M.L. Thangappa taught Tamil for over twenty-five years in the various colleges of the Puducherry government until his retirement in 1994. He has published a number of books of poetry and essays in Tamil and has translated from Tamil to English Sangam poetry, the songs of Ramalingam, Subramania Bharati and Bharatidasan. He has been awarded the Bharatidasan Award (1991) and the Sirpi Literary Award (2007) for his lifetime achievement in poetry.