Nirmala Lakshman's 'The Tamils' wins Best International Non-Fiction

9 November 2026 · English Awards, Appointments & Persons

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Current affairs of 9 November 2026 (Shanmugam IAS Academy) – explained for UPSC, TNPSC and other competitive exams

News

'The Tamils: A Portrait of a Community' by Chennai-based author and journalist Nirmala Lakshman won the Best International Non-Fiction Book award at the 45th Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF). Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority, presented the awards at Expo Centre Sharjah on 4 November 2026. There were 3,018 submissions across categories; the Best International Fiction award went to Marcia Hutchinson's 'The Mercy Step'. Published by Aleph Book Company in January 2025, the book explores Tamil history, society, literature, politics, religion, art and identity. The fair runs from 4 to 15 November 2026, with Oman as the Guest of Honour country. Lakshman called the book both a personal journey and an exploration of a complex history.

Key facts for the exam

Background

• The author: Nirmala Lakshman is a former Joint Editor of The Hindu; she founded and edited The Hindu Literary Review, created the children's supplement Young World and launched the paper's annual literature festival. She holds a PhD in postmodern fiction and also wrote 'Degree Coffee by the Yard', on Chennai.
• Sharjah, UAE: Sharjah is one of the seven emirates of the United Arab Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah); the capital is Abu Dhabi. Sharjah has held the book fair since 1982 and was UNESCO World Book Capital in 2019. India was Guest of Honour at the Sharjah fair in 2019. Lakhs of Tamils work in the Gulf countries.
• Tamil history: Sangam literature, the Tolkappiyam and the Tirukkural show the antiquity of Tamil. Excavations at Keezhadi, on the Vaigai river in Sivaganga district, have yielded evidence of a Sangam-age urban culture. The book ranges from Chera-Chola-Pandya maritime trade and the Bhakti movement to the Dravidian movement and the Tamil diaspora.
• The Hindu: it was started as a weekly in Madras in 1878 by the 'Triplicane Six', including G. Subramania Iyer and M. Veeraraghavachariar, and became a daily in 1889. G. Subramania Iyer also founded the Tamil paper 'Swadesamitran' in 1882, where Subramania Bharati worked. The Kasturi Ranga Iyengar family has run The Hindu since 1905.

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Sources: Khaleej Times, 5 Nov 2026; Gulf News; News Karnataka; WAM; Khaleej Times (dates, Oman); Aleph Book Company. Compiled by Shanmugam IAS Academy.

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