Date:20/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/20/stories/2008112050520200.htm

Tamil Nadu - Madurai

Awards for translating literary works

Staff Reporter

To take richness of Tamil language to a global scale

MADURAI: Awards for translating Tamil literary works into other languages and works in Indian and foreign languages into Tamil are to be distributed here on Sunday.

In order to take the richness of Tamil language to a global scale, ‘Thisai Ettum,’ a literary magazine, is involved in translating Tamil literary works into other Indian and foreign languages. It also publishes translations from other languages into Tamil, according to Kurinjivelan, its editor. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that the ‘Nalli Thisai Ettum Awards’ for translation would be given away at the Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry Auditorium by the Minister for School Education Thangam Thennarasu.

Radha Janardhan’s Hindi translation ‘Koel Ki Gaan’ (Song of the Cuckoo) and K. Chinnappa Bharathi’s ‘Surangam’ (Mine), which talks about the miseries of mine workers of West Bengal and Jharkhand, would be released by Thisai Ettum Publications on the occasion, said R. Natarajan, author and consultant.

The award is given every year for the best translation into Tamil of any work from other Indian and foreign languages and vice versa.

The award carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs.10, 000. This year’s winners are K. S. Subramanian, Rajalakshmi Srinivasan, M. Seshan, and Tamil Selvi from Chennai; Ma. Na. Ramasamy of Tiruchi; Sa. Devadoss of Arni; L. R. Swami of Vishakapatnam; Sheela Bardube Ransubhe of Latur, Maharashtra, and Muthu Meenakshi (a)Vasantha Shyamalan of Nagpur.

In order to honour senior translators, a lifetime service award that carries a cash prize of Rs 25,000, a memento and a citation will be given to N. Dharmarajan of Sivaganga and R. Sowrirajan of Chennai.

The organisers will also be honouring original authors like D. Jayakanthan, R. Natarajan, Sivakaami Vaisaakan, Kasyapan and Chinnappa Bharati. Among the publishers to be honoured are Sahitya Akademi, Karnataka Anuvada Sahitya Academy, New Horizon Media, Nivedita, Bharathi Puthaka Nilayam, Viswabharathi Prakashan and Bhoomi Prakashan.