Vilakku award of 2021 for non-fiction goes to Rajendra Cholan. He was born in Ulundurpettai of Tamilnadu and is married to Rajakumari. He undertook teacher training and worked as a school teacher. Besides being a teacher, he also worked as a journalist in two magazines, Udhayam and Manmozhi. He also used a pseudonym Aswagosh for some of his writings. He treaded a unique path in writing short stories, novellas and plays. Though he had interest in Marxist ideology, his works were celebrated for the aesthetic expressions by readers of all hues and colors.

Rajendra Cholan’s non-fiction writings emerged as necessitated by the circumstances. He was motivated by the ideal of democratizing knowledge. In this backdrop, his books “aNusakthi marmam: therinthathum theriyaathathum” (The Mystery of Nuclear Energy: Known and Unknown) written when a new nuclear power plant was built in Koodankulam, “aranga aattam” (Theatrics), a book on the fundamentals of modern theatre, and “pinnaveenaththuvam: piththum theLivum” (Post-modernism: Craze and Clarity”), when post-modernism stormed in Tamil milieu, are some of his important contributions to Tamil. He complemented his writings with activism as he believed that both are necessary to democratize knowledge.

Fictional works

1. IraasenthirasOzhan kuRunaavalkaL
2. ciRakukaL muLaiththu
3. parithaaba ezuththaaLar paNditha puraaNam
4. iraasEnthirasOzhan ciRukathaikaL
5. 21vathu amsam
6. pathiyam – novel
7. kaavalar illam – novel
8. puRRil uRaiyum paambukaL
9. savaari

Plays

1. thenaaliraaman nakaichuvai naatakangkaL
2. mariyaathairaaman mathinutpa naatakangkaL
3. Aswagosh naatakangkaL
4. arangka aattam
5. naaLaivarum veLLam
6. visaaraNai
7. vattangkaL
8. meendum varukai

Essays

1. airOppiya inthiya naatakam
2. karuththiyal matham saathi peN
3. thamizh naatakam katturaikaL
4. maNmozhi manitham neethi
5. mithipadum maanudam meetpin manavali
6. thamizhakam thEsam mozhi saathi
7. peNkaL samookam mathippeedukaL
8. mozhik koLkai
9. saathiyam theeNdaamai thamizhar oRRumai
10. inthiyam thiraavidam thamizth thEsiyam
11. ambEthkarin saathi ozhippu – sila sinthanaikaL
12. pakuththaRivin moodanambikkaikaL
13. dhaliththiyam – nOkkum pOkkum
14. thamizhthEsamum thannurimaiyum
15. theeNdaamai ozhippum thamizhar oRRumaiyum
16. paattaLi varkka sarvaathikaaram thEvai thaanaa?
17. pin naveenaththuvam – piththum theLivum
18. Marxiya meyyiyal. kadavuL enpathu enna?
19. Sorgam engkE irukkiRathu?
20. Thamizh thEsiyam enRal enna?
21. Pothuvudaimaiyum thamizharkaLum
22. aNusakthi marmam
23. aNu aaRRalum maanuda vaazhvum
24. aNusakthi marmam – aRinthathum aRiyaathathum

Awards

1. Vijaya vaasakar vatta viruthu (2020)
2. Punaivilakkiyaththukkaana Kalaignar Karunanithi poRkizhi viruthu (2021)

Vilakku award of 2021 for fiction is awarded to Vannanilavan. He was born in Tirunelveli to Ulaganathan and Ramalakshmi. He completed high school and became a journalist and author. His given name is Ramachandran and he also writes under the pseudonym Dhurvasar. Vannanilavan worked as a journalist in magazines Kannadasan (1973), Puthuvaikkural (1974), Kanaiyaazhi (1974), Annai Naadu (1975), Thuglaq (1976-90), Subhamangala (1993-95) and again in Thuglaq (since 1995). His writings are a shining light of humanity.

Vannanilavan is one of the most creative minds in Tamil literature. He has been continuously operating in various genres of literature - short story, novel, poetry and essay. In the Tamil literary scene after 1970, Vannanilavan explored new possibilities through his fiction. He pushed the possibilities of fictional imagination and limits of expression of language. His short story collection “paambum pidaaranum” (The Snake and the Snake Charmer) took the genre of Tamil short story in a new direction. His novels “kadalpuraththil” (In the Sea town), “kambaanathi” (The River Kambha), and “Reinees Iyer theru” (Reinees Iyer Street) added a new treasure to the genre of Tamil novel. With his strong belief on artistic expression and honesty, he has made immense contributions to modern Tamil literature without making much noise.

Novels

1. nEsam marappathillai nenjam (1976)
2. kadalpuraththil (1977)
3. kambaanathi (1977)
4. reynees iyar theru (1979)
5. kaalam (2000)
6. uLLum puRamum (2010)
7. em. el. (2018)

Short Story Collections

1. paambum pidaaranum (1978)
2. dharmam (1982)
3. uLLum puRamum (1990)
4. thEdithEdi (1990)
5. thaamiraparaNik kathaikaL (1992)
6. Vannanilavan kathaikaL (2012)
7. mazhaippayaNam (2019)

Poetry Collections

1. meypporul (1985)
2. kaalam (1994)

Essays

1. maRakka mudiyaatha manitharkaL (2012)
2. pin nagarntha kaalam (2012)
3. oru kutti boorshvaavin anupavangkaL (2012)
4. sila iyakkunarkaL cila thiraippadangkaL (2014)
5. pin nagarntha kaalam – volume 2 (2019)
6. Dhurvaasar katturaikaL
7. (Additionally, he has written more than 300 essays that have not been compiled into books)

Movie

1. One of the three scriptwriters of the movie avaL appadiththaan

Awards

1. Ilakkiyach chinthanai award (1977)
2. Tamilnadu Government award (1983)
3. Ramakrishna Jaidayal humanism award (1998)
4. Saaral award (2012)
5. S.R.V. award (2015)
6. Jayakanthan awad of Vijaya Readers Circle (2017)
7. Periyasami Thooran Tamil writer award (2017)
8. Bombay Adhilakshmanan award of Ilakkiyach chinthanai (2018)
9. Lifetime achiever award of Coimbatore Book Festival (2019)

Stalin Rajangam was born at Munnur village near Chengam in Thiruvannamalai district in 1980 to Rajangam and Kaliyammal. Stalin is a first-generation college graduate. He completed school education in government schools in his native village and pursued college education with the help of a school teacher. He did his undergraduation in Senthamizh College, Madurai and post-graduation in American College, Madurai. Subsequently, he completed his doctorate degree in Gandhi Gram University, Dindigal. The topic of his thesis was ‘Alternative narratives of Iyotheethaas and Tamil Literature’. Currently, he is working as an Assistant Professor of Tamil in American College, Madurai. He is married to Poornima and the couple have two sons, Budhamithran and Aadhan Sidharth.

Stalin, who started writing in 2000s, entered the scene as a vibrant young man when contributions from young writers in literary criticism and research were scant. Even as he was introduced to Ambedkar and Dravidian movement by the family, Stalin had close association with the leftist movement as a college student. He was attracted to the newly emerging Dalit literature and research when he started writing. In his first book ‘sananaayagamaRRa sananaayagam’ (2007) he established himself as a second-generation writer of Dalit uprising. He has authored 13 books so far. In addition to writing books, he also published others’ works.

Stalin has introduced a new approach to Tamil research by undertaking searches of religious sites and cultural relics of Jainism and Budhism which once flourished in Tamilnadu. He is continuously engaged in alternative research of history, alternative history of literature, and alternative field research. It is heartening to see that there is a new generation of young researchers who follow Stalin’s research methodology.

Dalit liberation history has been told only through the struggles of non-Dalit activists until Stalin shifted the focus on documenting struggles spearheaded and undertaken by Dalits themselves.

Books

1. sananaayagamaRRa sananaayagam (January 2007)
2. theeNdappadaatha noolkaL: oLipadaa ulagam (December 2007)
3. aariya uthadum unathu, thiraavida uthadum unathu (January 2008)
4. varalaaRRai mozhithal
5. theeraa thiyaagam (October 2010)
6. saathiyam: kaikoodaatha neethi (December 2011)
7. Iyothidhaasar: vaazhum Bautham (May 2016)
8. ezuthaakkiLavi (vazhimaRikkum varalaaRRu anupavangkaL (April 2017)
9. thamizh cinema: punaivil iyangkum samoogam (June 2016)
10. aaNavak kolaigaLin kaalam (September 2016)
11. peyarazhintha varalaaRu: Iyothidhaasarum avar kaala aaLumaikaLum (December 2019)
12. eNpathugaLin cinema (December 2019)
13. Vaithiyar Iyothidhaasar (February 2021)

Publications:

1. G. Appathuraiyaar ezhuthiya Budhar aruLaRam
2. Vizhuppuram padukolai 1982 (August 2012)

Edited works:

1. ethaartha Bautham (editor, December 2012)
2. Iyothithaasarum Singaravelarum: naveena Bautha maRumalarchi iyakkam (veLivaraatha vivaathangkaL, October 2010)

Booklets:

1. Irupathaam nooRRaaNdin thodakkaththil Daliththukalin pathippup paNikaL
2. viNNappam sollum viduthalai (Iyothidaasarin 3 aangkilak katturaikaLin thamizh mozhipeyarppu)
3. vanjnagaram kanthan (2008)

Coauthored book:

1. saathi inRu

Awards:

1. SPARROW literary award 2017

Future plans:

1. To write Tamil cultural history using hidden elements of non-Vedic origin from people’s life that have not been told and emphasized in books written so far.
2. To write a critical history of Dalit politics spanning over a century from his experience of writing about unrecorded Dalit activities and personalities.

This is a summary of the detailed citation by the judges written in Tamil which can be seen here ***** to be inserted.

Poet Sugirtharani was born at Lalapet village near the city of Ranipet in 1973 to Thavamani and Shanmugam. Her father Shanmugan worked in EID Parry in Ranipet. Sugirtharani had her school education (classes 1-10) in Government School, Lalapet and higher secondary education (classes 11-12) in Ranipet. Subsequently, she took teacher training in the Government Teacher Training Institute for Women, Ranipet. She went on to obtain two Master of Arts degrees in Tamil Literature and Economics and Bachelor of Education degree in Tamil.

Currently, Sugirtharani works at the Government Girls Higher Secondary School as a graduate Tamil teacher in Kaveripakkam of Ranipet district. She started writing poetry in late 1990s and has published six volumes of poetry. The seventh volume will be coming out soon. Her first six books are combined into a single volume entitled “soodiya poo soodaRka” and published in recently.

Sugiratharani’s poems have been included in text books of several colleges and universities, including Delhi University. Her works of poetry have been subject of research of several masters and doctoral students. One of her poems is translated in Italian and is part of a permenant exhibition of poetry in Italy. Another poem of Sugirtharani is translated into English by Lakshmi Holmstrom and is included in The Verso Book of Feminism: Revolutionary words From Four Millennia of Rebellion, an anthology of feminist poems from around the world. Her selected poems are translated into Malayalam and published as a book entitled nathi enpathu en peyar, recently.

Besides writing poetry, Sugirtharani is a feminist activist and social worker, and writes on issue affecting the marginalized women.

Published works

1. kaippatri en kanavu kEL (2002)
2. iravu mirugam (2004)
3. avaLai mozhiperyarthal (2006)
4. theeNdathagatha muththam (2010)
5. kAmathipoo (2012)
6. ippadikku EvAL (2015)
7. soodiya poo soodaRka (2021)

Works under preparation

1. Seventh volume of poetry
2. A novel near completion

Awards and recognitions

1. ‘devamakal kavithoovi’ award (2002) – Coimbatore
2. ‘pavalar ezhugnayiRu’ award, Salem
3. ‘Woman of Achievement’ award, Women’s Front founded by writer P. Sivakami, IAS
4. Puthumaipithan memorial award, Kalachuvadu
5. ‘Amebedkar pEroLi’ award, 125th Anniversary of Ambedkar, Dalit Cultural Collective, Chennai
6. ‘The Vibrant Voice of Subalterns’ award (2018), Thiruvalluvar University, Vellore
7. Kuthoosi Gurusamy memorial award, Coimbatore
8. Annai Meenambal Sivaraj award, Republican Party of India, Tamilnadu State Committee
9. ‘avvai’ award, Meeral Literay Society, Pondicheri
10. ‘ezhuthuchemmal’ award, Ambedkar Literary Society, Chennai
11. ‘Sundara Ramaswamy’ award, Neythal Literary Organization, Nagerkoil
12. Karaikkal Ammaiyar award, International Women’s Organization, Chennai