Thamizhachi Thangapandian: The DMK ‘Poet’ Candidate From South Chennai (image- facebook/Thamizhachi Thangapandian)
Thamizhachi Thangapandian who is also known as Sumathy is a well-known Tamil poet, lyricist, orator, politician and writer. MK Stalin’s DMK has fielded the Tamil poet as its candidate from the South Chennai constituency.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, she was elected from the same constituency on DMK ticket. Before being active in politics, she was an English lecturer in the Queen Mary’s college.
After all these years, Sumathy is still the girl with double-braided hair who played happily in her village. For the old ladies, she is Teacher Ponnu while for young children in the village, their ‘Chinna Athai’.
But for the political party leaders in Chennai, she is the rising leader having excellent rapport and sync with the people at the grass roots of the society. She is a well-known orator as people travel miles in hordes to hear attentively. The word ‘multi-faceted’ is not enough to describe Thamizhachi Thangapandian’.
Sumathy hails from the village of Mallanginaru in Viruthunagar district. She has completed her B.A from Meenakshi College, Madurai and M.A from Thiyagarajar College, Madurai. And was brought up with a deep sense of love of the Tamil language and has mastered her oratorical skills in Tamil at a very young age. Sumathy despite her love for Tamil language, opted to study English literature for her M.Phil.
She then started teaching at Valliammal College, Chennai, and later at Namakkal PGP Arts College. From 1996 to 2009, she worked as English Lecturer (Senior Grade) at Queen Mary’s college, Chennai.
Thamizhachi started using her literary talents to portray in detail the life of the women amidst the heat, aridness and the scanty rainfall in the villages. Her Tamil poems / articles have been published as various books. Over the years, awards flowed in recognition of her literary and artistic talents from all corners – “Sirpi Literary Prize”, “Mahakavi Bharathiar Award”, “Kalaignar Thirunal Virudhu”, “Young Achiever Trophy in Theatre” and the prestigious “Pavendhar Bharathidasan Virudhu” from Tamil Nadu State Government in 2009.
