The Hindu : National : "Look beyond 8th Schedule"

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Wednesday, Sep 28, 2005

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National

"Look beyond 8th Schedule"

Staff Reporter

For Jnanpith, says President Kalam

— Photo: R.V. Moorthy

President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam presents the Jnanpith Award to Jayakanthan in New Delhi on Tuesday.

NEW DELHI: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Tuesday presented the 38th Jnanpith Award for 2002 to Tamil writer D. Jayakanthan for his outstanding contribution to Indian literature.

At the function held in Vigyan Bhavan, Mr. Kalam said the writer had contributed immensely to the enrichment of the Tamil language through his short stories, novellas, novels, and essays during the last five decades. "The very fact there was a unanimous acclamation when the 2002 Jnanpith Award was announced indicates the undisputed literary stature enjoyed by Thiru. Jayakanthan in Tamil literature."

Presenting the award, which carried a citation, shawl, conch shell, a statue of Goddess Saraswati and a cheque for Rs. 5 lakhs, Mr. Kalam said he was glad that the Bharatiya Jnanpith honoured accomplished writers in Indian languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution. But there was a need to "look for the best of literature even beyond the Eighth Schedule."

In the novel, Oru Manithan, Oru Veedu Oru Ulagam (One man, one home and one world), Mr. Jayakanthan had in the preface said that not only were ocean and rivers complete by themselves, but each drop of water was also complete in itself. Hence, the world did not mean continents and countries alone but that each man by himself was a world. Mr. Jayakanthan saw the world in an atomic capsule of a single individual, the President said.

L.M. Singhvi, Chairman, Jnanpith Selection Board, said the award was being given to a Tamil writer after 27 years; P.V. Akilandam had got it in 1975. Mr. Jayakanthan said the honour was being conferred on the Tamil language and he had been chosen to represent it.

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