Poomani

Poomani (1947 – 12 July 2026) was an Indian writer and novelist. He wrote about the lives of ordinary people in the karisal bhoomi, the rain-fed black-soil tracts of southern Tamil Nadu. He was born Manickavasagamm; Poomani is a pen name he adopted early in his career. Poomani's short story "Thakanam" was translated into English by T Marx and published in the journal Indian Literature as "Cremation".

He directed the award-winning movie Karuvelam Pookkal (1996) for NFDC.

Poomani died after a prolonged illness in Chennai, on 13 June 2026, at the age of 79. Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay announced that he would be accorded State honours.

Awards 1996: Tamil Nadu State Film Award Special Prize for the film Karuvelam Pookkal (dir. Poomani) 2011: Vishnupuram Award for his contribution to literature 2012: Gitanjali Literary Prize for Agnaadi 2014: Sahitya Akademi Award for Agnaadi