Call for Tamil Semmal Award nominations

Coimbatore: Officials of the district Tamil development department have been awaiting applications from Tamil scholars and writers from the district for the ‘Tamil Semmal Award’.
The award is given to people who have been working to develop and promote Tamil language. It consists of Rs 25,000 and a citation.
Officials of the department said people who have published books of poetry, fiction and have promoted Tamil language in other means can apply for the award. “The applicants have to submit their biodata and the details of their works along with copies of their books. We would collect them, prepare summaries of them and send them to Chennai. Officials in Chennai would shortlist them and select the awardees,” said the official.
The deadline for submitting the applications to the department at the collectorate is March 10. Last year, there were 10 applications from Tamil scholars and writers from the district. “This year, we have not yet started receiving applications for the upcoming award,” the official said.