Dr M V Pillai receives Kesavadev Literary Award

Thiruvananthapuram: P Kesavadev was a literary genius who had frequently fought for the upliftment of exploited communities, said speaker P Sreeramakrishnan. He was inaugurating this year’s P Kesavadev Award distribution function held here on Wednesday.
Writer, orator and thinker Dr M V Pillai (oncologist based in the USA), bagged the 15th edition of P Kesavadev Literary Award.
Kerala Type 1 Diabetic Welfare Society, a voluntary organization of parents of children afflicted with type 1 diabetes, received P Kesavadev Diabscreen Kerala Award for its active service towards advancement of juvenile diabetes treatment and for providing awareness.
Former Ernakulam district collector K Mohammad Y Saffarulla bagged the first P Kesavadev Special Award for implementing model initiatives in health sector.
Each award comprises a purse of Rs 50,000, a memento sculptured by artist B D Dethan and a citation. The awards instituted by the P Kesavadev Trust were distributed by the speaker.
The speaker remembered Kesavadev as a brave man who had the courage to speak and write the truth. “Kesavadev’s works are unique and immortal. His style was honest and straight forward. In his autobiography ‘Ethirppu’ he etched the life stories of neglected society. He was a courageous man who boldly expressed his thoughts and socialists ideas,” he said.
Cooperation minister Kadakampally Surendran, who was the chief guest of the function, recalled Kesavadev as the first Malayalam writer who wrote on the lives of ordinary people. “He was a rebel in life and literature. His ‘Odayil ninnu’ and its character ‘Pappu’ will remain in the hearts of all Malayalis,” Surendran said.
BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan, writer George Onakkoor, P Kesavadev Trust managing trustee Dr Jothidev Kesavadev and opposition deputy leader M K Muneer MLA spoke at the fuction.