(Words never tire, they wait in your eyes – That poetry, in every Vaali book, waits for us.)
The search for is ultimately a search for the soul of modern Tamil. While his film songs made him a celebrity, his books—the dusty, yellow-paged anthologies on library shelves—reveal the true poet: a man who could make you cry over a wilted flower and then laugh at the absurdity of life in the next stanza.
To the average Tamil cinema fan, (1931–2013) is the undisputed king of film lyrics. However, to the literary world, he was a profound poet, a sharp satirist, a master of mythology, and an author whose books sold in the millions. While his songs played on the radio, his books sat on the shelves of every Tamil household, showcasing a range that spanned from erotic Sangam style poetry to hard-hitting political commentary.
Pattukku Oru Kavignan – Vol 3 contains his famous "Letter to Kannadasan," a poetic masterpiece of regret and admiration.
For devotional readers, looking for compilations of his related writings is highly recommended, as he was often called the "Poet of Krishna" (similar to how Meera Bai was the devotee of Krishna).