Subramaniam won the prize for her English poetry book 'When God is a Traveller.' Poet Arundhathi Subramaniam is one of 20 writers who will win the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2020, according to PTI. The award was announced by Indian writer and academic Sushama Swarup at a ceremony in New Delhi on Friday. Swarup said Subramaniam's work "reflects a deep engagement with life and living" and added that she is "one of India's most distinguished poets." The other winners include authors from different languages and disciplines including Kannada novelist Ramachandra Guha, Malayalam novelists Anurag Kashyap and Udayakrishna-author Chekavar, Tamil writer Vaali and Hindi poet Prasad Shrikant Verma. The awards were first given out in 1955 and are considered the highest literary honor in India. They are presented annually by Sahitya Akademi (Academy of Literature), which is an independent body responsible for preserving and promoting Indian literature. Subramaniam was born on August 25, 1950 in Aluva, Kerala. She graduated in English from St. Teresa's College, Kochi before going on to study law at Christ Church College, Bangalore. But she never practiced law and instead worked as a school teacher for several years.