Vatsala is a Tamil poet and fiction writer who started writing at the age of forty-eight. She retired as Systems Engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras in 1999.
She has a book of poems entitled Suyam (Sneha, 2000) and an award-winning novel Vattathul (Uyirmai, 2006). Vattathul has been translated into English by the author and K.Srilata and is forthcoming from Writers Workshop under the title Once There was a Girl. The Tamil original won the Tiruppur Tamil Sangam award for the best novel in 2008.
Vatsala’s poems, short stories, and articles are known for their feminist perspective and have appeared in Subha Mangala, Kanaizhayi and Pudiya Parvai.
Her short stories have won the Illakia Chintanai award, the Agni-Subhamangala award and the Rajeswari Balasubramaniam award.
Vatsala’s poems have been widely translated into English and were featured in The Rapids of a Great River: The Penguin Book of Tamil Poetry (Viking/Penguin, 2009) as well as in Interior Decoration: Poems by 54 Women From 10 Languages (Women Unlimited, 2010).
► Vatsala's Origami micro-chapbooks are available for printing by clicking on the titles below. - We are grateful to the author for permission to share her work with us.
Origami Micro-chapbook |
Selected Poem(s) |
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Rope (Kayaru)
Translated by K. Srilata and Subashree Krishnaswamy
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| Acknowledgments: |
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All poems are from the collection
Suyam, Chennai: Sneha, 2000.
Wherever translations have appeared in print, details are given.
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(Naan yen kavignar aga villai?)
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| Acknowledgments: |
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All poems are from the collection
Translations in this micro-chapbook by K. Srilata and Subashree Krishnaswamy
"Suyam" Chennai: Sneha, 2000.
Wherever translations have appeared in print, details are given.
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