The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee will present the ‘Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil’ for the years 2011-12 and 2012-13 tomorrow (May 14^th, 2015) at a function in Rashtrapati Bhavan.

‘The Presidential awards for Classical Tamil’ were instituted to give due recognition and honour to the distinguished scholars who have made outstanding contribution to Classical Tamil language and literature. Under this Scheme, a total number of eight awards are given for each year. The Presidential Awards for Classical Tamil comprises the following:

Tholkappiar Award: This is a life time achievement award for Indian scholar which is given to distinguished scholars with an outstanding contribution in the field of Tamil studies each year. The award carries a certificate of honour, a memento and a one-time cash award of rupees five lakh.

Kural Peedam Award: Two international awards, one each for persons of Indian origin and another for a person of non-Indian origin are given to the eminent scholars of Classical Tamil for each year. It includes a certificate of honour, a memento and a one-time cash award of rupees five lakh.

Young Scholar Award: Five awards are given to young scholars in the age group of 30-40 years for each year. Those scholars who have publications to their credit and have shown interest in Tamil studies and have excelled in it are given these awards. It includes a certificate of honour, a memento and a one-time cash award of rupees one lakh.

For the Award years 2011-12 and 2012-13, the following scholars have been selected for the Presidential Award: (category wise)

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