Vairamuthu selected for Jnanpith Award

Poet and lyricist Vairamuthu has been selected for the prestigious Jnanpith Award, becoming the third Tamil writer to receive the country’s highest literary honour. The 72-year-old author follows in the footsteps of late novelists Akilan (1975) and Jayakanthan (2002). “I am deeply pleased to receive the Jnanpith Award, which the world of letters regards as the Nobel Prize of Indian literature. Until now, the two awards received by Tamil were conferred upon prose writers. Only now has the Jnanpith been bestowed upon Tamil poetry,” he said. Congratulating the lyricist, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin expressed immense joy over the announcement. Taking to ‘X’, Stalin noted that he had met the poet earlier in the day, and the news arrived shortly after, enhancing the joy of their meeting.