NEWS: Noted Tamil poet and lyricist R. Vairamuthu has been conferred the 60th Jnanpitha Award for the year 2025.

ABOUT R. VAIRAMUTHU

• Third Tamil literary figure to receive the Jnanpith Award, after Akilan and Jayakanthan.
• Ended a 24-year gap for Tamil literature in receiving the award.
• Recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award (2003) for Kallikattu Ithikasam.

ABOUT THE JNANPITH AWARD

• Instituted: 1961 by Bharatiya Jnanpith.
• First Award Presented: 1965 to G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam).
• Highest literary honour in India, recognizing lifetime contribution to literature.
• Established by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain and Rama Jain through Bharatiya Jnanpith.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

• Awarded annually to an Indian author for outstanding contribution to literature.
• Since 1982, conferred for lifetime contribution (earlier, for a specific literary work).
• Covers all 22 Eighth Schedule languages and English (included from 2013).
• No posthumous awards are given.

AWARD COMPONENTS

• Cash Prize: ₹11 lakh
• Bronze statuette of Vagdevi (Saraswati).
• Usually presented by the President of India.