Famous Writer T Padmanabhan Awarded Kerala Jyothi Award

Several individuals have been awarded prestigious accolades in Kerala for their contributions to various fields. Notably, T Padmanabhan, a renowned writer, has been honored with the Kerala Jyothi Award for his remarkable work in the field of literature. 

Retired Justice M Fathima Beevi has been recognized for her contributions to social service and civil service, Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, also known as Surya Krishnamoorthy, was recognized for his contributions to the arts field and was awarded the Kerala Prabha Award. 

• Additionally, several individuals were selected for the Kerala Shree Award in different categories, including Punaloor Somarajan for social service, Dr V P Gangadharan for healthcare, Ravi D C for industry and commerce, retired civil service officer K M Chandrasekhar for civil service, and musician Pandit Ramesh Narayan for the arts. 
• The Kerala government has stated that the maximum number of awards in each category will not exceed 10 in a single year.

About Kerala Awards

The Kerala Jyothi Award, the highest civilian honour instituted by the state government, was first awarded to writer M T Vasudevan Nair. The Kerala Awards have been created on the lines of the Padma awards given by the Indian government. 

The Kerala Awards are divided into three categories:

- Kerala Jyothi: the highest award, given to only one person.

- Kerala Prabha: the second highest award, given to three individuals.

- Kerala Sree: the third highest award, given to six persons.

Established in 2021, the Kerala Awards are state-level civilian awards conferred on individuals who have made "priceless contributions to the society". 

The Kerala Piravi is celebrated every year on 1 November, coinciding with the establishment day of the Indian state of Kerala, and on this day the awardees are announced.

The awardees are selected by a special award committee after scrutiny by two subordinate committees. The awards ceremony is held in the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the Governor.

Kerala Day, also known as Kerala Piravi, is celebrated on November 1st to commemorate the foundation of the state of Kerala. The term 'piravi' means birth in Malayalam, and the day signifies the birth of Kerala. It celebrates the unification of the Malayalam-speaking regions into one state.

• Kerala was historically divided into three independent provinces: Malabar, Cochin, and Travancore. 
• The Malabar Presidency constituted the northernmost territories of Kerala, including Thalassery, Kannur, and Kasaragod. 
• The princely State of Cochin occupied the middle section, while the sovereign State of Travancore administered the southern region. 
• After India gained independence, there was a need to create new states based on language. Thus, a few years later in 1956 Kerala was reorganized into one such independent state.