He wrote articles under the pseudonyms Vamban, Cynic and Nandan, and is known for frank and uncompromising views on politics and culture, which he has expressed in the media for 30 years.

[3] Gnani was born to Jayalakshmi and N. Vembusamy on 4 January 1954 in Chengalpattu, a town in India's erstwhile Madras State (now Tamil Nadu), where he was also schooled.

He reported on Madras Atomic Power Plant, drawing CBI sleuths who looked for his source.

It also contains some of old dheemtharikida articles and the others he wrote on the year 2010 as well as info about all his areas of activities - theatre, video, print etc.

On 15 January 2018, Gnani died suddenly at 12.30 am at his home in KK Nagar, Chennai at the age of 64.