Dr Jose Periappuram, M P Veerendra Kumar and Sethu
Prominent Indian cardiac surgeon Dr Jose Chacko Periyappuram has been chosen for the “Outstanding personality” award of the Indian expatriate forum Thrissur Jilla Souhrida Vedi (TJSV) for the year 2011.
Office-bearers of the more than 5,000-strong forum announced their 10th annual awards at a briefing at Ramada Plaza Hotel yesterday.
Others chosen for honours are former Indian parliamentarian and federal minister M P Veerendra Kumar (C Achutha Menon Award), film actor Saleem Kumar (Bahadur Memorial Award), journalist J Gopikrishnan (Mohamed Abdulrahman Saahib Memorial Award), novelist and writer A Sethumadhavan alias Sethu (T V Kochu Bava Literary award), film director Akku Akbar (Ramu Karyat award), human rights and social activist M N Karassery (K M Seethi Saahib Memorial Human Fraternity award) and Dr Sunita Krishnan (Professor Joseph Mundassery award for outstanding social work).
The forum’s chairman and chief patron, C K Menon, said the award winners would be honoured at a meeting to be held at MES Indian School grounds on February 17. Indian federal Minister of State for Home Mullapally Ramachandran will be the chief guest.
Each of the award winners will be given a citation, plaque and Rs 50,000 (about QR3,600) each, said Menon.
Dr Periappuram, the head of cardio-thoracic surgery department at Kerala’s largest mission hospital, Lisie Hospital in Kochi, has performed more than 16,000 cardiac surgeries, including 11,000 solo surgeries, in a career spanning more than two decades.
A recipient of the Indian civil award Padma Shri last year, Dr Periyappuram has set up a Heart Care Foundation, headquartered in Kochi, which is providing assistance to poor patients to receive medical care, including surgery, in cardiac ailments.
Besides Menon, other TJSV office-bearers, president K M Anil, general secretary V K Saleem, committee members A P Manikandan, C T Lohidakshan, K M S Hameed and V S Narayanan, were present at yesterday’s meeting.