Joe D’Cruz is a renowned Indian novelist, commercial shipping expert and documentary filmmaker who has made significant contributions to Tamil cinema, Indian literature and social welfare.
Wiki/Biography
RN Joe D’Cruz was born in 1969 (54 years old; as of 2023) in Uvari village, Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu state, India. He studied in schools in Uvari and Idaiyangudi villages. After completing his schooling, he went to Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu to pursue his Masters in Economics. Later, he obtained his master’s degree from St. Joseph’s College, Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
appearance
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye color: black
family and caste
Joe De Cruz belongs to the “Roman Catholic Palavar” in the coastal village of Uwari.
Parents and siblings
Not much is known about his parents.
Joe DeCruz and his mother
wife and children
His wife’s name is Sasikala D’Cruz, and the couple has two children.
other relatives
His grandfather’s name was Thomas Andrew.
Profession
Ship management
Joe D’Cruz joined the commercial shipping industry shortly after completing higher education.
Young Joe D’Cruz works for a ship management company in Tamil Nadu
For over three decades, he served as President of NTC Logistics Private Limited and Vice President of JM Baxi & Company.
literary works
In 2004, Joe D’Cruz published a collection of poetry in Tamil called Pulambazhkal. His books focus on the history and life of fishermen in Palatava, Tamil Nadu.
Cover of the book “Pulambazhkal” by Joe D’Cruz
In 2005, he published the novel “Aazhi Soozh Ulagu”, which won the Tamil Nadu Government Literary Award and the Tamil Garden Award for Literature. In this novel, he focuses on the lives of fishermen using catamarans and their conversion to Christianity.
RN Cover of the novel “Aazhi Soozh Ulagu” by Joe D’Cruz
Joe DeCruz’s novel “Korkai” was published in 2009 and won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2013. The novel is set in an ancient port city under the rule of the early Pandya kingdom. It focuses on the 20th century community of pearl and conch divers.
RN Cover of Joe D’Cruz’s novel “Korkai”
His other literary works include Asthinapuram (2016), Verpiditha Vilai Nilangal (2017), Kavanam Thedum Kadaloram (2019) and Padaipugalin Uraiyadal (2020).
documentary
In 2008, he produced a documentary “Vidiyatha Pozhuthukal”. In 2010, Joe D’Cruz released another documentary, “Toward the Dawn,” which focused on the hardships faced by Tamil fishermen. Later, he wrote the dialogue script for the Tamil film Marian in 2013.
Poster of Tamil movie Marian
social work
Joe D’Cruz serves as state chairperson of Tamil Nadu in partnership with non-profit organization Samskrita Bharati. The organization works to preserve the Sanskrit language.
Samskrita Bharati NGO logo
In 2011, he opposed the Kudankulam nuclear power project and explained why it would have a negative impact on the livelihood of fishermen.
Organizing rallies in 2011 against establishment of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project
He believes in the importance of improving India’s existing ports rather than starting new port projects. Therefore, in 2017, he opposed the proposal to build an “International Container Transshipment Terminal” at Enayam in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
Demonstration against the “International Container Transshipment Terminal” in Enayan (2017)
In 2017, the Indian government appointed Joe D’Cruz as a member of the National Shipping Council of the Ministry of Shipping.
Young Joe D’Cruz works for a ship management company in Tamil Nadu
Joe D’Cruz has often supported Indian LGBTQA+ activist Gopi Shankar Madurai. He served on the advisory board of Srishti Madurai, a volunteer organization for LGBTQA+ students.
Awards
- 2013: Won the Sahitya Akademi Award for the novel “Korkai”
- 2024: Padma Shri in literature and education
Facts/Trivia
- During the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Joe D’Cruz expressed support for Narendra Modi, the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, on his Facebook page. As a result, he faced threats and hate mail.
- In the same year, he planned to translate his book Aazhi Soozh Ulagu from Tamil to English. However, publisher S. Anand and translator V. Geetha stopped the translation due to Joe D’Cruz’s support for Modi.
- After facing criticism from his peers, Joe de Cruz clarified in a media discussion the reason for stopping the translation of the book. He said,
This is because of my views expressed on Facebook that Narendra Modi is the right choice for Prime Minister. I think their behavior shows a narrow-mindedness. “
- He criticized the BJP in 2017, accusing them of reinforcing the caste system, Manu Smriti, and empowering violent political forces to control beef consumption.
- Joe D’Cruz has since criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not helping the poor. He also disagreed with the BJP government’s plan to build a “sea container terminal” at Enayan in Tamil Nadu, saying it was like a natural disaster despite claiming it was a natural port.
- He supports the ‘Sampark Se Samarthan’ (Contact Support) initiative led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018.
Joe D’Cruz supports the “Sampark Se Samarthan” (Contact Support) program (2018)
- Joe DeCruz enjoys smoking cigars on all occasions.
Joe DeCruz smoking a cigar
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education