Vairamuthu wins Jnanpith Award, third Tamil writer to receive honour

Lyricist and author Vairamuthu has been selected for the Jnanpith Award, the nation’s highest literary honour. He is the third Tamil literary figure to receive the award, after a gap of 20 years. Earlier recipients include the late writers Akilan and Jayakanthan.

Mr. Vairamuthu won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2003 for Kallikattu Ithikasam.

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin congratulated Mr. Vairamuthu on Saturday (March 14, 2026), saying that the award had so far been won only by Akilan and Jayakanthan, and that Vairamuthu, who has excelled in both classical and modern verse, has now joined them. “It makes us happy,” Mr. Stalin said in a social media message.

The Chief Minister said he met Mr. Vairamuthu on Saturday morning and was conversing with him before the news arrived. “Moments later, this sweet news arrived, doubling the delight of that meeting,” he said.