Odakkuzhal Award - 2023

Introduction

There are many awards within India to honour the works of literary writers. 

The Odakkuzhal Award is one such annual award given in the field of Malayalam literature. The award is also referred to as the Flute Award and is among the oldest literary awards in India.

Founded by G. Sankara Kurup, the Odakkuzhal Award is also popular among Malayalam writers. Besides the literary society of Malayalam, people around the country keep an eye on the Odakkuzhal Award.

Since 1968, various writers have won the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award.

Many other national literary awards are distributed annually in India. There is no language barrier, as national literary awards are given to notable writers in different languages.

Many writers recognised in the past by Odakkuzhal Award have gone on to win some national literary awards.

The award ceremony is usually hosted in Kerela annually. 

Malayalam is among the official languages of the country and has been around since the 9th century AD. Odakkuzhal Award aims to keep the legacy of the language alive by honouring notable writers.

There are instances of the Odakkuzhal Award for children’s stories published in the Malayalam language. However, the award for children’s literature in the Malayalam language is organised by Odakkuzhal Cultural Forum.

It was incorporated after the original Odakkuzhal Award for Malayalam writers. G. Sankara Kurup is credited for founding the original Odakkuzhal Award for notable writers in the Malayalam language.

Usually, the award is offered for the work done in the previous year. For example, the Odakkuzhal Award handed in 2023 will be based on the selections of 2022. Let us understand more about the annual Odakkuzhal Award.

Table of Contents

• Details

• History

• Theme

• Registration

• Winners

• Schedule

• Conclusion

Details

History

The Odakkuzhal Award has a fascinating history. It all started in 1965 when G. Sankara Kurup won the first-ever Jnanpith Award. Jnanpith Award was incorporated in 1965 and has been India’s top literary honour since then.

G. Sankara Kurup received the Jnanpith Award for his book Odakkuzhal. The book was also known as The Bamboo Flute after its translation.

Consisting of 60 symbolist lyrics, Odakkuzhal was a Malayalam book that gained immense popularity.

The book had a collection of short symbolic poems written in the Malayalam language. It is crucial to note that Jnanpith Award is not a regional language award in literature.

It is a national literature award, and writers in different languages have been awarded over the years.

After winning the Jnanpith Award, G. Sankara Kurup wanted to honour the award given to him. For the same rationale, he set apart a part of the prize money to set up the Odakkuzhal Award for Malayalam writers.

As one can see, the award was named after the book that got him the prestigious Jnanpith Award. The first Jnanpith Award was given to Balakavi Raman for his book Narayaneeyam (translated into Tamil).

In the next year, 1969, Vennikkulam Gopala Kurup won this award for his Malayalam translation of Tulsidas Ramayana.

Since then, the award has been given to a notable Malayalam writer every year. The latest edition of the Odakkuzhal Award was given to Ambikasuthan Mangad in 2022.

Sankara Kurup died in 1978 and left behind a great legacy. Trustees decided to continue the Odakkuzhal Award in his honour to date. The last edition of the Odakkuzhal Award was organised by The Guruvayurappan Trust in 2022.

Since the award ceremony is based in Kerela, the venue remains within the state. Odakkuzhal Award comes with a cash prize of INR 30,000. Award winners also receive a plaque and a citation at the ceremony annually.

Besides being one of the oldest literary awards in India, Odakkuzhal Award also has a great legacy. Many Malayalam writers are already looking forward to the Odakkuzhal Award 2023.

Theme

PlayThe Odakkuzhal Award is a literary award for writers in the Malayalam language. Some literary award ceremonies have a different theme every year. However, there is no different theme for Odakkuzhal Award every year.

The main aim is to honour the most-notable Malayalam writer for the year. The theme always remains Malayalam literature for Odakkuzhal Award, that is, is to honour the best writer and to promote Malayalam language writers.

There is no constraint to winning the Odakkuzhal Award. You can be a poetry writer or a novelist to win the Odakkuzhal Award.

For example, Ambikasuthan Mangad won the Odakkuzhal Award in 2022 for his short story Pranavayu. On the other hand, Sara Joseph won the Odakkuzhal Award 2021 for her novel Budhini.

The only case is that one has to do excellent work in the field of Malayalam literature to win the Odakkuzhal Award.

The Odakkuzhal Award also aims to remember the great writer G. Sankara Kurup. The Guruvayurappan Trust (Organiser) focuses on paying tribute to the renowned writer.

Registration

You cannot register for Odakkuzhal Award in Kerela. It is because the ceremony for the literary award is not open to the common public. The Guruvayurappan Trust hosts the Odakkuzhal Award annually at a designated venue in Kerala.

The details of the venue for the literary award are not listed publicly. It is an invite-only event organised by The Guruvayurappan Trust annually. Many notable writers from Kerala and other states join the Odakkuzhal Award ceremony.

The organisers invite these people to the literary award ceremony in advance. However, the public knows who won the award after it has been given in an invite-only event.

Besides the award winner and the organisers, many other notable writers and laureates are present at the Odakkuzhal Award ceremony.

Since the award comes with a cash prize and citation, a prominent personality gives the award to the winner.

The common public will know more details through the news after the ceremony is over. To know more about registration for Odakkuzhal Award, you will have to reach out to the organisers.

Winners

Some individuals have joined Odakkuzhal Award ceremonies as winners, while others are trustees/presenters.

Literature personalities are no less than celebrities in a cultural country like India. Let us know about the past five winners of the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award:

• Ayumanam John: He is a popular short-story writer in the Malayalam language and has won the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award. In 2017, he received the Odakkuzhal Award for his book Aymanam Johninte Kathakal. He belongs to Aymanam, a small village in Kerela. For the same rationale, he often writes short stories about his village in his Malayalam books.

• V. Ramakrishnan: He is a renowned writer in the English and Malayalam language. Besides publishing poetry in both languages, he also publishes criticisms. He got his hands on the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award in 2018 for his work Malayala Novalinte Desakalangal.

• Prabhakaran: He is a novelist, poet, essayist, and playwright in the Malayalam language. He has also worked as a professor and guest professor in several educational institutions. He received the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award in the year 2019 for his work Mayamanushyar.

• Sarah Joseph: Sarah Joseph is a well-known short-story writer and novelist in the Malayalam language. She got the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award in the year 2021 for her novel Budhini. Besides the Odakkuzhal Award, she has also got her hands on the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award.

• Ambikasuthan Mangad: He is the latest winner of the prestigious Odakkuzhal Award. He won this award in 2022 for his work in Pranavayu. It is a heartful short story related to the oxygen cylinder shortage during the COVID pandemic.

Schedule

The organisers of the Odakkuzhal Award try to organise the ceremony at the start of the year.

The Odakkuzhal Award 2022 was organised on 2nd February 2023. The date was chosen by The Guruvayurappan Trust as it was very special to them. 2nd February was the 45th death anniversary of the founder of the trust.

G. Sankara Kurup was the founder of the trust as well as the Odakkuzhal Award.

On 2nd February 2023, Dr M. Leelavathi presented the award to the winner. As discussed above, Ambikasuthan Mangad received the Odakkuzhal Award 2022 on 2nd February 2023.

The venue for the Odakkuzhal Award 2022 was the Samastha Kerala Sahitya Parishad complex.

The Odakkuzhal Award 2022 was not premiered on any streaming platforms. However, notable media personnel covered the ceremony hosted on 2nd February.

Conclusion

The Odakkuzhal Award is a renowned award for Malayalam short-story writers, poets, novelists, and other notable workers in literature. Since it has a long history, the award is respected by many in India.

You will not find tickets online for the Odakkuzhal Award as the ceremony is not open to the public. However, you can connect with the organisers to know more about attending the Odakkuzhal Award ceremony.