Awards come too late: Vinda karandikar

Awards come too late




CAMIL PARKHE

Sakaal Times
Sunday, March 21, 2010 AT 03:12 PM (IST)
Tags: Vinda Karandikar, Jnanapith award, Konkani

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100321/5522482249938926835.htm


Four years ago when Govind Vinayak alias Vinda Karandikar was selected for the Jnanapith award, the first thought that struck my mind was: why did the selection committee wait for so long to honour this literary giant. Vinda was 88 when he was chosen for the prestigious literary award.

When Vinda's name was announced the spontaneous general reaction was that he truly deserved the award. Another common refrain was that the award had come too late. The late conferring of the award may be condoned as better late than never but that does not justify honouring a littérateur for his two or three-decade-old literary creation.
The Jnanapith award is given every year for literature from any Indian language recognised by the VIII Schedule of the Constitution. It is understood that the selection committee has to go scrutinise books written in various languages or review literary contribution of a large number of littérateurs. Nonetheless, the literature lovers will like to see that the creators of literary masterpieces are given their due at the right time, when the writer or the poet is physically fit to enjoy basking in the glory.
Only three Marathi littérateurs have received the Jnanpiths during the over 50-year history of the coveted award. Vinda was lucky that he lived long enough for the Jnanapith committee realise that he was worthy of the honour. But this may not be the case with all deserving writers and poets. And as there is no practice of awarding Jnanapith posthumously, works of many towering literary figures may miss the singular honour of receiving the Jnanapith award.
When V.S. Khandekar received the Jnanpith for his novel Yayati in 1975, he said he would have enjoyed the honour more had it come earlier. Khandekar was almost blind during the hour of his glory. Kusumagraj alias V.V. Shirwadkar was fortunately in the pink of health when he received the award in 1987. Just last year, veteran Konkani writer Ravindra Kelekar was chosen for the award -- the first ever such award for a Konkani work. I used to read Kelekar's work with avid interest when I was in Goa during 1970s and 1980s. Even during those days, many believed that Ravindrabab, a recipient of Sahitya Akademi award, was a top contender for Jnanapith for Konkani litterature.
In 2008 when Kelekar bagged the award, he was in his early 80s. This state of affairs calls for serious introspection on the criteria for choosing a writer for the award. If a Salman Rushdi and an Arundhati Roy or A.R. Rahman can win world level literary or music awards at a much younger ages, why can we not honour our literary geniuses at a younger age?

Why govt funds for Marathi sahitya sammelan?

Why govt funds for sahitya sammelan?


CAMIL PARKHE

Sakaal times
Friday, March 05, 2010 AT 12:44 PM (IST)

Tags: Point of view, ABMSS, fund, VSS, Sahitya sammelan

http://www.sakaaltimes.com/SakaalTimesBeta/20100305/5497755909320607061.htm


The next all-India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan will be held in Pune later this month. Like every year, the state government will act generous and patronise the literary meet by doling out funds for organising the meet. The Vidrohi or rebellious cultural movement leaders have once again expressed vehement opposition to this largess. There is some logic in the stance adopted by the Vidrohi leaders. The Marathi Sahitya Sammelan, a 135-year-old cultural legacy, is a unique literary phenomenon in the country. It is a feast for Marathi literature fans and book publishers. But that is no justification for the political rulers to allot huge funds for the extravaganza and in reciprocation expect to be on the dais and hog the limelight during the sammelan.

The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, the apex Marathi literary body which conducts the sammelan every year, has crossed the country's borders from last year to hold a worldwide Marathi sahitya sammelan. This is in addition to the over-100 Marathi literary conferences held annually or on an irregular basis. These include Vidrohi sahitya sammelan, rural sahitya sammelan, Konkan sahitya sammelan, Khristi sahitya sammelan, Dalit Khristi sahitya sammelan, Muslim sahitya sammelan, Bal sahitya sammelan, and Kumar sahitya sammelan.

All these promote Marathi and so it would not be wrong for their hosts to seek government funds. The government may not be averse to helping the hosts of all these sammelans. The all-India Marathi Sahitya Sammelan's organisers cannot claim that they have a right to government aid. The annual sahitya sammelans are a jamboree for the publishing industry, a self-promoting event for the political host, if the activities and the menu at the three-day events are any indications. There is no reason why the state should sacrifice public funds to satisfy the appetite of these people. The popularity of a literary work does not depend on recognition by the government or by any government-sponsored body. The government bearing the major chunk of the financial burden of the all-India or the worldwide literary meet will not boost Marathi literature. It will only further pamper the ego of the sammelan hosts and those associated with it. If the government is really keen on promoting Marathi literature, it should use the funds to subsidise literary works which win the state government's annual awards as the Vidrohi movement leaders have suggested.