Jnanpith, the prestigious literary award for 2025, has been awarded to Tamil writer and lyricist Vairamuthu (72), who is known as much for his literary brilliance as for the controversies that chased him throughout his literary career. He is the third Tamilian in 20 years to win this award, which is not government-sponsored. He started his journey in 1972 with the poetry collection “Vaigarai Megangal”, and since then, he has written over 40 books. Apart from his writings, he has excelled at writing lyrics for as many as 7,500 Tamil film songs, earning him iconic status in the industry. He holds the record for winning the National Film Award seven times apart from bagging the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel “Kallikkattu Ithikasam”. The government honoured him with both Padmashri and Padmabhushan awards for his outstanding contribution to Tamil literature. While Chief Minister M K Stalin and literary personalities greeted him, a section was critical of it as Vairamuthu was a prominent figure to face allegations of inappropriate behaviour during the MeToo movement.Noted playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada, who was at the forefront of MeToo allegations, expressed disappointment.
Said she, “In 2018, multiple women of different age groups named one Poet – Lyricist as their molester. Today the Jnanpith is awarded to the man, after someone like Sri Jayakantan, whose daughter called Vairamuthu out for presenting a forged, fake letter by Sri Jayakanthan ‘praising’ Vairamuthu.”
In a social media post, she recalled a committee from Kerala earlier announced his name for the ONV Kurup award, which was later ‘returned’ as voices of justice from their society rose to speak against sullying Sri ONV Kurup’s name. “The collective voices of the women who named him, were silenced,” she said adding: “I paid a very heavy price – the rest of the women who left their dreams behind weren’t half as lucky as I.” Vairamuthu had denied the allegations which he claimed were “fabricated.”
He stoked another major controversy when in 2018 he made highly disparaging remarks against Andal, the highly revered 8th century Vaishnavite Alwar (saint). Andal is the only female Alwar among a pantheon of 12 Alwars and she has millions of followers in both Vaishnavite and non-Vaishnavite traditions. She is most known for her works, the Thiruppavai and Nachiar Thurumozhi. Many took to the streets and the social media in protest. Criminal proceedings against him were stayed by the Madras high court. Unable to withstand the intense backlash, the poet offered an abject apology and claimed that he had no intention to hurt anyone’s religious sentiments and that he had only quoted from an academic text.Reacting to the award, Vairamuthu said “The Jnanpith is greater than the greatest in literature; for Tamil, it is rarer than the rarest. I am deeply pleased to receive the Jnanpith Award, which the world of letters regards as the Nobel Prize of Indian literature. Until now, the two awards received by Tamil were conferred upon prose writers. Only now has the Jnanpith been bestowed upon Tamil poetry,” he said.