Right: Kannada writer Banu Mushtaq, Chief Minister MK Stalin, Education Minister Anbil Mahesh and Education Minister B. Chandra Mohan. | Photo credit: B. Velankanni Raj
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Sunday (January 18, 2026) announced the introduction of a National Literary Award for works in seven Indian languages.
Speaking at the valedictory function of the Chennai International Book Fair 2026, he said, “Due to the intervention of the Union Ministry of Culture, the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025 was canceled a few days ago after the list was finalised. We do not know if the awards will be announced. Political interference in art and literature is dangerous.”
Mr. Stalin said writers and those interested in art and literature urged the Tamil Nadu government to act in a constructive manner and respond to the Union government’s political interference in art and literature. “In the first phase, the best literary works in the Indian languages of Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali and Marathi will be awarded the Semmozhi Literary Award every year. The award will include a cash prize of ₹ 5 lakh for each language. Once the Dravida 2.0 model government is formed, we will strengthen it and expand this world-class initiative.brilli.brilli. we will ignite the flame of knowledge and we come out victorious, we work in mutual harmony.”
Pointing out the importance of translation and transfer of copyright at the book fair, Mr. Stalin said that the translation of Heart Lamp into English made Kannada writer Bana Mushtaq famous all over 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 Ban Mushtaq for accepting our invitation.”
Emphasizing the need for harmony and sharing of ideas between languages, he said that ideas nurtured by writers of our country should be shared with all the people of the world and great ideas from different parts of the world should reach our people. “Language is not a wall that separates people rather it unites people all over the world. This event has enabled us to realize our dream. I congratulate our Education Minister Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi and Education Minister B. Chandra Mohan for the success of this book fair,” he added.
Published – 18 Jan 2026 21:24 IST
