Thiruvananthapuram: Poet Prabha Varma has been selected for the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award for his poem ‘Shyamamaadhavam’ for 2016. Described as a ‘novel in verse,’ it has 15 parts which depict the thoughts of Krishna while he is dying after hit by the arrow of the hunter.
The Malayalam book was selected by a jury comprising M. Leelavathy, Alancode Leelakrishnan and V. Sukumaran. The award carrying an amount of Rs 1 lakh and a citation will be distributed on February 2.
The poem revealed Krishna as an exact opposite of the playful image seen in the popular mindset. Shyamamaadhavam had won the Vayalar literary prize and the Malayattoor award in 2013. He had also won the Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for his anthology of poems ‘Arkkapoornima.’
He is a recipient of the state government’s best film lyricist award in 2006 and 2013.
