Thiruvananthapuram: The state govt has appointed eminent personalities who have made contributions to literature, cinema, theatre, music, painting and folk arts to the new leadership of various academies and cultural bodies. Govt has selected noted poet, writer and speaker Kalpetta Narayanan as chairperson of Kerala Sahitya Akademi and writer and journalist M P Surendran as the new secretary of the Akademi.Singer and music composer G Venugopal will take charge as chairperson of Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi. Hemanth Kumar, known for his contributions to theatre and cultural activities, has been named vice-chairperson. N V Pradeep Kumar, active in the field of cultural organisations, will serve as Akademi’s new secretary.Actor and cultural activist Premkumar has been appointed chairperson of Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC), while filmmaker and producer Alleppy Ashraf will serve as vice-chairperson. Premkumar has previously served both as chairperson and vice-chairperson of Kerala State Chalachitra Academy.Film producer M Ranjith has been appointed chairperson of Kerala Cultural Activists Welfare Fund Board. The board will focus on initiatives aimed at the welfare of artists and cultural workers.Prakash Moorthy, an internationally recognised animator and production designer, will assume office as chairperson of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. T R Udayakumar, noted in the field of painting, will be the vice-chairperson. Vaikom M K Shibu has been appointed secretary of the Akademi.Suresh Babu Elayavoor, a leading figure in folk art and culture and state vice-chairperson of Gandhi Darshan Vedi, will take over as chairperson of Kerala Folklore Akademi. Tribal rights activist and cultural worker Sreeraman Koyyon has been named vice-chairperson. Former Akademi secretary Pradeep Kumar M Payyannur will assume charge as the new member secretary.
