Mylvaganam Thilakarajah, also known as ‘Malliyappusanthi Thilakar’, is an activist poet and freelance writer who specialises in Hill Country Tamil literature with a socio-political perspective. With over twenty-five years of writing experience, he has published numerous articles in Tamil journals and authored six books containing poems, memoirs, essays and reviews. Thilakar is instrumental in bringing the history of the Hill Country Tamils of Sri Lanka into his literary and socio-political activities. He was born and bred in the plantation sector of  Nuwara Eliya district, and currently lives in Colombo. Holding a masters degree in regional development and planning from the University of Colombo and a diploma in journalism, Thilakar has participated in international conferences as a speaker, presenter and moderator.