Tamil writer Udaya Shankar has won the Sahitya Akademi’s Bal Puraskar award for his novel Adhanin Bommai. Ram Thangam, author of the short story collection Thirukarthiyal, won the Yuva Puraskar award.
The awardees will get a casket containing an engraved copper plaque and a cheque of ₹50,000 at a function, which will be held in Delhi.
Adhanin Bommai is based on the archaeological excavation in Keezhadi while Thirukarthiyal offers a glimpse of life in Nanjil Nadu in Kanniyakumari district.
Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has congratulated the awardees. “By writing about Keezhadi, Mr. Udaya Shankar has helped the young generation to know about our roots. Ram Thangam’s Thirukarthiyal has poignantly captured hunger and poverty one faces in young age,” the Chief Minister tweeted.
