Sahitya Akademi award-winning Tamil writer Poomani passes at 79

Poomani also ventured into filmmaking, directing Karuvelam Pookal for the National Film Development Corporation, portraying the lives of children and women employed in match factories. File photo: Special Arrangement Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Tamil writer Poomani, one of the most celebrated chroniclers of the karisal bhoomi—the rain-fed black-soil tracts of southern Tamil Nadu—died after a prolonged illness on Sunday night (June 13, 2026) in Chennai. He was 79.He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.Born Manickavasagam in Andipatti near Kovilpatti, Poomani adopted his pen name early in his literary career. An employee of the Cooperative Department, he began writing for magazines such as Thamarai before emerging as one of the most distinctive voices in modern Tamil literature. His fiction portrayed with remarkable realism and empathy the lives, struggles and aspirations of the people of the karisal region, particularly in present-day Virudhunagar district.Poomani received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2014 for his monumental novel Agnaadi, an epic narrative set against the backdrop of the Sivakasi (1899) and Kazhugumalai (1895) communal riots.Poomani’s literary career spanned several decades, during which he produced a remarkable body of work, including the novels Piragu, Vekkai, Neivedhyam, Kommai, Vaikkaal and Agnaadi, besides acclaimed short-story collections such as Kizhisal. Vekkai was adapted into the National Award-winning film Asuran by director Vetrimaaran, starring Dhanush in the lead role.Beyond literature, Poomani also ventured into filmmaking. “He directed Karuvelam Pookal for the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), portraying the lives of children and women employed in match factories. His television serial Penakkal focused on workers in the pen-nib manufacturing industry,” recalled fellow Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer and his nephew, Cho. Dharman.Following the release of Asuran, Poomani had told The Hindu that while he appreciated the adaptation, he did not agree with interpretations that reduced the story to a narrative of Scheduled Caste triumph over oppression. “Even though I am the author, I cannot expect every aspect of the novel to be reflected in the film. That is impossible in any adaptation. I do not know what the director had in mind while making the film. But there are some basic elements that cannot be altered,” he said.In fact, Poomani did not want himself to be confined to the narrow identity of a “Dalit” writer.CM Vijay announces State honoursChief Minister C. Joseph Vijay, expressing grief over the writer’s demise, announced that Poomani would be accorded State honours. In his condolence message, the Chief Minister said Poomani had enriched Tamil literature by portraying with extraordinary realism the people of the karisal bhoomi and the many nuances of their lives. Referring to Asuran, the acclaimed film adaptation of Poomani’s novel Vekkai, he noted the film had taken the writer’s powerful literary voice to a much wider audience.Paying tribute, CPI(M) MP and Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer Su. Venkatesan said Poomani viewed history through the prism of the suffering of ordinary people and their anger. Published - July 13, 2026 10:15 am IST