Tamil book to get Saraswati Samman

Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalum (Ramkatha and Ramayanas), a Tamil work by eminent writer Dr AA Manavalan, has been chosen for the KK Birla Foundation’s prestigious Saraswati Samman-2011.

Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalum (Ramkatha and Ramayanas), a Tamil work by eminent writer Dr AA Manavalan, has been chosen for the KK Birla Foundation’s prestigious Saraswati Samman-2011.

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The award, instituted in 1991, is recognised as the highest literary honour in the country, and is given to a work published not more than 10 years before the year of the award in any Indian language mentioned in Schedule VIII of the Constitution.

The book was published in 2005. A selection committee, headed by former CJI RC Lahoti, chose it. The prize money for Saraswati Samman is Rs 7.5 lakh.

Born in 1937, Dr Manavalan is a retired professor and head of department of Tamil at the University of Madras. Previous winners of the award included Harivansh Rai Bachchan and Vijay Tendulkar.