Mathrubhumi group announces new Rs 5-lakh literary award

New Delhi, October 17

In good news for Indian writers, Kerala-based media and publishing group Mathrubhumi announced on Thursday the institution of a new literary award to “honour and celebrate Indian literature”.

The ‘Book of the Year’ award that carries a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh and a memento, aims to recognise and encourage works by Indian writers in English, as well as regional literature translated into English.

“The Mathrubhumi ‘Book of the Year’ award is a commitment from Mathrubhumi to honour the best in Indian literature every year. We are inspired to honour and celebrate brilliant works, and encourage the publishers to look for the best writing by Indian authors,” said MV Shreyams Kumar, Joint Managing Director, Mathrubhumi. 

Kumar said the entries would be judged by a three-member jury, including politician author Shashi Tharoor and renowned Kannada writer Chandrasekhara Kambar.

According to Kambar, the award must be given to a “classic Indian literary work of our times”.

“I call it a classic not because it is written in some ancient times, but because it is a contemporary work that best depicts our lives today. I call it a classic not only because of its excellent literary merit, but also the manner in which it represents the diversity, the multiplicity and the rich heterogeneity of our Indian culture.

“It is the best Indian work because it is rooted in the native and indigenous sensibilities even as it responds to the global context of our existence today,” the president of the Kendra Sahitya Akademi said. PTI