CHENNAI: The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) has issued a sharp condemnation of the decision to confer the 2025 Jnanpith Award on lyricist Vairamuthu, labeling the move a setback for gender justice and social accountability.
In a formal statement, the NWMI has stated that while literary merits are often debated, this specific selection sends a damaging message in a country struggling to address systemic sexual harassment.
The NWMI highlighted that several women, including singer Chinmayi Sripada, have publicly accused Vairamuthu of misconduct, allegations the poet denies but which the NWMI claims have never been addressed through “independent, transparent institutional processes”.
The organisation called upon the Bharatiya Jnanpith, the private foundation managed by the Sahu Jain family, to take responsibility for the selection. The NWMI asserts that a prestigious national honour must reflect professional integrity alongside artistic achievement.
“Honouring individuals facing serious, unresolved allegations risks undermining existing laws... as well as the movement against such abuse in India,” the statement read.
The network expressed concern that the award would further entrench power hierarchies and silence survivors within the cultural and literary fields. The NWMI has demanded that the foundation institute clear guidelines that prioritise the dignity of victim-survivors and centre social responsibility in future decision-making.
“Recognising achievement cannot come at the cost of silencing those who have spoken out against abuse,” the group reiterated, standing in solidarity with the whistleblowers.