The Kerala Sahitya Akademi or Academy for Malayalam Literature is an autonomous body established to promote the

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

language and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

. It is situated in the city of

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

in India.

History

The academy was inaugurated on 15 October 1956, by

Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma Sree Padmanabhadasa Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma , popularly known as Sree Chithira Thirunal (7 November 1912 – 20 July 1991), was the last ruling Maharaja of the Indian princely state of Travancore, in southern India until 1949 and ...

, the former king of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

, in

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram ( ), also known as Trivandrum, is the Capital city, capital city of the Indian state of Kerala. As of 2011, the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation had a population of 957,730 over an area of 214.86 sq. km, making it the ...

. It was shifted to its present location at City of

in September 1957. Though the

Government provides the funding and support for the academy, the administration of the academy is autonomous according to its constitution. The academy recognises superior literary works through its annual literary awards for

Poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

Novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

, Story, Drama, Literary criticism, Biography – autobiography, Travelogue, Humour, Translation, Children's literature etc.. the academy is headed by

short story writer Vaisakhan, who is serving as its president, Khadija Mumtaz as its vice president, and K P Mohanan as its secretary.

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award

The Akademi instituted the

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award is given each year, since 1958, by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi (Kerala Literary Academy), to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

in 1958. It is given annually to Malayalam writers for their outstanding books of literary merit. The awards are given in various categories.

Activities

The academy has a library in

. It is an approved doctoral research centre for the universities in

. The Akademi also holds periodic book festivals to encourage reading among the masses. The Akademi has a picture gallery of writers of yester years. The Akademi regularly publishes three journals ''Sahithyalokam'', ''Sahithya Chakravalam'' and ''

Literary Survey'' (in English). Besides the

, the Akademi awards the illustrious ''

Ezhuthachan Puraskaram The Ezhuthachan Puraskaram is the highest literary honour given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Government of Kerala. The award is named after Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan, the father of the Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages ...

'', which is named after the father of

Malayalam literature Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puduchery, is one of the six classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary text ...

Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan (, ) (Floruit, ''fl.'' 16th century) was a Malayalam devotional poet, translator and linguist. He was one of the prāchīna kavithrayam (old triad) of Malayalam literature, the other two being Kunchan Nambia ...

, yearly to prominent literary figures.

References

External links

Kerala Sahitya Academy
– official website

(archived)
Sahitya Akademy: India's National Academy of Letters
{{Authority control Culture of Kerala Malayalam language Indic literature societies Organisations based in Thrissur Non-profit organisations based in India Language regulators 1956 establishments in Kerala Organizations established in 1956

History

Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award

Activities

See also

References

External links