Health officer and Ammini Alex, a panchayat officer. He grew up in Kottayam with his elder brother Shaji M Alex and younger sister Saji M Alex. He graduated from

CMS College Kottayam The CMS College (CMS College Kottayam) is the first Western-style college in India. Overview The college now has 17 Undergraduate and 18 postgraduate departments. There are six research centres in the college. Research work leading to the degr ...

, before starting his career as an actor.

Career

Early career

Alex debuted in the Malayalam Blockbuster "

(1986)", as a student leader. The film starred Mohan Lal and Suresh Gopi. It was directed by Thampi Kannanthanam. He continued to reprise the same role in its remake,

Makkal En Pakkam ''Makkal En Pakkam'' () is a 1987 Indian Tamil-language action film directed by Karthik Raghunath. The film stars Sathyaraj, Rajesh, and Ambika. It is a remake of the 1986 Malayalam film ''Rajavinte Makan''. The film was blockbuster at box offic ...

(Tamil – 1987). His flair for playing a villain bagged him roles in more than 60 films. He was well noted for his role as "Babu" in the successful film, "

(1987)" starring Mohan Lal and directed by

Padmarajan P. Padmarajan (23 May 1945 – 23 January 1991) was an Indian film maker, screenwriter and author who was known for his works in Malayalam literature and Malayalam cinema. He was the founder of a new school of film making in Malayalam cinema, a ...

. His role as an antagonist gained him wide publicity. He concluded his acting career with the Malayalam film " Parampara (1990)" directed by Sibi Malayil. Though it was at the peak of his acting career, Alex decided to quit and enter the field of science, research and spirituality.

Science and research

Dr. M. M. Alex received an honorary doctorate in

Indology Indology, also known as South Asian studies, is the academic study of the History of India, history and Culture of India, cultures, Languages of South Asia, languages, and Indian literature, literature of the Indian subcontinent, and as such is a ...

and

alternative medicine Alternative medicine is any practice that aims to achieve the healing effects of medicine despite lacking biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or evidence from clinical trials. Complementary medicine (CM), complementary and alt ...

from the

Michigan State University College of Human Medicine The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSUCHM) is an academic division of Michigan State University (MSU), and grants the Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree. CHM was founded in 1964 as the first community-integrated medical school ...

. He founded the Non- Profit Organisations Vedik-India Society (2000), E-Ducatus Foundation, Institute of Ancient Integrative Therapies and Research with his wife, Anitha Alex. He travelled extensively and digitized India district wise to promote Indian culture around the world. He also developed a massive database on 250 common ailments and therapies from eastern disciplines like

Ayurveda Ayurveda () is an alternative medicine system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. The theory and practice of Ayurveda is pseudoscientific. Ayurveda is heavily practiced in India and Nepal, where around 80% of the population repo ...

Yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

Mantra A mantra (Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ma ...

Tantra Tantra (; sa, तन्त्र, lit=loom, weave, warp) are the esoteric traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism that developed on the Indian subcontinent from the middle of the 1st millennium CE onwards. The term ''tantra'', in the Indian ...

, Sangeetha Sastra, Manas Ayurveda and Gandharva Veda. He worked on merging modern and ancient medical therapies by creating a digital database on medical aspects of various alternative forms of treatment.His work involved a comprehensive and integrated understanding of many systems and modules that operate in the fields of - # Western medical care and research (e.g. diagnostics, current pharmacological/surgical therapies and clinical discovery/trials methodology. # Life sciences (

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

biochemistry Biochemistry or biological chemistry is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology and ...

and

genetics Genetics is the study of genes, genetic variation, and heredity in organisms.Hartl D, Jones E (2005) It is an important branch in biology because heredity is vital to organisms' evolution. Gregor Mendel, a Moravian Augustinian friar wor ...

). # Traditional Indian medical therapies. # Astrophysics and their impact on human biology. # Current high-impact lifestyle/psychological/psycho-social/environmental issues (e.g. Aging, stress, sleep,

circadian rhythm A circadian rhythm (), or circadian cycle, is a natural, internal process that regulates the sleep–wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. It can refer to any process that originates within an organism (i.e., Endogeny (biology), endogeno ...

infertility Infertility is the inability of a person, animal or plant to reproduce by natural means. It is usually not the natural state of a healthy adult, except notably among certain eusocial species (mostly haplodiploid insects). It is the normal state ...

and

electromagnetic field An electromagnetic field (also EM field or EMF) is a classical (i.e. non-quantum) field produced by (stationary or moving) electric charges. It is the field described by classical electrodynamics (a classical field theory) and is the classical c ...

effects/nutrition from GM crops).

Tourism and religion

With the craft and credibility from the film industry, Alex produced more than 220 documentaries ranging from

World religion World religions is a category used in the study of religion to demarcate the five—and in some cases more—largest and most internationally widespread religious movements. Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are always inclu ...

, education, tourism, Health systems and many other titles. He continued to work on projects for the Tourism of Kerala and other states during the 1990s. His notable works include the documentaries ''A Vision'' and ''Mission to Tirupati'', 'Alphabet of life' and 'A Pilgrimage to Holy Sabarimala'. It was one of the few documentaries screened in association with the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC) festival. Alex conducted a global tour with the support of the Union Department of Tourism. He helped organise the Nishagandhi Dance Festival, Kerala in 1992.

Culture

Apart from research and tourism, Alex was a propagator of the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

language. He was the president of

Samskrita Bharati Samskrita Bharati ( sa, संस्कृतभारती, Saṁskr̥tabhāratī, translit-std=ISO, ) is a non-profit organisation working to revive Sanskrit. Sanskrit was a pan-Indian language in the Vedic and classical period but lost its ...

, Tamil Nadu (2005–2015). The organisation aims to democratize and popularize Sanskrit language by encouraging the use of simple Sanskrit in everyday conversational texts. Alex was also the Head of Sanskrit Academies and Research Institutes for the World Samskrit Book fair.

Alexonics

Dr. Alex had invented a unique custom made audio module called 'Alexonics'. Each module is produced according to an individual's astrological profile resulting in a 93,312 file database. The repeated listening to its vibrations can enhance and regulate the physiological as well as the psychological self. He had worked on this project with Late. Dr. Solomon Victor,

Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam (; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. He was born and raised in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu and studied phy ...

, Dr. B.M. Hegde and Dr. Sandeep, over a span of 25 years. With the ambition to spread world peace, Alex disseminated 'Alexonics' to a few world leaders and world pioneers. He was invited to deliver a talk on Alexonics for Ted.x at Delhi in 2010. The product will be available to the public soon.

Nakshatra paintings

Dr. Alex conceived a unique ideology to depict the 27

Nakshatra Nakshatra ( sa, नक्षत्रम्, translit=Nakṣatram) is the term for lunar mansion in Hindu astrology and Indian Astronomy. A nakshatra is one of 27 (sometimes also 28) sectors along the ecliptic. Their names are related to a ...

s as the wives of the moon ( Lord Chandra) in a set of 30 paintings, including those of the

Sun god A solar deity or sun deity is a deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it. Such deities are usually associated with power and strength. Solar deities and Sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The ...

, Moon god and the Cosmic Serpent (

Naga Naga or NAGA may refer to: Mythology * Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions * Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata'' * Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Riv ...

). The paintings are based on the Samhitas, Shastras,

Vedas upright=1.2, The Vedas are ancient Sanskrit texts of Hinduism. Above: A page from the '' Atharvaveda''. The Vedas (, , ) are a large body of religious texts originating in ancient India. Composed in Vedic Sanskrit, the texts constitute the ...

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

, Meta-physics,

Astrophysics Astrophysics is a science that employs the methods and principles of physics and chemistry in the study of astronomical objects and phenomena. As one of the founders of the discipline said, Astrophysics "seeks to ascertain the nature of the h ...

and Bio- physics. These are to be auctioned soon.

Events

* He was the Judge for the Malayala Manorama's 3rd Annual

Pookalam Onam ( ) is an annual Indian harvest festival celebrated predominantly by the Hindus of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events. Onam commemorates Vamana ...

Festival along with his wife, Anitha Alex September 2005 * Chief guest of the World Sanskrit Day Function held in August 2008. * Delivered a lecture on 'Good Health Today with Modern and Ancient Therapies' at the

India Habitat Centre The India Habitat Centre is a multipurpose building in the city of New Delhi, India. It was the brain child of the HuDCO Chairman, Santosh Sharma. The India Habitat Centre is one of India's most comprehensive convention centers that is aimed at ...

, May 2009 * Conducted a 28-day Agnihotra

Yagna Yajna ( sa, यज्ञ, yajña, translit-std=IAST, sacrifice, devotion, worship, offering) refers in Hinduism to any ritual done in front of a sacred fire, often with mantras.SG Nigal (1986), Axiological Approach to the Vedas, Northern Book ...

for World Peace in July 2009. * Delivered a lecture on 'Impact of Triple Eclipses- Reality or Myth?' at the India Habitat Centre, Delhi. The event was organised by the Foundation of Peace, September 2009. * Was invited as a speaker for TEDx.Delhi to talk on his custom made device "Alexonics" August 2010. * Helped organise the World Samskrit Book Fair (Head of Sanskrit Academies and Research) in January 2011.

Accolades

* Jury for the

50th National Film Awards The 50th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 2002. Awards were announced by ...

, India (2003) * Jury for the

58th National Film Awards The 58th National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema for the year 2010. The selection process started by ...

, India (2011) * Recipient of the 'Ambassador of Peace' award from the

* Recipient of the 'Samskrita Mitra' award from the Government of India.

Death

Dr. Alex died in Chennai on 23 June 2015, following a cardiac arrest. The Funeral was held at St.Paul's Orthodox Church at Kollad near Kottayam on 25 June. He is survived by his wife Anitha Alex and sons Dr. Alexander Mathew and Basil Mathew (Actor Tejas)

Filmography (partial)

* 1986-

Rareeram ''Rareeram'' is a 1986 Indian Malayalam film, directed by Sibi Malayil and produced by Appachan. The film stars Mammootty, Shobhana, Nedumudi Venu and Geetha in the lead roles. The film has musical score by Kodakara Madhavan. Cast *Mammootty ...

* 1987- Avalude Katha * 1987-

* 1987-

Kanikanum Neram ''Kanikanum Neram'' is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by Rajasenan and produced by Augustine Prakash. The film stars Sunitha, Nedumudi Venu, Ratheesh and Saritha. The film has musical score by S. P. Venkatesh and songs composed ...

* 1987- Kottum Kuravayum * 1988-

Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

* 1988- August 1 * 1990-

Randam Varavu ''Randam Varavu'' () is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language crime thriller film, directed by K. Madhu and written by John Paul. The film stars Jayaram, Rekha, Jagathy Sreekumar and Sukumaran. The film's musical score is by Shyam. This film was a b ...

* 1990- Parampara * 1990-

Vyooham ''Vyooham'' is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language action film, directed by Sangeeth Sivan, starring Raghuvaran, Sukumaran, Captain Raju, Babu Antony, Urvashi, Rajan P. Dev and Parvathy Jayaram. It was the debut directorial of Sangeeth Sivan. T ...

References

External links

*
Article by FilmyFriday

Article by M3DB, Malayalam

* Indian Habitat Centre �
Annexure 1 March 28
, Programs: Jan 2009 – December 2009 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mathew, Alex 2015 deaths 1959 births Male actors in Tamil cinema Male actors from Kottayam 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors Human life scientists Indian human life scientists Indian scientists Scientists from Kerala