Corporation to award best letter writer

KOCHI: Are you among those who crib each time you have to fill an application form or write an official letter? If yes, you might just be on your way to losing an award this week. As part of the Malayalam Week observance, the Department of Local Fund Audit of the Kochi Corporation is all set to award the best official letter in Malayalam addressed to the corporation in the past one year. The official letter can include complaint letters, applications and even RTI queries. “Many a time we see letters written in excellent literature with clear presentation of ideas and facts. The staff from different departments of the corporation will be asked to nominate one letter each for the award. The nominated letters will go to a panel which will in turn select the best letter,” said  Programme Coordinator, C M Rasheed, Senior Auditor at the Department of Local Fund Audit.Part of the government policy to encourage Malayalam as the official language in  government offices in the state, the event is aimed at encouraging Malayalam letter writing. “A lot of people tend to write their letters in English these days. Even when it comes to Malayalam letters, many tend to include words and names in English. In the competition we are looking at letters which are completely in Malayalam. Handwriting will also be considered,” said Bobit K U, Assistant, Department of Local Fund Audit. “This is for the first time in the state that an award is being given for the best letter to the corporation. Apart from encouraging Malayalam letter writing, the award is aimed at changing the sense of tediousness and aversion which citizens associate with local bodies and bureaucratic procedures,” said the programme coordinator.Another interesting competition taken up by the department is finding new words in Malayalam. The department has sent a list of 25 English words which do not have synonyms in Malayalam. The list includes words like ‘blue tooth, ‘Flat,’ ‘Calculator,’ ‘Pacemaker’ etc. The participants should create Malayalam words which could be an appropriate synonym. The Local Fund Audit Department is also conducting several other programmes throughout the week, including Malayalam dictation for foreigners, poetry composition and documentary screening.