Kambar wins Tagore award for literature

Incidentally, this is the first time that the Sahitya Akademi, the highest literary body of the country under the Ministry of Culture, has collaborated with a corporate body to institute awards in the field of literature.

Kambar was given the award, comprising a bust of Rabindranath Tagore, a shawl and Rs 91,000 by South Korean first lady Kim Yoon-ok, at a glittering ceremony here on Monday for “Shikara Soorya,” an epic novel that embraces elements of history and culture.

The award will be given every year to litterateurs in eight languages out of the 24 languages recognised by the Akademi, with each lot of eight languages considered for the awards again after three years on a rotation basis.

A jury comprising Dr Banjagere Jayaprakash, Purushottam Billimale and Dr Kaligouda Nagavara selected Kambar for the award.

The multitalented Kambar, who has served as the chairman of the National School of Drama Society during 1996-2000 and the president of the Karnataka Nataka Academy during 1980-83, has earlier won the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Kalidas Samman, the Kabir Samman and the Pampa Award.

A Padma Shri awardee, he was also a nominated member of the Karnataka Legislative Council representing the Congress.