Note: Vairamuthu was awarded Jnanpith, the ‘highest’ literary award in India, for 2025. He is supremely unqualified for this prize. The following is a translation of Jeyamohan’s post here. This translation is published without the author’s formal permission. I believe the gravity of this message and its implications for Indian literature must reach a wider, non-Tamil speaking audience.
For the past year, rumors have been swirling that Vairamuthu has been working closely with members of the BJP to secure the Jnanpith Award. Whenever I inquired, some of those individuals vehemently denied it. Yet, Vairamuthu is a master of many faces: a DMK loyalist and friend of Karunanidhi, an RSS sympathizer translating Modi’s poems, and a close associate of BJP’s cultural agents. This ability to be everything to everyone is a unique art, and in this generation of Tamil Nadu, he is its greatest expert.
A few years ago, I learned through inner circles that he had approached the Jnanpith committee. I recorded my strongest condemnation, and many friends joined the protest. At that time, Venkaiah Naidu had recommended him for the award. The Jnanpith organization rejected the proposal then, resulting in a setback for Vairamuthu – a situation further worsened by the sexual harassment allegations leveled against him. However, through his friends in academia (many of whom are driven by caste interests), he ensured that truly deserving writers like Ki. Rajanarayanan never received the award.
It is well known that the Vice President of India carries significant influence over the Jnanpith selection. There may have also been political calculations tied to the upcoming elections. Giving this award to Vairamuthu is equivalent to the Jnanpith organization spitting in the face of modern Tamil literature. Their message is clear: “Be whatever you want, achieve whatever you may; we will only value you at the level of street dust. We will choose the lowest among you as the ‘best’ and keep everyone else beneath him.”
As Tamils, we must take responsibility for this humiliation. We have never truly embraced or championed our greatest literary giants; conversely, we never miss an opportunity to insult them. From the initial recommendation to the final selection, members of the Tamil academic circle play a role in the Jnanpith process. Among them, those with literary sense or basic intellectual integrity are incredibly rare. Most are driven by caste and political agendas. In every sphere, we have elevated meritless, hollow conspirators. When it comes time to choose a representative, they naturally put forward one of their own. This is what has happened. Tamil has earned the insult it now receives.
Why do we condemn this award so harshly? When the Jnanpith was given to Akilan, it effectively blacked out modern Tamil literature in the Indian literary scene for nearly half a century. I have personally heard people on at least twenty different stages say, “If Akilan is the standard, then there must be no modern literature in Tamil.” Even today, many across India believe Tamil lacks a modern literary movement. While English translations are slowly changing that perception in small circles, it is the translations into other Indian languages that shape the national image of our literature. Unfortunately, what gets sent out are these prize-winning works.
This award for Vairamuthu shames Tamil and will set us back another thirty years. On every national stage, we will be met with mockery and patronizing condescension.
It is in this context that initiatives like the Living Tamil Literature Festival, which highlight quality creators, become vital. The seats of power continue to belittle us. Every time we are struck down, we must stand taller. We must project our true pioneers. We must not lose heart at this moment. Small-minded men like Vairamuthu will come and go, securing petty awards through schemes. But true literature always triumphs.
This news is an insult to Tamil literature in every sense. Let us move past this shame through our work. There is no need for further debate. My heart is filled with disgust and embarrassment. Previously, I merely viewed Vairamuthu as a mediocre poet; now, I feel a deep revulsion. Through his ugly machinations, he has brought a stain upon the Tamil language that will last for generations.
Transverse 