Chennai, Sep. 2023

In commemoration of the centenary year honouring the renowned Tamil writer, the late Ki Rajanarayanan, who pioneered ‘Karisal Ilakkiyam’ genre of Tamil literature, the 2023 namesake award and a prize money of Rs. 5 lakhs have been conferred upon Mr. S.V. Rajadurai, a reputed Marxist scholar, writer, and human rights activist. These prestigious accolades were presented by Sakthi Masala Group on behalf of Vijaya Vasagar Vattam, Coimbatore.  

Sakthi Masala Group has been honouring writers with awards and cash prizes for the past four years to recognise their outstanding contributions to the world of literature and support their creative endeavours. 

At a recent event held in Coimbatore, Mr. S.V. Rajadurai was bestowed with honours by Dr. V. Iraianbu, I.A.S (Retd.), the former Chief Secretary of the Government of Tamil Nadu, who also presided over the function. Mr. M. Velayutham, publisher, Vijaya Pathipagam, gave the welcome address, while the renowned film actor Mr. Sivakumar, advocate, Mr. K.S. Radhakrishnan, and the directors of Sakthi Masala Group, Dr. P.C. Duraisamy, and Dr. Santhi Duraisamy, delivered felicitation addresses. Other prominent personalities, including Mr. V. Chidambaram of Vijaya Pathipagam also took part in the event. 

The awardee, Mr. Rajadurai has authored many books and articles on Marxism, Periyarism, and Ambedkarism, both in Tamil and English. He has also contributed translations of numerous short stories and poems into Tamil. For over a quarter of a century, he has actively engaged in the protection of human rights, and as the head of Centre for Periyar Studies, Bharathidasan University, he made substantial contributions to instilling Periyar’s ideologies among students and the general public. He edited and operated Ini, an arts and literature magazine. He has written more than 80 books in both Tamil and English.