Tamil Writer Annaluxmy Rajadurai honoured with Sahithya Ratna Award

Veteran Tamil writer and journalist  Annaluxmy Rajadurai (Right) receiving the Ratna Award

Veteran Tamil writer and journalist  Annaluxmy Rajadurai has been honoured with the prestigious Sahithya Ratna Award, presented by the State Literary Advisory Council at the National Sahithya award ceremony held on November 28.

This marks a significant milestone, as it is the first time a Tamil woman writer has received this esteemed award.

Rajadurai, whose native place is Thirunelvely West in Jaffna, is the daughter of the late Sellarrasah and  Rasammah. She was married to Nagalingam Rajadurai, a Labour Officer, and has two sons,  Rajamohan and Raja Jayakesan.

Her educational journey began at Saiva Tamil Mixed School in Thirunelvely and continued at Senguntha Hindu College in Thirunelvely and Ramanathan College in Chunnakam. Rajadurai passed her London A/L Exam in 1958 and also obtained a Diploma in English and Journalism, along with a teaching certificate in art.

Rajadurai’s writing career began in her school days, where she wrote short stories for Thinakaran, a prominent Tamil daily newspaper, and Kalaichelvi, a Tamil magazine founded in 1958 by the renowned Tamil writer and educator S. Sanavanapavan.

Sub-editor 

In June 1962, she joined the Virakesari daily newspaper as a sub-editor. Over the next five decades, she worked in various editorial roles, contributing significantly to the Tamil media landscape. Her roles included editing several important publications such as Jothy (1966–1969), Mithran Varamalar (1973–1984), and feature pages of Virakesari covering topics such as women’s issues and art and culture. She was also the editor of Mangayarkesari, a women’s weekly tabloid, and Kalaikesari, an art and culture-focused tabloid weekly.

From 2010 to 2020, Rajadurai served as the editor of Kalaikesari, an international Tamil monthly magazine dedicated to promoting Tamil culture, heritage, and traditions. She also contributed to several major international events, including writing articles on her journalistic trips to the OPEC Media Conference in Manila (1982), the International Women’s Conference in Beijing (1995), and the World Tamil Conference in South India (2010).

Literary contributions 

Rajadurai’s literary contributions include seven books: A collection of short stories, short novels, poems, and reminiscences of her journalistic career, along with a collection of articles about prominent Tamil writers. Her writing, marked by its insight and depth, has made a lasting impact on the Tamil literary and journalistic community.

Her influence is not limited to print journalism. Rajadurai also made significant contributions to broadcast media, writing and producing rural women’s programmes for the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) in 1967–68 and 1977. Additionally, she participated in several other SLBC programmes and, from 1994 to 2000, contributed to the BBC’s “Sri Lankan Letter,” a monthly program. In 2021-22, she produced a weekly literary programme for Germany’s Tamil Aruvi Radio.

Throughout her distinguished career, Rajadurai has earned numerous awards and honors in recognition of her invaluable contributions to Tamil literature and journalism. Among these are the Tamil Mani Award (1992) from the Hindu Cultural Ministry and the Best Journalist Award (1993) from the Edmund Wickramasinghe Foundation, presented by then-President D.B. Wijetunga. Her contributions to Tamil media continue to be felt as she continues to shape and guide the industry.

A prolific writer, Rajadurai’s works include the short novel Vizhischudar, the novel Ullathin Kathavugal, the short story collection Neruppu Velichcham, and the poetry collection Irupakkangal. Her memoir Ninaivu PeruveLi offers a personal reflection on her rich and varied career, while her critical writings on Tamil literature have been widely appreciated.

Fitting tribute 

Rajadurai’s recognition with the Sahithya Ratna Award is a fitting tribute to her exceptional career, which has spanned over 50 years. She remains a pillar of the Tamil media and literary community, admired for her leadership, dedication, and tireless contributions to the cultural and journalistic landscape of Sri Lanka.