Tamil poet-lyricist R Vairamuthu conferred 60th Jnanpith Award

New Delhi, Jul 13 (PTI) Eminent Tamil poet, litterateur and lyricist R Vairamuthu was on Monday conferred the 60th Jnanpith Award for 2025, India's highest literary honour, at a ceremony here. The award was presented by former Union minister and scholar Karan Singh at a function that coincided with Vairamuthu's birthday. As part of the honour, Vairamuthu received a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a bronze statue of Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati) and a citation. "This honour belongs not only to me but also to the Tamil language and the larger fraternity of Indian literature," Vairamuthu said while addressing the audience at the Chinmaya Mission Auditorium. Recalling his lifelong literary journey and personal struggles, he described literature as humanity's greatest source of hope, compassion and moral strength. He said the award would inspire him to "continue his creative pursuits with renewed dedication". With the honour, Vairamuthu becomes the third Tamil writer and the first Tamil poet to receive the Jnanpith Award. Vairamuthu's works span poetry, novels, essays and film lyrics. His novel "Kallikkattu Ithikasam" won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2003. He has received the National Film Award for 'Best Lyrics' seven times and is also a recipient of the Padma Shri (2003), the Padma Bhushan (2014) and the 'Sadhana Samman Award' (2009). His literary works have been translated into several languages, including English, German, Russian and Norwegian. Delivering the keynote address, Singh described the Jnanpith Award as a symbol of India's uninterrupted literary tradition, linguistic diversity and national unity. "Bharatiya Jnanpith had remained steadfast for over six decades in preserving and promoting the finest works of Indian languages while encouraging contemporary literary creativity," he said. He urged young people to forge a deeper connection with Indian languages and literature. Among those present were chairperson of the Jnanpith Award Selection Committee Pratibha Ray, Bharatiya Jnanpith trustee Mudit Jain, eminent litterateurs, scholars, writers, academicians and literature enthusiasts. Instituted in 1961, the Jnanpith Award is conferred for outstanding lifetime contribution to literature in any of the languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. Since 1965, 66 distinguished authors have received the award. PTI MG RHL