Writer M.T. Vasudevan Nair has been selected for the Kerala Legislative Assembly Award.
The award is presented to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to literature, art and culture.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will present the award to Mr. Vasudevan Nair at the inaugural function (on November 2) of the second Kerala Legislature International Book Festival (KLIBF) which begins on November 1, 2023, said Speaker A.N. Shamseer on October 18.
The award carries a cash prize of ₹1 lakh, citation and a memento.
The second edition of KLIBF, to be held from November 1 to 7, will feature 240 book releases, 30 book discussions, ‘Meet the Author’ events, panel discussions, special talks and poetry meets. So far, 255 exhibition stalls have been booked by 160 publishers.
Around 125 noted personalities, including Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, writers Perumal Murugan, M. Mukundan, K. Satchidanandan, Meena Kandasamy, Shashi Tharoor, MP, and social activist Shabnam Hashmi, will attend the event.
On October 26, a ‘Model Assembly’ for children will be held at the Old Kerala Assembly Hall as a prelude to the book festival.
The Kerala government has given the approval for spending a maximum of ₹3 lakh from the Special Development Fund of MLAs to buy books from KLIBF for libraries in government and aided schools, libraries run by local bodies and those recognised by the State Library Council.
