Following the footsteps of many renowned writers across the country, noted Bengali poet Mandakranta Sen on Wednesday returned her Sahitya Akademi Young Writers Special Award to protest against what she described as “intolerance and communalism in the society”. He also sent back the prize money of Rs.50,000.
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Naik said that it was writer N Shivdas who first chose to return his Sahitya Akademi award, but then he was approached by writers to take a collective decision on the same.
In what is being seen as their second shot at earning publicity after always been forgotten, the writers from across the country are making headlines daily by returning awards. “…These are not government awards but recognition given by eminent writers of India”.
“That the Hindutva hoodlums are getting encouragement from the government in power is clear from the utterances from the uncultured minister for culture, Mahesh Sharma”.
Thilagavathy, who won Sahitya Akademi award in 2005 for her novel Kalmaram, rejected the idea of returning her award.
The writers, nevertheless, have expressed their solidarity with those that have returned the honour or resigned from the membership within the protest. Writers have not taken actively consistent stands against governments that have remained silent about catastrophes like the Emergency, the horrific riots of Maliana, Bhagalpur, Hashimpura, Godhra, the Delhi Sikh riots, displacement of Kashmiri Pandits, Graham Staines’ murder, the Bhopal gas tragedy, Babri Masjid demolition or Mumbai blasts.
Their protest is against what they call the growing intolerance within the country and the muted response of the establishment, including the Akademi, to the series of hate crimes.
“How it is that none of them were prompted to return the awards earlier and why now?” he asked.
Not only writers, the common man was also feeling threatened in the present scenario where freedom of expression has been facing fundamentalist and communal challenges, he said, adding,”This is a protest against religious and creative intolerance which is rising in recent time”.
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“By returning the awards bestowed on them and by resigning from the positions they hold in the Akademi, they have also spoken out against the growing attacks on plurality and cultural diversity by the Hindutva forces”, the Communist Party of India-Marxist said.
