Overview of the Vayalar Award

The Vayalar Award is considered to be one among the most significant of awards in Malayalam literature. Its establishment took place in 1977 by Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust honoring the memory of the famous poet and lyricist Vayalar Ramavarma. The award is conferred to the most superior literary work in Malayalam every year and so it is a prominent event related to Kerala literature calendar.

About the Vayalar Award

The award bears in memory of the work of Vayalar Ramavarma whose work in poetry and in songs is something lasting in the Malayalam literature and cinema. The creation of this award was an honor to his memory and to encourage literary genius. The award has over the years been synonymous with excellence, integrity and promotion of creativity of writing. The First Vayalar Award brought forth to birth this legacy.

Purpose of the Award

First Vayalar award, in honour of authors who have influenced the cultural and social discourse by the development of Malayalam literature, this award was instituted. The aims are:

• Promoting the production of quality of Malayalam literature.
• To acknowledge excellence on the part of the authors.
• Maintenance of culture choice using literature.
• Inspiring young people to become creative writers.

Criterion and Eligibility

It is managed by the Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust, which has an independent panel of judges to select. Some of the major criteria are:

• Correspondence should be written in Malayalam language.
• A text may be original, creative and culturally deep.
• Any genre can be taken into account: novels, poetry, and essays.
• Admittedly, the award is presented once a year to one author.

First Vayalar award Winner

In 1977, Lalithambika Antharjanam, one of the well-known Malayalam writers received the First Vayalar Award. She won the award as a result of her novel Agnisakshi which is a strong story of struggle of women, their spirituality and the societal reality. This was the first ever recognition in the history of literature which has both respected her brilliance in the literary context as well as her contribution in forming the feminist thinking in Malayalam literature.

Award Benefits

The following are the honor achieved by the winner of Vayalar Award:

• A cash reward (the reward is in form of cash currently, 1, 00,000 rupees).
• Their contribution can be cited.
• Far-reaching popularity amongst the fraternity of letters.

These are merely symbolic advantages in financial terms and give incalculable cultural status, as well as the role of the writer of enriching the Malayalam literature.

Significance and Impact

The First Vayalar Award established a good precedent in Malayalam literature where the award was bestowed on an artistically mature and socially salutary piece of literature. The award has over the decades influenced many writers to produce works that have both cultural deficit and relevance in modern times. It remains the interface between tradition and modernity in Malayalam literature underlining the relevance of literature in influencing the society.

FAQs

Q1. How soon was the First Vayalar Award conferred?

Ans: In 1977 the first Vayalar Award was presented.

Q2. Who is the founder of Vayalar award?

Ans: It was created at the Vayalar Rama Varma Memorial Trust in honour of poet Vayalar Ramavarma.

Q3. How much is the prize money of Vayalar Award?

Ans: To the award has now been added a cash prize equal to 100, 000 rupees and a citation.

Q4. Does Vayalar Award occur annually?

Ans: Yes, it is an award that is given out annually to one distinguished Malayalam piece of work per year.