CHENNAI: Veteran Tamil writer Ambai (77) aka CS Lakshmi has been chosen for the Sahitya Akademi award for the year for her collection of short stories titled Sivappu Kazhthudan Oru Pachai Paravai (A Red-necked Green Bird).
Tamil writer M Murugesh has been chosen for Bal Sahitya Puraskar for his work Ammavukku Magal Sonna Ulagin Mudhal Kadhai (The world’s first story told by a daughter to her mother). The awards, recommended by jury members from 20 Indian languages, were approved by the executive board of the Sahiya Akademi, which met on Thursday.
The Sahitya Akademi award carries a chest containing an engraved copper plaque and Rs 1 lakh while the Bal Sahitya Puraskar award carries a copper plaque and Rs 50,000. Born in Coimbatore in 1944 and raised in Mumbai and Bengaluru, Ambai grew up to become a historian and a feminist writer in Tamil. She received her Bachelor’s degree from Madras Christian College and completed her MA in Bengaluru and obtained her PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Literary circles hail her stories, which touch societal perceptions, relationships, family, and other intricacies of life. In 1962, Ambai published her first work Nadimalai Charalilae (At Nandi Hills), which was written when she was in her teenage.
Murugesh, has been chosen for the Bal Sahitya Puraskar, was born in Thirukokarnam in Pudukottai district. He is a poet, publisher, and educational consultant. He has written 18 books so far for children.
Chief Minister MK Stalin congratulated Tamil writers Ambai and Murugesh and said a woman writer has been honoured with such an award after a long time and this would encourage the women writers.