Kalamandalam Awards announced

Thiruvananthapuam, Jan 4 (UNI) The Kerala Kalamandalam Fellowship and Awards for 2005 were announced here today.

Addressing a press conference, Kalamandalam Chairman O N V Kurup and Secretary N R Shyamapakash said Kathakali Artiste Kottakal Shivaraman had been selected for the fellowship. He had earlier won the Central and Kerala Sangeeta Nataka Akademi Awards.

Mr Shivaraman, who had specialised in female characters, would get Rs 10,000, a statuette and a citation. Kathakali Artistes Kalamandalam Kuttan, Kurur Cheriya Vasudevan Namboodiri, Kuchipudi Exponent Kalamandalam K P Chandrika.

Ottamthullal Artiste Ayankudi Thankappan Nair and Kudiyattam Exponent G Venu would receive the Kalamandalam Awards.

The award consists of Rs 5,000, a statuette and citation.

Mr Muzhikulam Kochukuttan Chakyar has been selected for the Kalarathnam Award.

KudiyattamKudiyattam exponent Mr Chakyar had earlier received the Centre-Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi awards. He would get Rs 10,000, a statuette and citation. The Dr V S Sharma Award consisting of Rs 2,000 and citation was bagged by Margi Vijayakumar while the Mukundaraja Memorial Prize went to Cliford R Johns. It carries a purse of Rs 1,000 and citation. The Bhagavathar Kunjunni Thampuran Award given for artistes below 40 years was won by Kudamalur Muralikrishnan.

It carries a prize money of Rs 2,000 and a citation.

The award for the best literature went to Mr P G Janardhanan for his ''Natyakal: Sidhanthavum Prayogavum.'' The Kalamandalam would also be honouring four artistes C - Subramanyan, Varkala Sreenivasan, Thrippunithura Vijayabhanu and Kalamandalam Rama.

The awards would b presented at the Platinum Jubilee Celebrations of the Kalamandalam in the first week of February.

UNI