Playwright and novelist Cyrus Mistry’s English novel Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer and KR Meera’s Aarachar in Malayalam are among the works that have won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi award for 2015.
The award in Bengali is to be announced at a later date.
A total of four novels, six short story books, six books of poetry, two books of essays, two of criticism, two of plays, and one of memoirs.
The awards were recommended by distinguished jury members representing 23 Indian languages and approved by the Executive Board of the Akademi which met today under the Chairmanship of President, Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari.K Sreenivasarao, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi
The award along with a cheque of Rs 1 lakh will be presented to the writers on February 16, 2016 during the annual festival of the Akademi – Festival of Letters.
The Akademi also announced Bhasha Samman to writer and scholar Shrikant Bahulkar in recognition of his contribution to classical and medieval literature (western region).
The announcement of the awards comes in the backdrop of 39 writers returning their awards in protest against the Akademi’s alleged silence on the murder of fellow writer and Sahitya Akademi board member MM Kalburgi as well as against the growing “communal atmosphere” following the Dadri lynching incident.
We have received cheques by 35 authors but the Akademi has decided not to deposit the cheques to establish its refusal to accept the return of awards.K Sreenivasarao, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi
Saying that the award winners are considered family members by the Akademi, the institution has decided to not take the awards back.
About the remaining four authors, the Akademi said Bengali Sahitya Puraskar winner Mandakranta Sen had approached it for its account details in order to return her prize money, but the Akademi did not divulge details.
Yuva Puraskar awardee Aman Sethi had come down to the Akademi office here to return the cheque, but the Akademi did not accept it.K Sreenivasarao, Secretary, Sahitya Akademi
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