Tamil Nadu Announces New Literary Awards After Centre's Sahitya Akademi Cancellation
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin made a significant announcement on Sunday. He revealed plans for a new national-level literary award. The state government will present this award every year. It will recognize the best books published in seven Indian languages initially.
Seven Languages Included in New Award Scheme
The Classical Literature Award will cover books in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali, Marathi and Odia. Each language category will receive a cash prize of five lakh rupees. Stalin announced this during the valedictory function of the fourth Chennai International Book Fair.
He explained the reason behind creating this new award. The Union Ministry of Culture recently cancelled the Sahitya Akademi awards announcement. Stalin expressed concern about this development. He stated that political interference in arts and literature awards poses a serious danger.
"We don't know whether the Sahitya Akademi awards will happen again," Stalin told the gathering. "The political interference in awards for arts and literature is dangerous."Transparent Selection Process Planned
The Chief Minister outlined how the selection process will work. A dedicated committee will form for each language. These committees will include prominent writers from respective language backgrounds. This structure aims to ensure both quality assessment and transparent selection.
Stalin mentioned receiving numerous requests from writers and literary associations. They asked the government to respond constructively to the Sahitya Akademi situation. The Chief Minister acknowledged these requests. He described the new award as meeting the current need of the literary community.
Chennai International Book Fair Achievements
School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi shared impressive statistics about the book fair. More than 1,800 Expressions of Interest were signed this year. He emphasized the unique achievement of Tamil Nadu in organizing such an event.
"No state, province or prefecture in the world built an international book fair of this scale," Poyyamozhi stated. "No one has shown such multilingual commitment in such a short time."
Translation Initiatives and Cultural Exchange
Looking ahead to the 2026 Chennai International Book Fair, Stalin revealed translation plans. The state government has allocated grants for translating Tamil literature. These works will appear in more than twenty languages including English, French, German and Spanish.
The Chief Minister addressed global publishers directly. He presented Tamil Nadu as more than just an investment destination. Stalin described it as the best state for knowledge exchange. He referenced archaeological excavations from Keeladi to Porunai as evidence of Tamil society's knowledge tradition.
Stalin shared his perspective on language's role in society. He views language not as a barrier separating people but as a bridge connecting them. The rights exchange at book fairs represents more than business transactions for him.
"The rights exchange is not merely a business event," Stalin explained. "Rather, it represents cultural exchange between two languages."Distinguished Participants
The event featured several notable personalities. School Education Secretary B Chandra Mohan attended the function. Kannada writer and Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq also participated. Their presence highlighted the multilingual and inclusive nature of the literary gathering.
Tamil Nadu's new literary award initiative responds directly to recent developments in national literary recognition. The state government positions itself as filling a gap created by the Sahitya Akademi cancellation. This move reinforces Tamil Nadu's commitment to promoting Indian languages and literature.
