I am currently Assistant Professor of Tamil Studies in the Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies (SSEAS) at the University of California, Berkeley. Prior to joining UC Berkeley, I was a Lecturer in Tamil Studies at the South Asian Studies Programme (SASP) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) from 2015 to 2019.

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My work is situated within a transregional framework that explores Tamil identity and culture across South and Southeast Asia. My research centers on modern Tamil literatures, especially in India, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia, with a strong emphasis on transnational spatial politics, migration, and their influence on literary representations both within and beyond the Tamil-speaking world.  In addition to literary analysis, I engage with visual and media studies, examining filmic and digital cultures within contemporary Tamil communities and their diasporas. By studying Tamil literature and visual culture produced across South and Southeast Asia, my teaching and scholarship advance a research agenda that positions Tamil Studies as a vital field for rethinking the boundaries of comparative literature and visual culture, especially within non-Anglophonic contexts.

I am the 2024 recipient of the Pyrtanean Faculty Enrichment Award, which recognizes the exceptional scholarship, teaching and service to the campus community at UC Berkeley. My work has been supported by awards from the Hellman Society of Fellows, the Humanities Research Fellowship (HRF), the American Institute of Indian Studies (AIIS) - NEH Senior Fellowship, The Townsend Center for the Humanities at UC Berkeley, the Toronto Tamil Literary Garden, and several grants and fellowships from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Tamil Language Council, Singapore. For more details about my current research projects,  click here.

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As a native Tamil speaker raised in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and having engaged with the Tamil diaspora across South and Southeast Asia, I have long been intrigued by the global dimensions of Tamil identity and culture. These themes form the core of my scholarly inquiries and are central to the Tamil community-oriented initiatives I pursue.

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For more information on my public engagement activities, click here.

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