Deputy Communication Minister YB Teo Nie Ching has stated the importance of the Tamil Short Story Writing Contest to showcase the talents of both new and experienced writers. She said that the contest contributes to the development of the growing local Tamil literacy ecosystem. The contest was organised by Minnal FM and Malaysian Tamil Writers Association.
“Selected works will be translated into other languages in collaboration with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, enabling these stories to reach a wider, multi-ethnic and multilingual audience”, she said during the prize presentation ceremony.
Also present were National FM Manager and representative of the director of the Radio Programme Division at the Department of Broadcasting Malaysia, Salbiah Mohd Sharif, Minnal FM manager S.Rohiny and Malaysian Tamil Writers Association chairman P.Mohanan.
The winners of the contest were R. Dharisyan, who won the first place with RM3000 cash prize, followed by M.Karthigesan who won the second place with RM2000 cash prize and P.Athyletchumy who won third place with RM1000 cash prize.
YB Teo also presented a contribution of RM20,000 to the Malaysian Tamil Writers Association to support the promotion of the Tamil language and literature. The allocation, was channeled through the Deputy Minister’s fund, will be used to print 2000 copies of a short story compilation from the contest, to be distributed to Tamil schools nationwide.
“We hope this contribution will inspire the emergence of more young and talented writers through their creative works”, she said.
The deputy minister also added that the association, in partnership with the National Library of Malaysia, will organise a seminar on 10th May, focusing on writing for children and teenagers.
“Such initiatives are vital to fostering a creating and resourceful younger generation”.
YB Teo concluded by reaffirming the ministry’s commitment to nurture a vibrant literacy culture across languages while embracing digital innovation. She emphasize that initiative like the Tamil Short Story Contest and RTM’s growing global presence reflects Malaysia’s strength in cultural diversity.
Sources: Bernama
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