Tamil Nadu Timeline

LiteratureMadras State (Congress era)

First Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil

· Chennai

R. P. Sethu Pillai received the first Sahitya Akademi Award for Tamil for his essay collection Tamil Inbam.

The Sahitya Akademi Award was first given in 1955, in twelve languages including Tamil. The first Tamil recipient was R. P. Sethu Pillai, honoured for his collection of essays Tamil Inbam. The award became the main national recognition for Tamil writers. Later posthumous Tamil recipients included Kalki Krishnamurthy (1956) and Bharathidasan (1969).

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