Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi president and writer K Satchidanandan on Friday expressed regret over the ‘poor remuneration’ offered to poet Balachandran Chullikkad for the lecture delivered at  International Literary Festival of Keralam organised by the body. The expression of regret comes after Chullikkad’s dig at Akademi went viral on social media. 

Chullikkad on social media claimed that he was paid Rs 2,400 by the organizers for his lecture on Kumaranasan's Karuna. “I lectured on the subject for two hours. For my travel from Ernakulam to Thrissur for the lecture, I had to pay Rs 3,500 as taxi fare,” he wrote. 

Chullikkad emphasized that “enlightened Malayalis” should never invite him to such programs. He subtly slammed the poor remuneration and alleged that Malayalis are willing to pay hundreds and lakhs of rupees for musical performances and mimicry. "I appreciate that it made me realize that my value is just Rs 2,400,” he added.

Reacting to Chullikkad’s remarks, Satchidanandan maintained that Akademi has intervened to resolve the issue. Satchidanandan noted that the lecture was a low-budget event and what Chullikkad highlighted is an issue faced by many.