Ms. Sivasankari

Ms. Sivasankari
Writer & Activist

An awareness on social issues; a special sensitivity to social problems; a commitment to set people thinking - these are the unique characteristics of the writer Sivasankari. Hers has been a career devoted to touching the hearts of people through in-depth research.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Having carved a niche for herself in the Tamil literary world during the last four decades, her works include more than 36 novels, 48 short novels, 150 short stories, 15 travelogues, 7 collections of articles, 13 collections of short stories, one talking book, 3 volumes of literary research book, 2 volumes of anthologies, and 2 biographies - of Smt. Indira Gandhi, the late Prime Minister, and of Sri. G.D. Naidu, a pioneer in many fields.
Her novels on Drug Abuse, Alcoholism and Old Age Problem, written after many years of research and authentic spadework, have been serialised in National and Regional television networks with tremendous public response, and SUBAH - the serial on drug menace - was adjudged as one of the mega hits of 1987.
Her stories and articles published in prominent Tamil periodicals have been translated into English and other Indian languages. AVAN - the novel on drug addiction - has been translated into Ukrainian.
Her article on Eye Donation made a deep impact on the readers resulting in thousands of people pledging their eyes for donation after death. Articles on the physically and mentally challenged, and the old aged, have awakened social awareness among readers and grateful acknowledgements are received in public forums from experts and welfare organizations.
Six of her novels have been filmed in Tamil receiving popular public acclaim for their integrity and social commitment. One story has been filmed in Kannada and one in Telugu languages.
Sivasankari has been reporting on significant events and has also presented several in-depth interviews with dignitaries from various walks of life, including the Prime Ministers late Smt. Indira Gandhi and Sri. Rajiv Gandhi, and the Nobel Laureate Mother Teresa.
She is the first writer to have narrated her story through video and audiotapes. She has presented constructive and thought-motivating programs for television, and has also anchored the most popular Talk Show NETRU, INDRU, NAALAI on varied topics of social relevance, in the satellite channel SUN TV.
Sivasankari has accompanied the Prime Minister late Sri. Rajiv Gandhi on his CHOGM tours twice and has written two travelogues titled TRAVELS WITH RAJIV GANDHI, and these were translated into Japanese and published as the first ever of its kind in Japan during May’95.
She was instrumental in setting up the RAJAJI CENTRE FOR DE-ADDICTION at the VHS Hospital, Taramani, Chennai.
She is presently working on a project titled KNIT INDIA THROUGH LITERATURE with a mission to meet and interview the stalwart writers of all the 18 Indian languages that are approved by the VIIIth Schedule of Indian constitution. These interviews accompanied by a creative work of the respective writer, are published along with her travelogues of the regions, as also an in-depth article by a scholar on the cultural and literary heritage of the various languages. The Tamil and English editions of the first volume the SOUTH, the second volume the EAST and the third volume the WEST of this project KNIT INDIA THROUGH LITERATURE have already been published.
AWARDS
As a Writer…
• The coveted KASTURI SRINIVASAN AWARD for PAALANGAL - a novel spanning three generations - as the outstanding Tamil novel published in 1983-84.
• The prestigious DR. RAJAH SIR ANNAMALAI CHETTIAR AWARD in 1988 for the book CHINNA NOOLKANDA NAMMAI SIRAIPPADUTHUVATHU? - a series of 52 non-fiction articles emphasizing on self-improvement, parts of which are often quoted by eminent personalities in their speeches and writings.
• BHARATIYA BASHA PARISHAD Award from a Calcutta based literary forum, for VERILLATHA MARANGAL novel - as the best Tamil novel published in 1989-90.
• TAMIL ANNAI AWARD from Tamil University, Thanjavur in January 1989.
• RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL INTEGRATION AWARD, jointly constituted by the Tamil magazine Idhayam Pesugirathu and Indian Bank for taking up the project KNIT INDIA THROUGH LITERATURE.
• The BEST CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE YEAR 1998 award from Tiruppur Tamil Sangam for the talking book AMMA SONNA KATHAIGAL (Stories retold by mother) - a book with six stories and an audio cassette wherein Sivasankari herself has narrated the stories, the first of its kind in Tamil.
• PREMCHAND RASTRIYA SAHITYA SAMMAN Award by Rastriya Hindi Academy, Calcutta, in October 2001.
As an Activist…
• FOR THE SAKE OF HONOUR AWARD by The Association of Book Printers & Sellers of South India, in December’87 - for the service rendered to society through writings.
• RAJIV VIRUDU - award given by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in September’88.
• FOR THE SAKE OF HONOUR AWARD from Rotary Club of Madras in 1989.
• MELVIN JONES AWARD - the highest International award given by the Lions International Organization in July 1990.
• The STREE RATNA AWARD by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai Kendra & Director K.Subrahmanyam Memorial Trust on 8.3.98, the International Women’s Day.
• MANUSHREE - a national award by Athimabbe Foundation, Bangalore in April 1998.
• BHARATI Award by Vanavil Cultural Centre, Chennai in December 2002.
• NAYAGI-2005 Award by the Inner Wheel Club of Thanjavur in March 2005.
• LIFE TIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD by Rotary Club of Chennai Kilpauk, R.I. Dt. 3230 in March 2006.
• The ASTITVA Award by Zee TV & Archana Trust Suburban, Mumbai, in August’06 - for Excellence as an Author 2006.
HONOURS
• Honoured by The Madras & Coromandel Jaycees as an OUTSTANDING YOUNG PERSON in the field of Journalism for the year 1976.
• Visited U.S.A. under International Writing Program (IWP) and International Visiting Program (IVP) in 1986.
• Honoured by BHARAT ELECTRONICS in 1991.

• Honoured by TELUGU ARTS ACADEMY in 1991.
• Honoured as one of the fifty women who have influenced the evolution of independent India under the title WOMEN WHO’VE MADE INDIA by the magazine Femina in 1997, the Golden Jubilee year of Indian Independence.
• Honoured as SINTHANAI SELVI by All Women’s Organizations of Trichy in March 1998.
• First Tamil writer to be honoured with the prestigious HONORARY CITIZEN award by Dr. Jerry Kuhaida, the Hon. Mayor of the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. in July 1999.
• Honoured as the WOMAN OF 1999-2000 by the International Women’s Association in March 2000.
• Honoured as one of the four writers whose works were recorded in their own voices for the Archives of U.S. Library of Congress to mark the Bicentennial Celebration of the Library in August 2000.
• Honoured with The ROLL OF HONOUR in October 2000 by The Mylapore Academy, for Creative Awareness to Social Issues Through Stories in TV serials for the year 1999.
• Honoured by the All India Radio (AIR) by recording her interview in Tamil on her life & times for their Archival programme in January 2003.
ACADEMIC RECONGNITION
• Madurai Kamaraj University conducted a two-day seminar with 8 Professors of five participating Universities, exclusively on Sivasankari’s works.
• More than eighty University research scholars have so far engaged in research of her works for M.Phil and Ph.D. programs in literature.
• Designated Board Member of the Central Film Censor Board for three years till 1998.
• Founder/Managing Trustee of AGNI (Awakened Group for National Integration) a citizen’s movement, which believes in betterment of society through individual awakening.
• Former Member in the National High Level Committee for Awareness on Drug Abuse.
• Former member of the Senate of Bharathidasan University - Trichy, Avinashilingam College of Home Science - Coimbatore, and Gandhigram Rural University - Gandhigram.
• Member of the Delegation that participated in the International Women’s Meet at Moscow.
• Former member of the Advisory Committee of AIR.
• Former member of the Advisory Board of the Central SAHITYA AKADEMI.
EDUCATIONAL & CULTURAL BACKGROUND
• Bachelor of Science (Zoology) - First Rank in college and 9th in the University.
• Former exponent of Bharatanatyam, the Indian classical dance, giving concerts in India & abroad.
• Well trained in South Indian Classical music.
As a young girl, I had often heard my mother narrate this little tale:
Once upon a time there was a kind - hearted girl who lived in a small village. The girl was a poor orphan, but she always wanted to help people around her. While saying her prayers one night, she wished for a money-bearing tree that would allow her to help a lot more people. When she woke up the next morning, she found a huge tree near her little hut. Instead of fruits, the tree bore gold coins. Passers by wondered who had sown the seed from which the tree had sprouted. The girl had no answer to the question, but she continued to pluck the coins and distribute them to people around. As a result, poverty was removed from her land.
Thinking back on this story, I feel that the latter half of it in particular describes my own situation quite accurately.
I do not know who sowed in me the seed that has today grown into the 'Knit India through Literature' project. But, blessed with the right type of soil, water and fertiliser, the seed has grown into a huge tree that abounds with fragrant flowers and luscious fruit. Yet, I do not want to enjoy them all by myself; but I would rather share this bounty with my countrymen.
Four novels - two on DRUG ABUDE, another on ALCOHOLISM and the other on OLD AGE PROBLEM, written after many years of research and authentic spadework, have been serialised in National and Regional television networks with tremendous public response, and the first one SUBAH was adjudged as one of the mega hits of 1987.
Stories and articles published in prominent Tamil periodicals have been translated into English and other Indian languages. AVAN - the novel on drugs has been translated into Ukrainian and has been brought in book form.
An article on Eye Donation made a deep impact on the readers resulting in thousands of people pledging their eyes for donation after death. Articles on the physically handicapped, the old aged and the mentally retarded have awakened social awareness among readers and grateful acknowledgements were received in public forums from experts and welfare organisations.

HONOURS
• Outstanding awards from magazines like ANANDA VIKATAN, KALKI, AMUDASURABHI and literary forums like ILAKKIYA CHINTANAI for many short stories.
• The coveted KASTURI SRINIVASAN AWARD for PAALANGAL - a novel on three generations as the outstanding Tamil novel published in 1983-84.
• In September '88 the prestigious DR. RAJAH SIR ANNAMALAI CHETTIAR AWARD for the outstanding book CHINNA NOOLKANDA NAMMAI SIRAIPPADUTHUVATHU? - a series of 52 non-fiction articles emphasizing on self-improvement, parts of which are often quoted by eminent personalities in their speeches and writings.
• BHARATIYA BASHA PARISHAD, a Calcutta based literary forum, selected VERILLATHA MARANGAL novel as the best Tamil novel published in 1989-90.
• The MADRAS & COROMANDEL JAYCEES selected her as an outstanding young person in the field of Journalism for the year 1976.
• Visited U.S.A. under International Writing Program (IWP) and International Visiting Program (IVP) in 1986.
• The Association of Book Printers & Sellers of South India, gave the FOR THE SAKE OF HONOUR AWARD in December '87 for the service rendered to society through writings.
• RAJIV VIRUDU - an award given by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee in September '88 for the service to society through writings.
• FOR THE SAKE OF HONOUR AWARD from Rotary Club of Madras in 1989.
• TAMIL ANNAI AWARD from Tamil University, Thanjavur in January 1989.
• MELVIN JONES AWARD - the highest International award given by the Lions Internatinal Organization in July 1990.
• RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL INTEGRATION AWARD, jointly constituted by the Tamil magazine IDHAYAM PESUGIRATHU and INDIAN BANK for taking up the project KNIT INDIA THROUGH LITERATURE.
• Honoured by BHARAT ELECTONICS and received award from TELUGU ARTS ACADEMY, in 1991 for serving the community through thought-provoking writings.
• Honoured as one of the fifty women who have influenced the evolution of independent India under the title Women who've made India by the magazine FEMINA on August 15, 1997.
• Her talking book AMMA SONNA KATHAIGAL (Stories retold by mother), a book with six stories and an audio cassette wherein she herself has narrated the stories, the first of its kind in Tamil, won the BEST CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 1998 award from the TIRUPPUR TAMIL SANGAM.
• Honoured as SINTHANAI SELVI by All Women's Organizations of Trichy in March 1998.
• The SREE RATNA AWARD by BHARATIYA VIDYA BHAVAN, Chennai Kendra & DIRECTOR K. SUBRAHMANYAM MEMORIAL TRUST on 8.3.98, the International Women's Day.
• The national MANSHREE award by ATHIMABBE FOUNDATION, Bangalore in April 1998.
• First Tamil writer to be honored with the prestigious HONORARY CITIZEN award by Dr. Jerry Kuhaida, the Hon. Mayor of the City of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.A. in July 1999.
• Honoured as the Women of 1999-2000 by the International Women's Association in March 2000.
• Selected as one of the four writers whose works were recorded in her own voice for the Archives of U.S.
Library of Congress to mark the Bicentennial Celebration of the Library in August 2000.
• The ROLL OF HONOUR in October 2000 by The Mylapore Academy, for Creative Awareness to Social Issues Through Stories in TV serials for the year 1999.