Left pays tribute to Poomani, writer and pillar of progressive movement

CHENNAI: CPM state secretary P Shanmugam and CPI state secretary M Veerapandian on Monday condoled the death of Sahitya Akademi award-winning Tamil writer Poomani, describing his passing as an irreparable loss to Tamil literature and the progressive literary movement.

A retired Deputy Registrar in the Cooperative Department, Poomani was known for portraying the lives of people in the Karisal region, particularly Dalits. His novel Agnyaadi won the Sahitya Akademi Award, while his works also inspired the films Karuvelam Pookkal and Asuran.

Shanmugam said Poomani's writings had secured a permanent place in Tamil literature through their powerful portrayal of the lives of people in the Karisal region, especially Dalits. He said the writer embraced Marxism as his worldview and that his opposition to caste oppression and deep concern for working people were hallmarks of his literary contributions. He described Poomani's death as an irreparable loss to Tamil literature and the progressive movement and conveyed the CPM's condolences to his family and literary admirers.

Veerapandian said Poomani was one of Tamil Nadu's foremost writers whose works such as Varappu, Vaikkal and Agnyaadi portrayed rural family life with remarkable realism. He recalled that Poomani maintained a close association with the Tamil Nadu Kalai Ilakkiya Perumandram and that his literary works were adapted into the films Karuvelam Pookkal and Asuran. Describing his death as a major loss to Tamil literature, Veerapandian conveyed the CPI's condolences to his family.