Renowned writer B Jeyamohan has launched a blistering attack on R Vairamuthu, the 2025 Jnanpith Award winner. Jeyamohan accused Vairamuthu of being a person who would go to any lengths, even "bowing at anyone's feet”, to secure awards. He stated that Vairamuthu should not merely be called a bad poet, but rather someone who is not a poet at all, describing him as the "contemporary face of shamelessness”.

Full text of Jeyamohan's note:

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“This is a note written by Tamil writer Vannanilavan regarding Vairamuthu winning the Jnanpith. Twenty years ago, Vairamuthu tracked down Vannanilavan’s house and arrived with a tray of fruits and gifts. ‘I heard you are on the Sahitya Akademi committee. I need your blessings,’ he had said with folded hands. When Vannanilavan informed him, ‘That’s not me, it’s another writer named Vallikkannan,’ Vairamuthu simply left with his tray.

That is Vairamuthu. He will do anything for awards. He will lick anyone’s boots. He was a friend of Karunanidhi; he translates Modi’s poems. He is close to the DMK and stays alongside the BJP. He has no hesitation and no shame.

Tamil critic D Dharmaraj wrote, ‘Everyone knows Vairamuthu has nothing to do with literature. We know he will do anything for an award. There is no point discussing that. But what we must think about is this: who are these jurors? How did they decide on this award? Why did they insult us like this?’ I feel ashamed to look Dharmaraj in the eye, knowing that one of those jurors is a Malayali.

Writers who have won the Sahitya Akademi Award are criticising this sharply. Young writers like Sunil Krishnan and Karthik Balasubramanian, who have won the Yuva Puraskar, are writing directly to the Jnanpith Committee.

Why is there such intense opposition? It’s not just that Vairamuthu is a poor poet; it’s that he isn't a poet at all. He is someone who stretches out contemporary news reports in whatever way he feels like writing. He is neither a poet nor a writer; he is merely someone who writes vulgar songs for cinema. But beyond that, he is the modern face of shamelessness. To any true writer, the name Vairamuthu brings only a sense of disgrace.

Furthermore, when the #MeToo movement emerged recently, Vairamuthu was the person most pointed out by young women. A foul predator. Even today, Tamil girls spit at the mention of his name.

This award is a gift given to him by the BJP and DMK together. Vairamuthu has been chasing this for 10 years. Now, with elections approaching, the BJP has handed this to him. Doesn't everyone know that the Jnanpith jurors are mere puppets?

In 1975, the Jnanpith was given to Akilan, a pulp fiction writer. Sundara Ramaswamy condemned it harshly back then. Since then, Tamil literature has stood humiliated among Indian languages. Even Akilan was better by comparison. How can modern literature flourish here under such circumstances? To this day, Tamil does not hold a remarkable place in Indian literary forums. That image was slowly changing through English translations, and that is when this insult occurred.

Through this award, the Jnanpith has insulted modern Tamil literature. They are announcing that we have no literature. Who are these people? Why should we bow before them? We have readers all over the world today. We are enraged. And so, we have decided: Here, we are creating the greatest literary prize in India. From this year, we announce the LIVING TAMIL AWARD FOR WORLD LITERATURE. A prize of Rs 1 Crore for the best literary contribution in world languages.”