From a DMK campaigner and fan of MGR to renowned littérateur

Sudalaimadan Koil Street in Tirunelveli occupies a distinctive place in the landscape of modern Tamil literature. The street has been home to several literary figures, including Sahitya Akademi Award winners Thi. Ka. Sivasankaran, popularly known as Thikasi, and Vannadasan. Thikasi also served as the editor of Thamarai, the Communist Party of India’s literary magazine launched by P. Jeevanandham. The street was also a vibrant hub of the DMK — a rare confluence of literature and grass-roots politics. And, it is also associated with Kalapriya, a modern poet who has been shortlisted for the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2025.

“There was no money. During elections, we would get a cup of fruit sherbet in return for our work. Even tea was scarce. I remember the day when DMK candidate A.L. Subramaniam met us with 25 crisp one-rupee currency notes in 1967. But we refused to accept them,” recalls  Kalapriya.