CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday announced the Kalaimamani Awards for the years 2021, 2022 and 2023, and the recipients of awards at the national level.
The national level awardees include Professor N Murugesa Pandian (Bharathiyar Award), playback singer KJ Yesudas (MS Subbulakshmi Award), and Muthukannammal (Balasaraswathi Award).
Poet Nellai Jayantha, actors SJ Suryah and Sai Pallavi, and film director N Lingusamy were among those chosen for Kalaimamani awards for the year 2021. Dravidian movement historian K Thirunavukkarasu, writer Santhakumari Sivakadatcham, and actor Vikram Prabhu were among those chosen for 2022. Actors K Manikandan and M George Marian, music composer Anirudh, fighting coach Super Subbarayan and playback singer Swetha Mohan were selected for 2023.
Chief Minister MK Stalin will present the awards at a function to be held next month in Chennai. The Kalaimamani awardees will be honoured with a gold medal and a shield, while the awardees at the national level will be honoured with Rs 1 lakh and a gold medal.
The various categories of Kalaimamani awards include music (vocal), Thevaram recital, performing mrithangam, harmonium, nathaswaram, thavil, religious discourse, Bharathanatyam teaching, drama artist, folk singer, Valli Oyil Kummi, small screen actor, painter, etc.
Congratulating the awardees, CPI state secretary M Veerapandiyan, in a statement here, said K Jeeva Bharathi, who has been chosen for the Kalaimamani award, has made significant contribution to writing about late leaders P Jeevanandam, and poets Bharathidasan and Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram.