UDF revamps Kerala cultural bodies, Prem Kumar appointed KSFDC chief
THE Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala on Saturday announced a major reshuffle in the leadership of the state's key cultural institutions, appointing noted personalities from the fields of literature, cinema and music to top positions.
Poet and literary critic Kalpetta Narayanan has been named chairman of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, while veteran playback singer G. Venugopal will head the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi.
Actor Prem Kumar will be appointed chairman of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), while producer M. Ranjith is the chairman of the Film Welfare Fund Board.
The appointments are among the first major decisions of the Cultural Affairs Department under the newly formed UDF government and have political as well as cultural significance.
Prem Kumar's appointment is likely to attract particular attention. He had been removed from the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy leadership after the previous LDF government reconstituted the Academy.
Kumar had alleged that his public support for the prolonged ASHA workers' agitation had contributed to his exit.
The then Cultural Affairs Minister Saji Cherian, however, denied that his political or public views had played a role, saying the Academy's term had ended and a new governing body was appointed as part of the normal process.
Kumar had served as vice-chairman of the Chalachitra Academy and later functioned as chairman-in-charge following the resignation of filmmaker Ranjith. He had also claimed that he was not formally informed about his removal and was not invited to the event where his successor, sound designer Resul Pookutty, assumed office.
His appointment to the KSFDC therefore marks a return to the leadership of a major government institution in the film sector.
The government appointed M.P. Surendran as secretary of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Alleppey Ashraf was given the post of vice-chairman of the KSFDC.
Suresh Babu Elayavoor will head the Kerala Folklore Akademi, with Sreeraman Koyyon as vice-chairman and Pradeep Kumar M. Payyannur as member secretary.
The appointments will give the new government a new leadership team across the state's major cultural institutions.
Several of the proposed appointees have publicly identifiable political associations or sympathies, making the selections likely to be closely watched for both their cultural and political implications.
