The Hindu : Sahitya Akademi awards presented

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 25, 2004

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Sahitya Akademi awards presented

Some of the recipients of the Sahitya Akademi awards at a function in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI

NEW DELHI, FEB. 24. Encompassing different generations and spanning 22 languages, the Sahitya Akademi Awards for 2003 were given away here today.

Of the 22 awards, 12 are works of fiction, five writings in poetry, one play and the remaining works of literary criticism.

Introducing the awardees, K. Satchidanandan, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi, said the writers belong to different generations, the oldest being 83-year-old Trymbak Vinayak Sirdeshmukh for his book in Marathi `Dangora: Eka Nagaricha', and the youngest 30-year-old Santosh Maya Mohan, awarded for her collection of poetry in Rajasthani, named `Simran'.

Mohan is also the youngest ever awardee of the Akademi, Satchidanandan informed.

Among the award winning novels were `Kitane Pakistan', by noted veteran writer in Hindi, Kamleshwar, the Bengali book `Krantikal' by Prafulla Roy, Gujarati novelist Bindu Girdharlal Bhatt's `Akhepatar', Malayalam novel `Alahayude Penmakkal' by Sara Joseph, Nepali writer Bindya Subba's novel `Athah' and in Tamil, R Vairamuthu's book `Kallikkattu Itihasam'.

Winning the award for their writing in verse were Bireswar Barua, for his Assamese book `Anek Manuh Anek Thai Aru Nirjanata', in Sanskrit, Bhaskaracharya Tripathi's `Nirjharini' and Telugu writer Utpala Satyanarayana for `Sri Krishna Chandrodayamu'.

While Charan Das Siddhu won the award for his Punjabi play `Bhagat Singh Shaheed: Natak Tikri', Maithili writer Nirja Renu (`Rithambhara') and Syed Muhammad Ashraf (Bad-e- Saba ka Intizar') were awarded for short stories.

Meenakshi Mukherjee (`The Perishable Empire: Essays on Indian Writing in English'), K.V. Subbanna (`Kavirajamarga Mattu Kannada Jagattu' in Kannada), Oriya writer Jatindra Mohan (`Suryasnata') and Hiro Thakkur for `Tahqiq ain Tanqeed' in Sindhi were awarded for their works in literary criticism.

Kashmiri writer Som Nath Zutshi (`Yeli Phol Gaash'; short stories), Ashwini Magotra, for his collection of poetry in Dogri `Jhull Bada Dea Pattara' and Shashank Sitaram Shirodkar for his short stories in Konkani titled `Parigh', were awarded by the Akademi posthumously.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Guest and eminent writer Dilip Chitre condemned the act of vandalism at the Bhandharkar Institute, Pune, allegedly by activists of the Sambhaji Brigade who were agitating against James W Laine's book `Shivaji: Hindu King in Muslim India', saying none of the 72 people arrested for the incident seem to know enough English to read it themselves.

PTI

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