Veteran Tamil poet Gnanakoothan has passed away last night in Chennai due to a prolonged illness. He is survived by wife and two sons.

Born as Ranganathan in 1938, he has been writing Tamil poems since 1968 with his pen name Gnanakootha. He is hailed as the face of Tamil modern poetry. He is one of the highly respected literary figures in Tamil Nadu. His prominent collection of poems include 'Andru Veru Kizhamai', 'Meendum Avargal' and 'Sooruianukku Pin Pakkam' among others. He has also been an Editorial member of many literary magazines such as 'Zha', 'Kasadathabara' and 'Gavanam'

Gnanakoothan's most admirable trait as a poet is his knack to convey conveying angst, dejection and anger through satire in his poems. He has won the Saral Award for poetry in 2010 and the Vishnupuram Award instituted by noted writer and literary critic Jeyamohan in 2014, for his contributions to the field of literature.

Gnanakoothan like many other prominent literary figures, has been brought to Tamil films by Ulaganayagan Kamal Haasan. He is one of the three writers, apart from Sujatha and Puviyarasu involved in the script-writing process along with Kamal for his dream project 'Marudhanayagam' which has been shelved due to financial problems.

IndiaGlitz prays for the departed sole to rest in peace and our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members and Tamil literature fraternity.