Azhagunila

Azhagunila (b. 1974) is a Singapore Literature Prize-winning writer. She has published works across various literary genres, including children's literature, short stories, poetry, and essays.

Born in the village of Sendangadu in India, Azhagunila graduated with a master's degree in engineering and worked in the field of mechanical engineering in Tamil Nadu. She migrated to Singapore in 2005. She participated in monthly meetings of local literary organizations, including Thangameen Arts and Literary Circle, the Association of Singapore Tamil Writers, and Vasagar Vattam (Readers’ Circle), where she engaged in reading, criticism, and creative writing. Inspired by the writer Jeyamohan, her works have appeared in local publications such as the daily Tamil Murasu, the monthly The Serangoon Times, and various online magazines. Her first short story collection, Aaranju (Orange), was published in 2015. She later published essay collections such as Sirukattuchunai (Forest Spring, 2018) and an e-book collection of poems titled Thotra Kavidhaigal (Failed Poems, 2022).

To contribute to the growth of local children's literature, Azhagunila has authored books such as Kondamma Kendama (2016), which was selected and published under the Singapore Book Council’s Beyond Words project. In 2024, she published a collection of children's songs in animated form, with financial support from the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. She also volunteers with the National Library Board, conducting children's storytelling and short story workshops to cultivate an interest in reading and writing among young students. In 2022, Azhagunila became the first Tamil writer from Singapore to be selected for the Sangam House Residency, an initiative by the National Arts Council aimed at nurturing creative writing.

Azhagunila won the Singapore Literature Prize in the Creative Nonfiction category in 2022 for her book Mozhivazhi Kanavu (Dream Through Language, 2021) and again in 2024 for Appan (Father, 2023), which she wrote while participating in the Residency.



For more information
“Season 15 (2022-2023).” Sangam House. Accessed on 1 August 2025. https://www.sangamhouse.org/season-15/#

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