The State government is planning to set up a permanent venue for theatre performances in Thrissur, Minister for Culture A.K. Balan has said.
He was speaking after presenting the Kerala Sahitya Akademi awards and fellowships at a function held here in connection with 60th anniversary of the akademi. The fellowships were presented to writers Sara Joseph and U.A. Khader. O.V. Usha, Mundur Sethumadhavan, V. Sukumaran, T.B. Venugopala Panicker, Prayar Prabhakaran, and K. Sugathan were presented life-time achievement awards.
“The government is considering to increase the prize money of the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram to ₹5 lakh. A comprehensive film policy is also under consideration. The Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC) will construct 20 cinema halls in the next year,” the Minister said.
The work on a cultural complex in the name of poet Vallathol Narayana Menon would begin this year, the Minister said. Cultural complexes were coming up in every district at a cost of ₹40 crore. The complex in Palakkad would be set up in the name of V.T. Bhattathirippad and at Thiruvananthapuram in the name of Ayyankali. Theatre complexes would be started in villages and e-ticket facility would be put in place.
The budget allocation for cultural organisations had been increased by 5%. The government had also increased the pension for artistes, the Minister said.
A generation which did not have courage to tell the truth and which supported lies and negated human rights was coming up in the country, poet Sachithanandan said. He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Literature and resistance’ in connection with 60th anniversary of the akademi.
“Society has been involved in a conspiracy of silence. The real resistance is the courage to tell the truth to authorities,” he said.
Kerala Sahitya Akademi president Vaisakhan presided over the function.
