New leadership for Keralam’s cultural institutions after four-month vacuum

The Keralam government has ended the more than four-month-long leadership vacuum in major cultural institutions, appointing prominent figures from the fields of literature, music, theatre, cinema, visual arts and folklore to head the organisations.

Poet, writer and public speaker Kalpetta Narayanan has been appointed chairman of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, with writer and journalist M.P. Surendran named its new secretary.

Singer and music director G. Venugopal will head the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi as chairman. Theatre and cultural activist Hemanthkumar has been appointed vice-chairman, while N.V. Pradeepkumar will be the new secretary.

Internationally acclaimed animator and production designer Prof. Prakash Moorthy will head the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi as chairman. Artist T.R. Udayakumar has been appointed vice-chairman, while Vaikom M.K. Shibu will be the secretary.

Actor and cultural activist Prem Kumar has been appointed chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC). Director and producer Alappy Ashraf will serve as vice-chairman. Prem Kumar had earlier served as chairman and vice-chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.

Film producer and industry organiser M. Ranjith has been appointed chairman of the Kerala Cultural Activists Welfare Fund Board, which oversees welfare measures for artists and cultural workers.

Folklore and cultural activist Suresh Babu Elayavoor has been appointed chairman of the Kerala Folklore Academy. Sreeraman Koyyon, a tribal rights activist and cultural worker, will be the vice-chairman. Pradeepkumar M. Payyannur, who had earlier served as the academy’s secretary, will return as member-secretary.

The government has also appointed actor Raveendran as chairman of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy, with actor and cultural activist Priyanka Nair as vice-chairperson. Actor Salim Hassan and young filmmaker Jofin T. Chacko will be members of the executive committee.

The appointments come after a prolonged period in which several cultural institutions were functioning without full-fledged leadership following the change of government.