Question: R. Pichumani Iyer was the winner of a prestigious award given for excellence in which field ?
Context: The George Sarton Medal is the most prestigious award given by the History of Science Society.  It has been awarded annually since 1955.  It is awarded to an historian of science from the international community who became distinguished for "a lifetime of scholarly achievement" in the field. The Kalaimamani is an award in Tamil Nadu state, India.  These awards are given by the Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram (literature, music and theatre) for excellence in the field of art and literature. Born in 1943, he graduated with an Bachelor of Science from Stanford University in 1963 and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1967.  He completed a year as a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute before taking up a faculty position at the University of Pennsylvania.  He was the 1982 recipient of the American Ornithologists' Union's William Brewster Memorial Award, the union's most prestigious award given annually for an exceptional body of work on birds of the Western Hemisphere.  In 2003, he received the Pacific Seabird Group's Lifetime Achievement Award for his work on growth and development in seabirds.  He was awarded the 2003 Margaret Morse Nice Medal by the Wilson Ornithological Society.  He was the 2006 recipient of the Cooper Ornithological Society’s Loye and Alden Miller Research Award, which is given in recognition of lifetime achievement in ornithological research. The Franc A. Landee Excellence in Teaching Award is a faculty award awarded each calendar year to a member of faculty of Saginaw Valley State University.  The Landee Award is the most prestigious award given out by the university. The NIH MERIT award (R37) is a prestigious award given by the NIH to fund the research of promising investigators.  In 2014, NIH announced that it would be phasing out the MERIT award and replacing it with a similar Outstanding Investigator Award (R35).  The MERIT award provided funding for 5 years and could be renewed for up to 10 years.  Unlike most NIH grant awards, the MERIT award could not be applied for by the investigator.  The OIA allows for up to $600,000 in direct costs for 7 years. The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society.  The award is given to an American Catholic or group of Catholics "whose genius has ennobled the arts and sciences, illustrated the ideals of the church and enriched the heritage of humanity."  First awarded in 1883, it is the oldest and most prestigious award for American Catholics. The Tin Ujević Award (Croatian: "Nagrada "Tin Ujević"" ) is an award given for contributions to Croatian poetry.  It is considered the most prestigious award in Croatia and is named after the poet Tin Ujević. The Punjab Rattan Award, is an award given by the Government of Punjab for exceptional excellence and achievement in the service of Punjab or international level in the field of art, literature, culture, science, technology, politics and achievements at the international level.  The award consists of the Punjab Rattan Award itself, Punjabi silver plaque and a Punjab Rattan Award citation.  The prestigious award, in Punjab, is considered to be as prized and valued as the much sought-after Maharaja Ranjit Singh Award. The Haggerty Award is given to the All-Metropolitan New York Division I men's college basketball player of the year, presented by the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the Met Basketball Writers Association (MBWA).  First presented in 1936, it is arguably the oldest and most prestigious award given to a metropolitan area player. R. Pichumani Iyer was a renowned veena vidwan from Tiruchirapalli.  He was the winner of the prestigious Kalaimamani award.  Hailing from a prominent music family, Pichumani's career started when he was just 10 years old.  A mentor to many carnatic musicians, he died in June 2015.
Answer: art and literature