Vairamuthu to be conferred with Jnanpith

Chennai: Popular Tamil writer and film lyricist Vairamuthu was on Saturday conferred with Jnanpith, considered the country's highest literary award, becoming only the third writer from Tamil Nadu to receive the honour.

Vairamuthu, who has won seven national awards for his lyrics, and conferred with Padma Sri and Padma Bhushan in the past, has been controversial figure with several women, including playback singer Chinmayi, accusing him of sexual harassment.

He is the only third writer from Tamil Nadu to be conferred with Jnanpith after Akhilan in 1975 and Jayakanthan in 2002.

The lyricist-writer has written over 40 books and penned lyrics for over 7,500 songs.

Chief Minister M K Stalin said it was a great honour for Tamil Nadu and Tamil language that Vairamuthu has been conferred with Jnanpith.

“The Jnanpith is greater than the greatest in literature; for Tamil, it is rarer than the rarest. I am deeply pleased to receive the Jnanpith Award, which the

world of letters regards as the Nobel Prize of Indian literature,” Vairamuthu said in a statement.

The long-standing remark that Tamil poetry had never received the Jnanpith ends with me. “I remember with gratitude the Tamil society that nurtured and raised me,” he added.

The award led to a storm with many activists seeking to know how can a literary award be bestowed on a man who has been accused by multiple women.

“In 2018, multiple women of different age groups named one Poet - Lyricist as their molester. Today the Gnanpith is awarded to the man, after someone like Sri Jayakantan, whose daughter called Vairamuthu out for presenting a forged, fake letter by Sri Jayakanthan ‘praising’ Vairamuthu,” Chinmayi said.

The collective voices of the women who named him, were silenced, Chinmayi said, adding that he paid a very heavy price. “The rest of the women who left their dreams behind weren’t half as lucky as I,” he added.