The Tamil Literary Garden, is a Canadian literary organization and charity founded in 2001. The focus of this organization is on supporting translations of Tamil literature, sponsoring lecture series, commissioning publications, launching books and recognizing annually significant achievements in Tamil in a number of genres and fields.
Over a span of a few years, the activities grew to include a number of awards, such as the best work of fiction, non-fiction and poetry for the year. Translation award and Information technology in Tamil award were added on subsequently. A scholarship for a student essay submitted in English by an undergraduate or graduate student in Ontario was also introduced. In order to make the process both rigorous and transparent, a number of advisors and an international panel of judges were included.
On 3 March 2010, the Tamil Literary Garden was accepted as a charitable organization. Currently 22 volunteers take part in its activities on a regular basis assisted by the board members and none receives any financial compensations. The financial statements are being audited by a firm of Chartered Accountants.
Its founding members include Chelva Kanaganayakam, Appadurai Muttulingam, Kandiah Mahalingam, Selvam Arulanandam, and Sivakumaran Subramaniyam.
Awards
Iyal award
Iyal award is a Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to a writer, scholar, critic or editor, who, over a period of time, has made a very significant contribution to the growth or study of Tamil literature. Every year, the Tamil Literary Garden sends out a call for nominations internationally.
The nominations are reviewed by an international panel of judges who determine the winner for the year. The recipient is invited to the annual awards ceremony in Toronto where he or she is given the award that includes a cash prize of C$2,500. The Lifetime Achievement Award in Tamil is the only one of its kind anywhere in the world and is similar to other prestigious awards given in Canada, USA and U.K. It is open to all, regardless of nationality, race, ethnicity, religion, or gender.
From 2026, it has been renamed as A. Muttulingam Iyal Viruthu’ Lifetime Achievement Award
Year Winner Profession Country2001 Sundara Ramaswami Writer India2002 K.Ganesh Writer Sri Lanka2003 Venkat Swaminathan Writer/ Critic India2004 Pathmanaba Iyer Writer/ Publisher U.K2005 George L. Hart Professor of Tamil, University of California, Berkeley U.S.A2006 A.C.Tarcisius Playwright/ Director U.K2007 Lakshmi Holmstrom Writer/ Translator U.K2008 Ambai (C.S.Lakshmi) Writer India2009 Kovai Gnani Writer India2009 Iravatham Mahadevan Research Scholar India2010 S.PonnuthuraiWriter Australia2011 S.Ramakrishnan Writer India2012 Nanjil Nadan Writer India2013 S.Theodore BaskaranWriterIndia2013 Dominic JeevaWriter Sri Lanka2014 Jeyamohan Writer India2015 R.Mayooranathan Architect Sri Lanka2016 N.Sukumaran Writer/Poet India2017 Kalyana Sundaram Sivasankaran (Vannadasan) Writer/Poet India2018 V. Annamalai(Imayam) Writer India2019 Su. Venkatesan Writer India2021 Dr. A. R. Venkatachalapathy Researcher and write India2022 Paavannan Writer India2022 Letchumanan Murugapoopathy Writer Sri Lanka2023 R. Balakrishnan Writer India2024 Satchithananthan Sugirtharajah Writer England2024 Yuvan Chandrasekar Writer 2025 Trotsky Marudu Writer India
Fiction Award
Year Winner Book2005 So. Tharman Kookai2006 Joe D Cruz Aazhi Soozh Ulagu2007 S.Ramakrishnan Yamam2008 Thamizhavan Vaaravil Oru Kadavul2009 Jeyamohan Kotravai2010 P.Karunakaramoorthy Pathungu Kuzhi2010 S.Venkatesan Kaaval Kottam2011 Yuvan Chandrasekar Payanak Kathai2012 Kanmani Gunasekaran Anjalai2013 Keeranur Jakir Raja Jinnavin Diary2013 Subramania Sritharan Sritharan Kathaikal2014 B.Devakanthan Kanavuchirai2015 Shoba Sakthi Kandy Veeran2016 Sayanthan Athirai2017 Tamilmagan Vengai Nangoorathin Jeen Kurippukal2018 Deebachelvan Nadukal2020 B.Kanmani Idabam 2021 P. A. Jayakaran Collection of Short Stories. ‘P. A. Jayakaran stories Canada2022 Velmurugan Elango Mannar pozhuthukaL India2023 A.M.Rashmy 'sattE periya kathaikalin puththakam' Sri Lanka2024 Ravi Arunachalam 'Bombay Cycle' Sri Lanka2025 Pa. Thirusenthalai 'neruppil vaLarpavai, noolvanam' India
Non-Fiction Award
Year Winner Book2005 Crea Ramakrishnan Tharkaalath Thamizakaraathi2006 A. Revathy Unarvum Uruvamum2007 Nanjil Nadan Nathiyin Pizhaiyandru Narumpunal Inmai2008 Dr.Murugar Gunasingam Ilangayil Thamizhar2009 Dr.N.Subramanian Eelathu Tamizh Novel Ilakkiyam2009 Aa.Sivasubramanian Ash Kolaiyum Inthiya Puradchi Iyakkamum2010 R.S.Sugirtharajah Panpaattu Porkanikal2010 S.Theodore Baskaran Innum Pirakkaatha Thalaimuraikkaaka2011 Perumal Murugan Ketta Varththai Pesuvom2012 Prapanchan Thazhap Parakkum Paraththayar Kodi2012 Appu Vanni Yuththam2013 M.Pushparajan Nambikkaikalukku Appaal2014 M.Nithiyananthan Kooliththamil2014 M.Jeyarani Jathiyarravalin Kural2015 Ashokamitran Kurukku Veddukal2016 Mysskin Onayum Aaddukkuddiyum2017 Professor E.Balasundaram Canadavil Ilangai Thamizarin Vaazvum Valamum2018 Umaji Kaakkaa koththiya kaayam2021 K. Chandru ‘Naanum Neethipathi Aanen’ India2022 Samraj ‘Moovanthiyil soolurum marmam’ India2023 P.Wikneswaran ‘ninaivu nallathu’ Canada2024 T. Pitchandi ‘enakkuL maNakkum MGR ninaivukaL’ India2025 Thooku Selvam ‘oru thUkkuk kaithiyin vaakumUlam, kizhakku pathippakam’ India2025 Sankara Saravanan ‘vaikaRai vAcakan pathivukaL, Vikatan Publications’ India
Poetry Award
Year Winner Book2006 Dr. U. Cheran Meendum Kadalukku2007 K.Vesudean Tholaivil2008 Leena Manimekalai Ulagin Azhagiya Muthal Pen2009 Sukumaaran Poomiyai Vaasikkum Sirumi2010 Thirumavalavan Irul Yaazhi2010 Manushya Puthiran Adheethathin Rusi2011 Devadhachan Irandu Sooriyan2011 Anar Enakkuk Kavithai Mukam2012 Theva Abira Irul Thinra Eelam2012 Nillanthan Yugapuraanam2013 Isai Sivaji Ganesanin Muththangal2014 Kathirbharathi Mesiyavukku Moonru Machangal2015 Kumaragurubaran Marupadiyum muthalil irunthu arampikka mudiyaathu2016 P.Sankara Rama Subramanian Ayiram Santhosha Ilaikal2017 Packiyanathan Ahilan Ammai2018 Bogan Shankar SiRiya eNkaL thoongkum aRai2020 S.Perundevi 2021 Aazhiyaal ‘NedumarangkaLaai Vaazthal’ Australia2022 Sukirtharani ‘Sukirtharani kavithaikaL’ India2023 Ilavalai Wijayendran ‘enthak kangkaiyil inthak kaikalaik kazhuvuvathu?’ Norway2024 Ravi Subramaniyan ‘atukitukkum thaniyan’ India2024 Riyaza M.Zawahir ‘nilankaLin vaasam’ Sri Lanka2025 Kaurnakaran Sivarasa ‘kANamalAkkappattOrukAka iraNdu ceyalikaL, vaiyam’ Sri Lanka
Translation Award
Year Translator Translation Title Original Title Author2011 G.Kuppuswamy En Peyar Sivappu My Name is Red Orhan Pamuk2012 M.A.Susila Asadan The Idiot Fyodor Dostoyevsky2012 Vaidehi Herbert 'Mullaippaattu' and 'Nedunalvaadai' 'Mullaippāṭṭu' and 'Neṭunalvāṭai' 2013 C.Mohan and Aniruddhan Vasudevan Onaai Kulachchinnam One Part Woman Perumal Murugan2014 Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai Madras Studios – Narrative Genre and Ideology in Tamil Cinema 2014 K.V.Shylaja Yaarukkum Vendaatha Kan 2015 N. Kalyan Raman (Tamil to English) Farewell, Mahatma 2015 Puviyarasu (English to Tamil) Mirthathin Puththakam 2016 Rishan Shareef (Sinhalese to Tamil) Iruthi Maniththiyalam 2016 Eveline Masilamani Meyer (Tamil to German) Bananenblatter und StraBenstaub 2017 D.I.Aravindanr (English to Tamil) Balasaraswathi: Her Life and Art 2018 Dr, R. Karthigesu (Tamil to English) Kadalukku appaal Beyond Sea P. Singaram 2018 Era Murugan (Malayaalam to Tamil) Peeranki PaadalkaL Lanthan paththEriyile luththiniyakaL N.S. Maathavan 2021 Dr. Martha Ann Selby. Professor Harvard Tamil Chair (Tamil to English) Cat in the Agraharam and other stories Kadavu Dilip Kumar 2023 Jegadeesh Kumar Kesavan A Journey Through Words sol vazhip payanam Bava Chelladurai 2024 Nedra Rodrigo (Tamil to English) Prison of Dreams (5 parts) kanavuch chiRai Devakanthan 2025 Geetha Sukumaran (Tamil to English) A Smile Drying On a Vine, Red River kodiyil kidanthu ularum punnakai pA. akilan
Information Technology in Tamil Award
Year Winner2006 Dr K.Srinivasan2007 Dr.K.Kalyanasundaram2008 Suratha Yarlvanan2009 Tamil Linux KDE Group2010 Muthu Nedumaaran2011 Vasu Renganathan2012 Mugunthraj Subramanian2013 Mani Manivannan2014 Muthiah Annamalai2015 S.Raja Raman (Neechalkaran)2016 T.Shrinivasan2017 Sasiharan Pathmanathan2018 Ramasamy Duraipandi
Foreign Language Award
Year Winner2017 Anuk Arudpragasam2020 Logathasan Tharmathurai The Sadness of Geography
Vision of India literature award
Year Winner2022 Sivasankari 'Ilakkiyamulam inthiya inaippu'
Special Recognition Awards
Apart from the yearly awards, Special Recognition Awards are given on ad-hoc basis for outstanding contributions to Tamil Literature. So far three such awards were given.
Dec 2006: A.J.Canagaratne, born in Jaffna, Sri Lanka is an intellect and his most important contribution to Tamil literature is literary criticism. He gave new direction to the growth of literature in Sri Lanka and elsewhere.
July 2010: Sascha Ebeling, Asst Professor, University of Chicago, U.S.A is a researcher in Tamil language and literature of all periods, in particular 19th century culture and Tamil epigraphy. His work on 19th century Tamil literature has won two awards.
July 2013: Mr. & Mrs. Aseervatham, This award is given for the commitment to Tamil and the sponsorship of Tamil Literary Garden.
July 2015: So. Pathmanathan and Brenda Beck
July 2016: Dr. David Shulman in honour of All Teachers of the World
July 2016: Ira Ilangkumaran
June 2017: Sivakumaran Subramaniam (Chezhian)
June 2017: T. Gnanasekaran in honour of All Teachers of the World
June 2017: Dr. Nicholapillai Marier Xavier
June 2018: Navin Manogaran
June 2018: S. Thiruchelvam
2020: P.J.Dilipkumar
2020: Veerakathy Suthershan
2022: V. N. Giritharan
2023: DR. Parvathy Kanthasamy
Scholarship Award
The scholarship award was established in 2008 in order to encourage and promote Tamil Studies in the diaspora, particularly among the second generation.
Year Winner Essay Title2008 Angela Britto Naan Poitu Varan: The Importance of Tamil Studies in a Diasporic Context2009 Kirubhalani Giruparajah Canadian Multiculturalism - A Tamil Perspective2010 Serothy Ramachandran Media and Politics in Tamil Studies2011 Ram Adrian The Private and the Public: A Canadian Tamil Perspective2012 Mira Ragunathan Building Bridges: Constructing a Tamil Community in Canada2013 Elina Toporos and Arundathy Nedra Rodrigo New Technologies: Refashioning a Tamil Identity2014 Vasugi Kailasam and Yugendra Ragunathan Renegotiating New Meanings of Self in Tamil Canadian Diasporaa2015 Renuka Murthi Innovative Forms of Tamil Expression Today2016 Sopika Sathiyaseelan You Have Already Set Yourself on Fire 2017 Shangari Vijenthira Social Media and the Making of Tamil Identities. 2018 Kalayani Rathakrishnan What symbolizes Tamilness for me?.2020 Sruthy Sriharan Essay ‘ Traditions that bring my family closer together.’
Award Function Video Highlights
2012 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2013 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2014 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2015 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2016 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2017 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2018 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2021 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2022 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2023 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
2024 Tamil Literary Garden Awards
Nominations
Nomination forms are available in the website. It can be applied for self or others before 31 October of every year.
See also Appadurai Muttulingam Jeyamohan S.Ramakrishnan
References
External links ValaiTamil.com - Tamil Largest Literary Garden The Tamil Literary Garden Tamil Literary Garden on Vimeo Tamil Literary Garden - YouTube channel Speech by Jeyamohan as Special Guest Article about Tamil Literary Garden in Toronto Star