Thrissur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi President K Satchidanandan stated that the Akademi’s main hall will soon be named after the legendary writer MT Vasudevan Nair. The announcement was made during the official declaration of the Sahitya Akademi Awards, which was held on Thursday.

The formal naming ceremony will take place on August 17, during the inauguration of the upcoming International Literary Festival of the Akademi. This year, the festival will be spread across three venues over five days. Due to ongoing financial constraints, the number of venues has been reduced from four to three and several programmes have been scaled down.

An estimate of ₹64 lakh is expected to be spent on the festival. In addition to the grant from the state government, funds from the Akademi’s own reserves will also be utilised. It is anticipated that about 20 of India's most well-known authors will attend the literary event.