Kanmani Gunasekaran

Kanmani Gunasekaran (May 19, 1971) is a writer. He writes about the struggles and stories of the middle class. Accurate information and naturalistic character portrayals in his works are acclaimed in Tamil literature. He began writing poems and expanded his creative field by writing short stories and novels.

Birth, Youth

Kanmani Gunasekaran was born on May 19, 1971, in Manakkollai, Cuddalore district. He was the third son of Ayyathurai and Chinnammal. He studied in Irulakurichi till the fifth grade, and in Aladi Government School, Ulundurpet till the tenth grade. He later completed his vocational training at the Government Polytechnic College, Ulundurpet.

Personal Life

After completing his vocational education, he worked as an apprentice in the Senji Periyar branch of the Periyar Transport Corporation. Since 1999, he has been working in the Virudhachalam branch of the Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation. He also looks after his farms during his spare time.

Kanmani Gunasekaran's wife's name is Kasimani. He has three children: Tamilmathi, Arivumathi and Ilamathi.

Literary Contribution

Kanmani Gunasekaran initially wrote poems on love. Later, he started writing stories on the impact created by Tha. Pazhamalai’s works. His first collection of poems, Thalaimuraikopam was published in 1994 and received extensive appreciation extensively. Nadunaata Sollakradhi is a novel that deciphers ancient words at risk of extinction; the novel received an award from the Government of Tamil Nadu. The novel Anjalai portrays women and their exploiters through nuanced character arcs. The novels Nedunjalai, which focuses on the transport sector, and the novel Vandharangudi, which depicts the people whose livelihoods are affected by government development projects, are novels with nuanced characterisation— the novels were read extensively by the readers.

His novels include the myths and the Gods of the Cuddalore region. His novel Anjalai is used as a textbook at Kozhikode University.

Awards

• Neithal Award in memory of Sundararamasamy(2007).
• Nadunaata Sollakradhi won the best novel award from the Tamil Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu.