Writer S. Hareesh has been selected for the 46th Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award for his much-acclaimed novel Meesha (moustache).
The prestigious award was announced by Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust president Perumpadavam Sreedharan at a press conference here on Saturday. It carries a purse of ₹1 lakh, citation and a bronze statuette designed by sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman.
The jury committee that comprised writers Sara Joseph, V.J. James, and public health activist-artist V. Ramankutty chose the novel from among three literary works that were shortlisted from an initial pool of 219 works.
Ms. Joseph credited Mr. Hareesh with introducing a unique narrative style and structure in his debut novel that differed from other Malayalam novels. He also succeeded in pushing literary boundaries in fiction to create a multi-layered world of myths, folklore and fables against the backdrop of North Kuttanad.
On initial controversy
The jury members held the opinion that the controversy Meesha had sparked when it was initially serialised in a magazine was trivial and uncalled for, since the novel raised larger questions about problems deeply entrenched in society.
The award will be presented at a ceremony that will be organised at the Nishagandhi auditorium on October 27 to coincide with the death anniversary of poet Vayalar Ramavarma.
Trust vice president G. Balachandran, members K. Jayakumar, Prabha Varma, and secretary B. Satheesan were also present during the press conference.
BJP’s criticism
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) State president K. Surendran lashed out at the decision to select Mr. Hareesh for the award. In a Facebook post, he said the move reflected the growing tendency to present awards with the objective of insulting certain sections. He also opposed the jury’s observation that Mr. Hareesh literary style has had a transformative effect on literature.
Mr. Surendran alleged that the previous winners of the award including Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, Vyloppilly Sreedhara Menon and O.N.V. Kurup had been feted for their excellence in literature, but Mr. Hareesh has been chosen for his personal notions.
