Hemalatha Varadarajan

Hemalatha Varadarajan, also known as Hema (b. 1977), is a Tamil writer and recipient of the Singapore Literature Prize. She has published works in various literary genres, including short stories, essays, and poetry.

Born in India, Hema completed her engineering degree course in India before moving to Singapore in 2006. She participated in discussions and activities of Tamil literary organisations, including the Association of Singapore Tamil Writers. Her interests later turned to Singapore’s history, and she has since published several creative non-fiction works on the subject, including her debut title Vaazhaimara Nottu (‘banana tree currency’, a reference to Japanese currency in Singapore) (2019) and Aadhi Nilathu Manidhargal (‘people of the original land’) (2024). She also released an anthology of short stories in 2023.

Her writing has received multiple accolades, including the Golden Point Award and the National Poetry Competition Prize. Her works have appeared in both print and online platforms, such as The Serangoon Times, Tamil Murasu, Kanali (India), and Vallinam (Malaysia).

Vaazhaimara Nottu, which chronicled life under the Japanese occupation of Singapore, was awarded the Singapore Literature Prize in 2020.



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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.