Akilan was a Tamil author noted for his realistic and creative writing style. Akilan was a freedom fighter, novelist, short-story writer, journalist, satirist, travel writer, playwright, script-writer, orator and critic.He is also a children's novelist. Akilan was the pen name of Akilandam, who was born on 27 June at Perungalore, Pudukkottai District . He spent his childhood in a small hamlet called Perungalore near Pudukottai. His father Vaithiya Lingam Pillai was an accounts officer and adored his only son Akilan very much. Unfortunately, the boy lost his loving father at an early age. But his mother Amirthammal was a loving person, and being a creative person herself, she moulded her son into a writer. The author was attracted by Gandhian philosophy during his school days and he discontinued his college education at Pudukotai to join the freedom struggle. Later, after Indian independence, he joined the Railway Mail Service, after which he joined the AIR (All India Radio) and became a full-fledged writer. His stories began to appear mostly in small magazines.

In 1975 the novel Chitra pavai won the prestigious Jnanpith Award. This work of his has been translated in all Indian languages.In 1963 his historical novel Vengayin Mainthan was awarded by Sahithya academy of Govt of India. Engepogirome a peculiar socio-political novel of his, won the Raja sir annamalai award in 1975. His children's book Kanana kannan won the special prize given by Tamil Nadu educational department. The author has written about 45 titles, most of which have been translated in all Indian state languages. Apart from this his works has been translated in other foreign languages such as English, German, Czech, Russian, Polish, Chinese, and Malay.