In order to commemorate the life and the dreams of A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, a private entertainment media company is all set to institute an award in his name, for young and aspiring talents all over the state, on January 26 in Chennai.

Briefing reporters in Coimbatore on Friday, J. Jeevitha Rajendran, the Managing Partner of the Fusion Media and Entertainments, said that the awards are distributed to honour Abdul Kalam and encourage the young talents in the state.

“There are many people who have immense talent and have done wonderful service, but without a platform. This award is aimed at encouraging these talents and motivating them to reach new levels,” she said, adding that around 22 to 25 awards would be given away in various fields, based on their uniqueness and achievements.

“People can nominate themselves or someone else on the website, www.kalamawards.com. They can either participate as individuals or as a group based on their talents and service,” she said.

Stating that that as many as 500 nominations are expected, Jeevitha said that those who do not win the awards will be honoured in the ‘Kalam Book of Records,’ a special book which would be launched at the award distribution function.

“We have a special jury to evaluate the nominees. The winners would be rated on the basis of the contribution’s usefulness to the society. December 25 is the last date to file the nominations,” she said.

S.M. Samsudeen, the head of sales and marketing of the company, said that the team will be impartial, adding that there will not be any loopholes or controversies in the judgment. “We are also planning to conduct a marathon at Chennai Marina Beach as a promotion for the event,” he said.

The event, which was officially inaugurated in Chennai by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, Konijeti Rosaiah, on October 10, will be launched in Coimbatore on Saturday at a shopping complex near Avinashi Road.