A Tamil teacher from Tiruvannamalai has been awarded with the Sahitya Akademi Award for translation of the Malayalam novel Nilam Poothu Malarnna Naal ( the day the land bloomed and blossomed) into Tamil. K.V. Jeyasri won the award which includes a cash prize of Rs 50,000/, and a copper plaque. The Malayalam novel was written by Manoj Kuroor. This is the 12th translated work of Jeyasri.
Though she never translated books with an objective of getting awards, she deemed the award as a recognition of her work. She translates books which capture her passion. She imbibed the reading habit from her mother who immersed herself in books after the death of her husband. She credits her mother for teaching her Malayalam. The book Nilam Poothu Malarnna Naal is about the seven philanthropist Tamil chieftains and explores the culture of Tamil Nadu, wars among kings and the lives of singers and poets during the Sangam period.
