The Thakazhi Memorial Award instituted by the State Department for Cultural Affairs was presented to Jnanpith laureate M.T. Vasudevan Nair at a function held at Thunchanparamba, Tirur, on Monday.
Accepting the award from Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Mr. Nair described the award as blessings of Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, who had been his mentor and guru. Mr. Nair said that Thakazhi’s works helped man understand his follies even when he engaged his mind in finding the fault of others.
The award consisting of Rs.50,000, a citation and a plaque was given to Mr. Nair for his contributions to Malayalam literature.
Presiding over the function, Minister for Cultural Affairs K.C. Joseph said that the Thakazhi Memorial Award got a boost in its stature by being given to a writer like Mr. Nair.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that both Thakazhi and Mr. Nair had played a significant role in enhancing the Malayalam language to a classical level.
Delivering the keynote address, Malayalam University Vice Chancellor K. Jayakumar said that there was hardly anyone in Malayalam literature who would give utmost respect to the writers of the past era. K.P. Ramanunni delivered the Thakazhi Memorial Speech. C. Mammootty, MLA; Alankode Leelakrishnan; Thakazhi’s daughter Kanakam; granddaughter Usha; Thakazhi Memorial chairman Thakazhi Sankaranarayanan; and secretary Devadath Purakkad spoke.
