CHENNAI: Writers who write with a zeal for social commitment are rare and prolific writer Sivasankari, honoured with ‘Saraswati Samman’ award, fits the bill, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday.

Words, whether in the form of writing or speech, are a powerful medium of expression that impacts life bringing about positive change, she said.

Though there are writers who incite people or spread hatred, Sivasankari is a writer who has penned for a social cause, the Union minister added.

As a shrewd writer, she has the ability to see all aspects of life and hence her depiction in her novels and biographies was realistic, the Finance Minister said lauding the novelist.

Hers was a faithful depiction and true-to-life representation, Sivasankari said. “There’s no exaggeration or lies in my work. My characters are faithful representation,” the 80-year-old writer, who has written 36 novels, 48 novellas, and 150 short stories besides 15 travelogues, said in her acceptance speech.

Her literary contribution in a career spanning half a century is widely recognised. Some of her works have been translated into several Indian languages like English, Japanese, and Ukrainian. Her greatest contribution to Indian literature is her four-volume “Knit India Through Literature” featuring the perspectives of literary giants in 18 languages.

The Chennai-based writer, also a former exponent of Bharatanatyam, is the recipient of the prestigious ‘Saraswati Samman’ award for 2022 for her 2019 memoir ‘Surya Vamsam’.

This KK Birla Foundation award comes with a purse of Rs 15 lakh, a plaque, and a citation.