Actor and dramatist S.Ve. Shekher was presented the ‘Iyakkunar Sigaram K. Balachander Award’ at the inauguration of the five-day Pancha Mugham drama festival, hosted in commemoration of veteran director K. Balachander’s 95th birth anniversary at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Mylapore.
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Former Judge of Madras High Court S. Jagadeesan, who presented the award, said awards, including lifetime achievement awards, were given to motivate a person to better their performance. They were incentives for the artiste to grow, he said. Mr. Jagadeesan said Balachander had spread himself across a range of fields in the entertainment sector.
Dramatists T.V. Varadharajan, Y.Gee. Mahendra, and industrialist Nalli Kuppuswami Chetti recalled Balachander’s achievements and praised Mr. Shekher’s technical skills.
Mr. Shekher said he dedicated the award to his parents and to all the members of his troupe. He said people would seek out quality even if they had to buy tickets to a show.
Kavithalaya R. Krishnan, who instituted the award in the name of the director-turned playwright, was also present at the ceremony.