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Vasamalli

Vasamalli, a member of the Toda community, has worked towards the development of the tribal people in Nilgiris, with a focus on language, land rights, and cultural preservation. She has contributed to the creation of a Toda Dictionary, a project led by Peri Bhaskararao and Masato Kobayashi, and has co-authored with Karthick Narayanan Maarum Ulagil Maraya Oligal (2017), a translated compilation of songs and stories from the Toda language into Tamil. She is a member of the Sahitya Akademi and the Adi Dravidar Tribal Welfare Committee and Peace Committee in Nilgiris District. She received the SPARROW-R Thyagarajan Literary Award 2024 for her contribution to language and literature.