Indian-origin writer wins South East Asia literary award

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Indian-origin writer Jamaludeen Mohamed Sali, whose books are read in universities, has been declared the winner of this year’s prestigious South East Asia Write Award, a media report said here on Saturday.

Mr. Sali, 76, who has been writing for over 50 years and has several literary awards to his credit, including Singapore’s prestigious Cultural Medallion and a number of them from Tamil Nadu, will receive the award on Monday.

Better known as J.M. Sali, the author has written 57 books, 80 plays and more than 400 short stories including Vellai Kodugal (White Lines) Alaigal Pesuginrana (The Sound of the Waves) that are now studied by Tamil literature students in Singapore and Indian universities.

“I do not consider the award as recognition for me, but for Singapore. I hope we can continue to give awards to literary talents and writers here, to encourage them to write in their mother tongue,” Mr. Sali told The Straits Times.

“I still get asked by the magazines there [in India] to write articles, so I will keep writing as long as they ask,” said Mr. Sali, who lives with his wife and a 28-year-old son here.

Born in Madras in 1939, Mr. Sali was invited to Singapore at the age of 25 to be an assistant editor at the Tamil Murasu newspaper by its founder, the late G. Sarangapani.