The 27th Pravasi Doha Basheer Award will be bestowed on renowned sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman, the organisers of the forum said in a statement yesterday.
The honour, in memory of legendary Malayalam writer Vaikom Mohamed Basheer, was instituted by Doha-based Keralite literary forum Pravasi three decades ago.
The award is being given by the Pravasi Trust, with M T Vasudevan Nair and the late M N Vijayan as patrons and Babu Mather as managing trustee.
The honour comprises of Rs50,000 and a gramophone sculpture designed by famous artist Namboothiri.
A scholarship of Rs15,000 is also presented to a student selected by the awardee from his village.
The seven-member jury led by chairman M T Vasudevan Nair includes Babu Mather, M A Rahman, P Shamsudeen and K K Sudhakaran, C V Rappai, and Jagadeepan.
The award will be presented at a function at Tirur Thunjan Parambu according to the awardee's convenience.
The award was announced at a press conference in Kozhikode, Kerala, in the presence of Basheer's children, Anees and Shahina, literary figures Venkatachalam, Balachandran Puthukkudi, and Pravasi Doha representative Jaleel, the statement added.
Kanayi Kunhiraman
