Thiripurasundari Srinivasan (21 March 1921 – 7 January 1987), better known by her

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Lakshmi, was an Indian writer from

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil languag ...

Biography

Thiripurasundari was born in Thottiyam in ,Tamil Nadu. Her parents were Dr. Srinivasan and Pattammal (Sivakami). She was schooled at

Thottiyam Thottiyam is a panchayat town in Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Tamil Nadu. Thamilselvi Thirugnanam is the current President of Thottiyam. It is situated 60 km north-west of Tiruchirapalli on ...

Musiri Musiri is a municipality in the Tiruchirappalli district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It has an average elevation of 82 metres (269 feet). Etymology The original name of this town was "Musukundapuri", named after a Chola ...

and Holy Cross School,

Trichy Tiruchirappalli () ( formerly Trichinopoly in English), also called Tiruchi or Trichy, is a major tier II city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Tiruchirappalli district. The city is credited with bei ...

. She studied in

Stanley Medical College Stanley Medical College (SMC) is a government medical college with hospitals located in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Though the original hospital is more than 200 years old, the medical college was formally established on 2 July 1938. The medic ...

and became a medical doctor. She began publishing short stories in ''

Ananda Vikatan ''Ananda Vikatan'' is a Tamil-language weekly magazine published from Chennai, India. History and profile ''Ananda Vikatan'' was started by Late Pudhoor Vaidyanadhaiyar in February 1926 as a monthly publication. The issue for December 1927 ...

'' while still at college. She used "Lakshmi" as her pen name. Her first short story to be published was ''Thagunda thandanaya?'' (lit. An apt punishment?). Her first novel to be published was ''Bhavani''. After completing her medical education, she practiced at

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of ...

. She married Kannabiran in 1955 and moved to

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, where she lived for the next twenty two years. Her husband died in 1966. She returned to India in 1977 and took up full-time writing. She died in 1987. Thiripurasundari was a prolific writer who has published hundreds of short stories and novels. Her novels ''Penn manam'' and ''Mithila Vilas'' were awarded the ''Tamil Valarchi Kazhagam'' price. In 1984, she was awarded the

Sahitya Akademi Award The Sahitya Akademi Award is a literary honour in India, which the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, annually confers on writers of the most outstanding books of literary merit published in any of the 22 languages of the ...

for

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nati ...

for her novel ''Oru Kaveriyai pola''(lit. Like the river

Kaveri The Kaveri (also known as Cauvery, the anglicized name) is one of the major Indian rivers flowing through the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The Kaveri river rises at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri range in the Western Ghats, Kodagu di ...

).Tamil Sahitya Akademi Awards 1955-2007

Sahitya Akademi The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...

Official website. Her ''Kanchanaiyin Kanavu'' and ''Penn Manam'' and sooryakandham, one of her best works were made into

Tamil films Tamil cinema, also known as Kollywood is a part of Indian Cinema; primarily engaged in production of motion pictures in the Tamil language. Based out of the Kodambakkam neighbourhood in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, it is popularly called ''Kollywood ...

- ''Kanchana''(1952) and ''Iruvar Ullam'' (1963). Most of her works were based on family issues. In 2009, when the

Government of Tamil Nadu Government of Tamil Nadu is the subnational government for the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at Fort St George, Chennai. The legislature of Tamil Nadu was bicameral until 1986, when it was replaced by a unicameral legislature, lik ...

offered to nationalise her works, her legal heirs refused the offer.

Partial bibliography

*Azhagin Aradhanai *Aval Thayagiral *Asoka maram pookavillai *Adutha Veedu *Arakku Maaligai *Adhisiya Raagam *Aththai *Avalukkendru oru idam *Aval oru Thendral *Irandavadu malar *Ivala en magal *Irandu pengal *Irandavadu thenilavu *Iniya unarvae ennai kolladhae *Irulil tholaindha unmai *Indrum naalayum *Ivanum oru parasuraman *Uravugal pirivathillai *Uyarvu *Uravin kural *Uyire odivaa *Ooonrukol *En veedu *En manaivi *Oru Kaveriyai pola *Oru Sivappu pachayagiradhu *Kadaisi varai *Gangaiyum Vandhal *Kadhavu Thirandaal *Kadhasiriyaiyin kadhai *Kazhuthil vizhundha maalai *Kanavan amaivedhallam *Kashmi kathi *Kaaliyin kangal *Kooramal sanniyasam *Koondukullae oru pachchai kili *Kai maariya podhu *Kodai megangal *Sasiyin kadidhangal *Thirumbi paarthal *Thunai *Thai pirakattum *Thottathu veedu *Nadhi moolam *Nalladhor veenai *Nayakkar magal *Nirka Neramillai *Nyayangal marumpodhu *Nigazhdha kadhaigal *Neela pudavai *Needhikku kaigal neelam *Pannayar magal *Pavalamalli *Bhavani *Punidha oru pudhir *Pudhai manal *Peyar solla maatten *Penn manam *Pennin parisu *Maragadham *Manam oru ranga rattinam *Mann kudhirai *Mannum pennum *Maru magal *Marupadiyuma? *Mayamaan *Meendum vasandham *Meendum oru seethai *Meendum pirandhaalin *Meendum penn manam *Mithilaa vilaas *Mohini vanthaal *Murugan sirithaan *Mogathirai *Radhaavin thirumanam *Rama Rajyam *Roja vairam *Vanitha *Vasanthikku vandha aasai *Vadakke oru sandhippu *Vaazha ninaithaal *Veerathevan kottai *Velicham vandhadhu *Jeyanthi Vandhaal *Srimathi maithili *Vellai nirathiloru poonai *My name is T.G.Karthik

Awards and recognitions

*''Tamil Valarchi Kazhagam'' award for ''Penn manam'' and ''Mithila Vilas'' *Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil in 1984

References

External links

Lakshmi Profile at Koottanchoru blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiripurasundari, Lakshmi 1921 births 1987 deaths Women writers from Tamil Nadu Recipients of the Sahitya Akademi Award in Tamil Tamil writers Indian Tamil people 20th-century Indian women writers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Indian short story writers 20th-century Indian novelists Indian women short story writers Indian women novelists Screenwriters from Tamil Nadu Tamil-language writers 20th-century Indian screenwriters