CHENNAI: The Ballroom at Taj Coromandel was packed on the evening of January 2 as the third edition of the Ramnath Goenka Sahitya Samman unfolded in a setting marked by restraint, gravitas and institutional elegance.

The ceremony brought together voices from literature, politics, journalism, entertainment and public life, creating an atmosphere that was reflective rather than celebratory, and firmly anchored in the values the awards seek to uphold.

The tightly curated nature of the event mirrored the seriousness of that journey, with the focus firmly on ideas, reading and intellectual engagement.

The dais featured the Vice President C P Radhakrishnan, TNIE Group Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Kumar Sonthalia, CEO Lakshmi Menon, Editorial Director Prabhu Chawla, TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya, Kalpana Sonthalia and Dinamani Editor K Vaidiyanathan. Tamil Nadu ministers PTR Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and Ma Subramanian were also present on the dais, lending the evening political and civic weight.

The audience reflected the breadth of the gathering with DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Apollo Hospitals Executive Vice Chairperson Preetha Reddy, industrialist Nalli Kuppuswamy Chetti, former HC judge Prabha Sridevan, composer and environmentalist Ricky Kej and Anil Srinivasan, playwright Gowri Ramnarayan, singer P Uniikrishnan, Mohan Rajan of Rajan Eye Care, veteran actor Sivakumar, BJP members and actors Kasthuri Shankar, Gautami, CPM leader TK Rangarajan, MP GK Vasan, former MP Jayanthi Natarajan, senior government officials Vikram Kapur, Supriya Sahu, G Prakash, and members of the TNIE fraternity in attendance.

The evening concluded on a note of affirmation that books and ideas presenting the unspoken and lesser-spoken life experiences have the enduring forces in changing the public sphere.