THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Writer Benyamin has been chosen for the coveted Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Literary Award. His "Manthalirile 20 Communist Varshangal" earned him the honour comprising a purse of Rs 1 lakh and a bronze statue crafted by renowned sculptor Kanayi Kunjiraman.
The award function will be held at the Nishagandhi auditorium on October 27, the death anniversary of Vayalar, at 5.30 p.m.
The jury chaired by Perumbadavam Sreedharan had KR Meera, George Onakkoor and C Unnikrishnan as members. Works, including prose, poetry and literary criticism, published in the previous five years ending in 2020 were considered for the award.
The preliminary step in selection was asking 550 persons to send their suggestions. Of them, 169 persons respsonded and together, they suggested the names of 197 works. Five works which got the maximum points were sent to twenty persons. They were asked to list the works in the order of their preference. 11 points were given to the work which came first, seven for the second rank and three points for the work ranked third. The works were then submitted to the jury for the final ranking.
The award function will also see the presentation of the annual student scholarship instituted by the Vayalar Ramavarma Memorial Trust. It is presented to the tenth standard student of Asan Memorial Higher Secondary School in Chennai who secures the highest mark for Malayalam.
The award function will have a music programme in tribute to the poet. Famous singers will render Vayalar's poems and songs.