Joe D’Cruz Age, Wife, Family, Biography & More

Bio/Wiki
Full name	R. N. Joe D'Cruz [1]Joe D'Cruz's LinkedIn Account
Profession(s)	Novelist, Ship Management
Physical Stats & More
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Salt and Pepper
Career
Novels	• Aazhi Soozh Ulagu (2005) • Korkai (2009) • Asthinapuram (2016) • Verpiditha Vilai Nilangal (2017) • Kavanam Thedum Kadaloram (2019) • Padaipugalin Uraiyadal (2020)
Awards	• 2013: Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel 'Korkai' • 2024: Padma Shri in the field of literature and education
Personal Life
Date of Birth	Year, 1969
Age (as of 2023)	54 Years
Birthplace	Uvari, district Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Uvari, district Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
School	He studied in the schools of the Uvari and Idaiyangudi villages of Tamil Nadu.
College/University	• Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu • St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
Educational Qualification	• M.A.(Economics) at Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu • M.Phil at St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Married
Family
Wife/Spouse	Sasikala D'Cruz
Children	He has two children.
Parents
Other Relatives	Grandfather- Thomas Andrew

Some Lesser Known Facts About Joe D’Cruz

• R. N. Joe D’Cruz is an Indian novelist, commercial shipping professional, and documentary filmmaker. He primarily works in the Tamil film industry.

• He belongs to a ‘Roman Catholic Paravar,’ in Uvari, a coastal village in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu.

• After completing his formal education, he joined the commercial shipping industry.
  

  A young Joe D’Cruz

• He has served as the President of NTC Logistics Private Limited and Vice President of J.M. Baxi & Company for more than three decades.
  

  Joe D’Cruz delivering a speech during his tenure at NTC Group

• In 2004, Joe D’Cruz released a collection of Tamil poems called ‘Pulambazhkal.’ His writing mainly explores the history and lives of Parathavar fishermen in Tamil Nadu.
  

  The cover of the book ‘Pulambazhkal’ by Joe D’Cruz

• In 2005, his novel ‘Aazhi Soozh Ulagu’ received the Tamil Nadu State Government Literary Award and the Tamil Literary Garden Award. This novel focuses on the lives of fishermen who used catamarans, and their conversion to Christianity.
  

  The cover of the novel ‘Aazhi Soozh Ulagu’ by R. N. Joe D’Cruz

• Joe D’Cruz made a documentary film titled ‘Vidiyatha Pozhuthukal’ in 2008.

• In 2009, his novel ‘Korkai’ was published and won the Sahitya Akademi Award. The novel depicts an ancient port city governed by the Early Pandyan Kingdom. The novel centres around the 20th-century community of pearl and conch divers residing there.
  

  The cover of the novel ‘Korkai’ by R. N. Joe D’Cruz

• In 2010, he released another documentary named ‘Towards Dawn,’ which primarily focused on the hardships faced by Tamil fishermen.

• Joe D’Cruz opposed the Kudankulam nuclear power project in 2011 and stated concerns about its impact on the livelihoods of fishermen.
  

  A rally organised against the establishment of the Kudankulam nuclear power project in 2011

• He is associated with the Samskrita Bharati, a non-profit organisation for protecting the Sanskrit language, as its state president in Tamil Nadu.

• In 2013, he contributed dialogues for the Tamil movie “Maryan.”
  

  The poster of the Tamil film ‘Maryan’

• In 2014, Joe D’Cruz expressed support to the BJP PM candidate, Narendra Modi, on his Facebook page, during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and received threats and hate mail for the same. ^[2]The Indian Express

• During the same year, the translation of his book “Aazhi Soozh Ulagu” from Tamil to English was halted by its publisher S. Anand, publisher of Navayana Publishing, and the translator V. Geetha, a feminist writer and translator, in retaliation for supporting Modi during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

• Soon after Joe D’Cruz received backlash from his colleagues, he stated the reason behind the cancellation of his book’s translation in a media conversation. He said,
  

  It is because of my opinion expressed on Facebook as Narendra Modi is the right choice for PM. I think their actions show the form of narrow mentality.”

• In 2017, he voiced concerns about the proposed ‘International Container Transhipment Terminal’ at Enayam, Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu. According to him, the development of existing ports must be a priority over starting new port projects in India.
  

  Joe D’Cruz while addressing a conference

• In the same year, Joe D’Cruz was appointed as a member of the National Shipping Board of the Ministry of Shipping by the Government of India.
  

  Joe D’Cruz posing with a ship

• Joe D’Cruz, alongside writer Aravindan Neelakandan, often supports the efforts of Gopi Shankar Madurai, an Indian LGBTQA+ activist.

• Joe once served on the advisory board of Srishti Madurai, an LGBTQA+ student volunteer group, under Anjali Gopalan and Bracha Ettinger.
  

  A picture of the Srishti Madurai group while celebrating their journey

• In 2017, he became a strong critic of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and stated in a media conference that Narendra Modi‘s grassroots rise did not guarantee strong leadership. He blamed the BJP for strengthening caste systems and Manu Smriti.

• Thereafter, he once criticised the BJP for empowering political forces which prefer violence over beef consumption. ^[3]The Hindu

• Later, Joe D’Cruz blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for neglecting the poor. He also opposed the BJP government’s proposed ‘Maritime Container Terminal’ at Enayam in Tamil Nadu. He claimed that this project was like a natural disaster despite claims of it being a natural harbour.

• In 2018, he was pictured supporting the ‘Sampark Se Samarthan’ (Contact for Support) programme led by PM Narendra Modi.
  

  Joe D’Cruz while supporting the ‘Sampark Se Samarthan’ (Contact for Support) programme (2018)

• Joe D’Cruz is often spotted smoking cigars on various occasions.
  

  Joe D’Cruz while smoking a cigar