Senior journalist Sashi Kumar has been selected for the first Television Lifetime Achievement Award instituted by the State government.
The award carries a cash prize of ₹2 lakh, citation and a statuette, Minister for Cultural Affairs Saji Cherian said.
Mr. Sashi Kumar has won the award for providing a secular and progressive direction to visual media in the State and helping to lay the foundation for a serious television culture.
The founder of Asianet, the country's first regional satellite television channel, he is currently chairman of Asian College of Journalism.
He was selected for the award by a jury headed by poet K. Satchidanandan and consisting of journalist Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, writer S. Saradakutty, Kerala State Chalachitra Academy chairman Kamal and Cultural Affairs Principal Secretary Rani George.
Mr. Sashi Kumar hails from Kodungallur and is an alumnus of the Loyola College, Chennai and the Madras Christian College.
