Soorya Krishnamoorthy, founder of the Soorya Festival, passes away in Thiruvananthapuram

23 September 2026

Soorya Krishnamoorthy, cultural organiser and former chairman of the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi, died at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on the evening of 23 September 2026.
Born Nataraja Krishnamoorthy, he studied engineering at TKM College of Engineering, Kollam, and worked as a scientist with ISRO.
He founded the Soorya Festival in 1977; it grew into one of the longest-running cultural festivals in Asia.
He also served as director of the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC).
He received the Kerala Prabha award, among the state's highest civilian honours, and the National Award for Stage Craft and Direction in 1996.
He wrote the screenplay of the 2011 Malayalam film Melvilasom, based on his own play.