Kochi: Mathrubhumi’s fortnightly magazine Mathrubhumi Grihalakshmi presented the Grihalakshmi Katha Puraskaram awards, recognising literary excellence among women writers across Kerala and beyond.
Arda K S won the top honour, while Noora and Aishwarya Jalaja Pradeep secured the second and third prizes respectively. Twenty finalists were also presented with certificates at the award ceremony. Prize money of ₹50,000, ₹25,000 and ₹10,000 was awarded to the top three winners.
The event witnessed the presence of several literary and media personalities including Kappetta Narayanan, Mayura SK, R Rajasree, Sithara S, E P Rajagopalan, Manoj K Das, K Vishwanath and V Praveena.
The Grihalakshmi Katha Puraskaram was originally conceived by legendary writer M T Vasudevan Nair during his tenure as editor of the Mathrubhumi Weekly. The initiative was envisioned as a platform to identify, encourage and celebrate emerging women writers, and over the years has helped discover several literary voices.
The stories of the 23 award winners will now be compiled and published as a special anthology titled Mathrubhumi Grihalakshmi Stories.
Congratulating the winners, Mayura SK said, “Through initiatives like the Grihalakshmi Katha Puraskaram, we aim to create a meaningful platform that nurtures and celebrates the literary voices of women. In an era increasingly shaped by technology and AI, encouraging original thought, creativity, and storytelling has become more important than ever. The overwhelming participation this year reflects the richness of talent among women writers and reaffirms the relevance of such literary platforms.”
This year’s edition received more than 1,000 entries from women writers representing diverse age groups and backgrounds, including both aspiring and established authors. The jury panel comprised writers R Rajasree and Sithara S along with literary critic E P Rajagopalan.
