U K Kumaran bags best novel award

Thrissur: U.K. Kumaran’s  'Thakshankunnu Swaroopam' has won the  Kerala Sahithya Akademi’s award for the best novel for  2015.  The akademi, which announced the awards on  Tuesday,  also named Ashitha’s  collection of short stories, ‘Ashithayude Kathakal,’  as the best.    The awards  declared by  chairman Vaishakan in other categories are: ‘Hemanthathile Pakshi’ by S. Rameshan (poetry), ‘Mathi’ by Jino Joseph (drama), ‘Vamsa Chihnagal’ by C.R. Parameshwaran (criticism), ‘Prakruthiyum Manushyanum’ by K.N. Ganesh (science writing), ‘Green Room’ by Ibrahim Vengara (biography/autobiography), ‘Athmachihnagal’ by V.G. Thampi and ‘Bhootan Dinangal’ by O.K. Johny (travelogue), ‘Soundarya Lahari’ by Guru Muni Narayana Prasad (translation), ‘Sunny Cherukkanum Sangeetha Pengalum’ by Ezhacheri Ramachandran (children’s literature), ‘Vedivattom’ by Dr S.D.P. Namboodiri (satire).

Novelists Sara Joseph and U.A. Khader were selected for the distinguished fellowship of the akademi. O.V. Usha, Mundoor Sethumadhavan, V. Sukumaran, T.B. Venugopala Panikar, Prayar Prabhakaran and Dr K. Sugathan were  awarded  for their overall contributions. P.M. Gireesh, Santhi Jayakumar, K. Aravindakshan, Aswathi Sasikumar, Dr. T. Aryadevi, B. Rajeevan and Nithya P. Viswam were  selected for the endowment awards.