Noted Tamil writer Asokamithran passes away

Born in Secunderabad, Ashokamitran spent the first 20 years of his life there. His real name was Thyagarajan. He moved to Chennai in 1952 after the death of his father. He worked for more than a decade at the Gemini Studios. 

His experiences here and his interaction with people from the Tamil filmdom later took the form of his book “My Years with Boss”. It was from 1966 that he became a full-time writer and he took up the pseudonym of “Ashokamitran”. 

Some of his works were translated into European languages and most Indian languages as well. His short story collection, Appavin Sinagithargal, won him Sahitya award in 1996. His novel Thanneer and Ottran were well received. He also won the MGR award in 2007. 

He has written 200 novels and short stories and 15 essays. Simplicity in writing was his hallmark and it struck the right chord with his readers.