<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Oct 30, 2009
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Prata man whips up poem <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Akshita Nanda
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Elangovan has won second prize in Tamil language category of SPH-NAC Golden Point competition. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->GOVINDARAJAN Elangovan, 36, whips up pratas and curries at his food stall. Sundays though are for poetry.
That is when his stall in Bukit Batok Crescent is closed and he can write.
It is hard going, but the father of two's perseverance has paid off. He won second prize for Tamil poetry at the Singapore Press Holdings-National Arts Council Golden Point Award competition.
Twenty-three authors from all walks of life were feted at a ceremony at The Arts House yesterday for their winning entries in the biennial writing contest.
Selected from 453 competitors, they included teachers, professionals and a polytechnic student, who at 17 was the youngest-ever winner since the award's inception in 1993.
Of the seven first prize winners, two are immigrants, now permanent residents here. Ms Perinbam Vasudevan, 35, from India, took the honours for the Tamil short story category, while Mr Li Qingsong, 32, from China, won the top award for Chinese prose.
Read the full report in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Prata man whips up poem <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Akshita Nanda
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Elangovan has won second prize in Tamil language category of SPH-NAC Golden Point competition. -- ST PHOTO: DESMOND FOO
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->GOVINDARAJAN Elangovan, 36, whips up pratas and curries at his food stall. Sundays though are for poetry.
That is when his stall in Bukit Batok Crescent is closed and he can write.
It is hard going, but the father of two's perseverance has paid off. He won second prize for Tamil poetry at the Singapore Press Holdings-National Arts Council Golden Point Award competition.
Twenty-three authors from all walks of life were feted at a ceremony at The Arts House yesterday for their winning entries in the biennial writing contest.
Selected from 453 competitors, they included teachers, professionals and a polytechnic student, who at 17 was the youngest-ever winner since the award's inception in 1993.
Of the seven first prize winners, two are immigrants, now permanent residents here. Ms Perinbam Vasudevan, 35, from India, took the honours for the Tamil short story category, while Mr Li Qingsong, 32, from China, won the top award for Chinese prose.
Read the full report in Saturday's edition of The Straits Times.
