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?
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?
