I was deeply honored and humbled to receive the 2025 Ancient Tamil Literature Promotion Award from the Honorable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Mr. M. K. Stalin at the Chennai International Book Fair earlier this year.
The award citation reads, “In recognition of exceptional dedication to translating the classical Tamil text, “Tirukkural,” into English, thereby fostering global appreciation of ancient Tamil literary heritage. Your meticulous translation bridges cultural and linguistic divides, preserving and promoting the philosophical and poetic essence of the Tirukkural for future generations and contributing to cross-cultural understanding.”
At the awards ceremony, I made a short speech that has been making the rounds on social media. It’s primarily in Tamil, but includes enough English to make sense of the verse from the Kural that I sing in both languages toward the end.
If you’re curious, you can take a peek here:
My enduring gratitude to Tamil Professor Dr. K. V. Ramakoti and all of the friends and adoptive family who have been and continue to be my teachers, in language and in life.