Noted oncologist V.P. Gangadharan has been selected for the 21st Basheer award instituted by the Doha-based Pravasi Trust in memory of litterateur Vaikom Muhammed Basheer. The award carries a cash prize of Rs.50,000, a sculpture by artist Namboothiri and a citation.
The M.N. Vijayan memorial endowment for students, of Rs.10,000, will be presented to a student for his study on the native place of the Basheer award winner. The award will be presented at a function to be held in Kochi in September. The winner was selected by a jury comprising writer M.T.Vasudevan Nair, also a patron of the Trust, Babu Mather and M.A. Rahman. The award committee from Doha consists of C.V. Rappayi, K.K. Sudhakaran and Shamsudheen.
