Tamil Nadu government institutes literary award for works in seven Indian languages

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday (January 18, 2026) announced the institution of a national literary award for works in seven Indian languages.

Speaking at the valedictory function of Chennai International Book Fair 2026, he said, “Owing to the interference of the Union Ministry of Culture, the event to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025 was cancelled a few days ago after the list was finalised. We do not know whether the awards would be announced. Political interference in arts and literature is dangerous.”

Mr. Stalin said writers and stakeholders in arts and literature urged the Tamil Nadu government to act in a constructive manner, responding to the political interference by the Union government in arts and literature. “In the first phase, the best literary works in the Indian languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, and Marathi will receive the Semmozhi Literary Award every year. The award will carry a cash prize of ₹5 lakh for each language. Once the Dravida Model 2.0 government is formed, we will strengthen and expand this initiative, making it world-class. We will build libraries across Tamil Nadu. Let us light the flame of knowledge and emerge victorious, working in harmony with each other.”

Pointing to the significance of translation and copyright transfer at the book fair, Mr. Stalin said the translation of Heart Lamp into English had made Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq famous across the world. “The visit of such a writer who shares the Dravidian ideal of social justice has brought glory to this book fair. I thank Banu Mushtaq for accepting our invitation.”

Stressing the need for harmony and sharing of ideas among languages, he said the ideas cherished by the writers of our land should be shared with all the people of the world and the great ideas from various parts of the world should reach our people. “Language is not a wall that separates people; rather, it bridges people across the world. This event has made us realise our dream. I congratulate our School Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and School Education Secretary B. Chandra Mohan on the success of this book fair,” he added.