Lyricist-author Vairamuthu wins Jnanpith Award, breaks 20-year gap
Vairamuthu, the legendary Tamil lyricist and author, just bagged the Jnanpith Award, India's highest honor for writers.
He is only the third Tamil writer ever to win it, breaking a 20-year gap since the last one (Jayakanthan, 2006).
Award recognizes lifetime of literary impact
Vairamuthu has written thousands of songs for Tamil films and won big before (like the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Kallikattu Ithikasam).
The Jnanpith recognizes a lifetime of literary impact across Indian languages and comes with ₹11 lakh and a bronze Saraswati statue.
CM Stalin congratulates Vairamuthu
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin congratulated Vairamuthu online, calling him a master of both classical and modern Tamil poetry.
He even shared that he met Vairamuthu just before hearing about the award, which made their meeting extra special.