Tamil Nadu Launches Semmozhi Literary Award for Seven Indian Languages Amid Sahitya Akademi Delay

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced the Semmozhi Literary Award to honor outstanding works in seven Indian languages—Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, Bengali, and Marathi—each carrying a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh. This initiative responds to the cancellation of the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Awards, which Stalin attributed to political interference by the Union Ministry of Culture. The state government will form independent committees for transparent selection, aiming to promote literary excellence and cultural harmony.