Poet Attoor Ravi Varma has been selected for the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary award instituted by the state government. Announcing the award at a news conference here on Thursday, Cultural Affairs Minister K C Joseph, said that a jury chaired by writer Perumbadavam Sreedharan decided to confer the honour on Ravi Varma, considering his contribution to Malayalam language and the literary world. After announcing the award, the minister also visited the poet’s residence here to inform him of the news.
The award, named after Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam language, carries a purse of `1.5 lakh, a plaque and a commemorative inscription. The date of presentation of the award will be announced later.
“Ravi Varma is one of the pioneers of modern Malayalam poetry and has won many awards, including the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award. His poems, which reflect the social conflicts and complexities of modern life, lash out at injustice in the contemporary times,” said the minister.
The bard, on receiving the news, said that he felt honoured to be selected for the award in the name of the great poet Ezhuthachan. “I am surprised on hearing the unexpected news,” he said in a poetic way and added that he is in an attempt to translate the Tamil epic Kamba Ramayanam into Malayalam.
Attoor Ravi Varmayude Kavithakal (two volumes), translation works from Tamil to Malayalam, such as J J Chila Kurippukal (Sundara Ramaswami, novel), Oru Pulimarathinte Katha (Sundara Ramaswami, novel), Nale Mattoru Nal Mathram (G Nagarajan, novel) and Bhakti Kavyam (translation of Nayanars and Azhvars) are some of his main works.
In his five-decade-old literary career, many accolades have come Attoor’s way. He has won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for poetry, Asan prize for poetry by Asan Samiti Chennai, P Kunhiraman Nair award for poetry, translation prize by Kerala Sahitya Akademi, translation prize by Kendra Sahitya Akademi, Premji award and E K Divakaran Potti award.
The Ezhuthachan award was instituted in 1993 by the late T M Jacob when he was the Culture Minister. Sooranad Kunjan Pillai was the first recipient of the award.