Senior IAS officer V. Irai Anbu, who received the S.P. Adithanar Literary Award 2017 from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the platinum jubilee celebrations of Tamil daily Dina Thanthi here on Monday, has decided to donate the cash prize of ₹2 lakh to the Adi Dravidar Hostel for Men in Mylapore.
The 1988-batch officer, presently posted as the Commissioner of Economics & Statistics in Chennai, received the award for his literary work in Tamil Ilakkiyathil Melanmai (Management in Literature). The award, comprising a shield and a cheque for ₹2 lakh, was presented to the officer on Monday.
“I have decided to donate the money towards the betterment of students in the Adi Dravidar Hostel for Men in Mylapore,” Mr. Irai Anbu told The Hindu .
When asked whether he had any special affection for the students of the hostel, he said, “No, I have visited the hostel a few times and have donated books too. I just wanted to help the students.”
The citation that was read during the function stated that Mr. Irai Anbu continued to have a passion for literature, despite shouldering several senior responsibilities in the government, and had written as many as 56 books in Tamil and a few in English.
