NOORANAD HANIF MEMORIAL AWARD-2012

NOORANAD HANIF MEMORIAL AWARD-2012

E. Santosh Kumar gets Nooranad Hanif award

The Malayalam novel Andhakaranazhi by E. Santosh Kumar has been selected for this year’s Nooranad Hanif Memorial Literary Award. Novels written by authors below 45 years of age were considered for this year’s(2012) award.Carrying a cash prize of Rs.12,221, a trophy, and a citation, the award will be presented to Mr. Santosh Kumar by the former editor of Janayugam Thengamam Balakrishnan at a function to be held here on August 5 to commemorate the sixth death anniversary of Nooranad Hanif.

Mr. Santosh Kumar was chosen for the award by a jury comprising writes George Onakkoor, Chandramathi, and M.M. Anzari. The function will be inaugurated by the former Minister N.K. Premachandran. Poet Alankode Leelakrishnan will deliver the commemoration address.

Novelist Nooranad Haneef passed away at 6.45 a.m. on Saturday morning at a private hospital  at Kollan-6 Aug 2006  (2006). He was 71. Haneef is survived by his wife, Ameena, and son, Anzari. He had been ailing for some time and his condition worsened on Friday night following which he was admitted to the hospital.

Hundreds of people from all walks of life visited his house to pay their last respects. Minister for Agriculture Mullakara Ratnakaran; Kollam Mayor N. Padmalochanan; district panchayat president K. Devaki; District Collector B. Sreenivas; literary critic K.P. Appan; CPI(M) district secretary K. Rajagopal; DCC president Sooranad Rajashekaran; Congress leader C.V. Padmarajan; INTUC State president K. Suresh Babu; the former Ministers Babu Divakaran and Kadavur Sivadasan; and CPI leaders K.C. Pillai and K. Prakash Babu were among those who visited his house.

The funeral rites were held at 4 p.m. at Makhani cemetery attached to the Chinnakada Mosque.

Haneef has written 30 Malayalam novels. A recipient of the London-based Twentieth Century Literary Award, Haneef was active in the social and cultural arenas of Kollam.

Prof. John Kurakar