Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Awards announced

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi awards for 2011 have been announced. Pandit Ramesh Narayanan (vocal), Kavalam Sreekumar (vocal), Guruvayoor Gopi (Nadaswaram) and Sreenarayanapuram Appu Marar (chenda) have been selected for the award in the classical music category. Announcing the awards here on Tuesday, Akademi chairman Soorya Krishnamoorthy, secretary P V Krishnan Nair and vice-chairman T M Abreha said the awards carry a cash prize of `25,000 each,citation and a memento.Other AwardsSelma George was selected for the award in the light music category.From the drama section, K G Ramu (costume), Meenampalam Santhosh and Deepan Sivaraman (direction) have been selected for the award. Inchakkattu Ramachandran Pillai has bagged the award in the Kathakali section. In the dance category, Sunanda Nair (Mohiniyattom) and Girija Regatta (Bharatanatyam) have been selected for the award. Margi Madhu (Koothu, Koodiyattom) and Kelathu Aravindaksha Marar (chenda) were the awardees from the traditional arts section. Thampi Payyappalli (Chavittu Natakam) and Sreedharan Asan (Kakkarissi Natakam) were selected for the award from the folk arts section.  In the Popular Arts category, magicianR K Malayath was selected.   Poochakkal Shahul has been selected for drama lyrics award. The Akademi office-bearers said this year’s fellowship for an eminent artiste will be announced after the meeting of the Akademi’s general council. They said that the awardees were selected after inviting nominations from awardees of yesteryears.Insurance and Mediclaim Soorya Krishna Moorthy said that the Akademi would implement an insurance and mediclaim scheme for the economically backward temple artistes. He said Kerala was the first state to begin such a scheme for temple artistes.  Earlier, the Akademi had introduced such a scheme for the artistes of professional plays and dance dramas.  Around 2,000 artistes have been benefited by this scheme. In the newly-introduced scheme for temple artistes, around 1,000 artistes will be included. Of this, 500 will be enrolled in the first phase. He said NRI industrialist B R Shetty has donated the amount for the payment of the premium amount for three years.Cine stars Mohanlal and Mammootty had contributed for paying the premium for the drama artistes’ insurance scheme. A committee headed by Peruvanam Kuttan Marar will identify the artistes to be included in the  scheme.