CHENNAI: Nothing has changed since the award, But I continued with my writing,” says writer M L Thangappa, who won the award in 2012 and now spends his retired life at his Lawspet home in Puducherry.
The award did not in any way increase the sale of his books nor he was in more demand as a translator, the 80-year-old, who was born at Kurumbalaperi in Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, says. He considers the award as recognition of his efforts over the years and it helped him get noticed in the field of translation, into which only a few writers venture.
The writer, who hails from a financially well-off family, says he still continues to write for children, essays and translation of Tamil literary works despite the fact that no additional benefits came with the award.
However, he gets solace from the fact that writing for children and translation of Tamil works into English keep the next generation sustain interest in Tamil in the years to come.
A Tamil litterateur from Puducherry, M L Thangappa has the rare credit of winning the Sahitya Akademi awards for both children’s literature and translation. He was conferred the Bala Puraskar in 2010 (awarded in 2011) for his book titled Chola Kollai Bommai, a collection of poems and nursery rhymes for children. Thangappa was selected for his English translation of Tamil Sangam poetry titled Love Stands Alone in 2011.
Thangappa moved to Puducherry in 1959 to teach English and history in various high schools of the region till 1967. He then joined a college and taught Tamil for the rest of the teaching career spanning a total of 38 years. The writer retired from Government Bharathidasan College for Women.