“Insulted”: Author Returns Award As Mamata Banerjee Gets Literary Honour

Kolkata:

A Bengali author and people tradition researcher on Tuesday returned an award given to her by the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy to protest in opposition to its determination to confer a particular award on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her contribution to the reason for literature.

Ratna Rashid Banerjee returned the ‘Annada Shankar Smarak Samman’ with which she was honoured by the Academy in 2019.

In a letter to the Academy Chairman Bratya Basu who can also be the training minister, Banerjee claimed that the award has change into a “crown of thorns” for her within the wake of its determination to confer a brand new literary award to the CM on the start anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

“Within the letter, I’ve knowledgeable them about my determination to return the award with quick impact.

“As a author, I really feel insulted by the transfer to provide a literary award to the CM. It can set a foul precedent. The assertion of the Academy praising the relentless literary pursuit of the honourable chief minister is a travesty of reality,” Rashid Banerjee instructed PTI.

The award, launched this yr, was introduced for the chief minister’s e-book, ‘Kabita Bitan’ a group of over 900 poems, on the state authorities organised programme to have a good time the start anniversary of Tagore on Monday. Although the CM was current on the occasion, the award was handed over to Basu on her behalf.

“We admire and respect the CM for her political battle, the large mandate she obtained from folks to rule the state for 3 phrases. We had voted for her. However I can not equate her contribution to politics with the declare that she labored for the reason for literature. I’m not conscious of,” Rashid Banerjee stated.

She stated the chief minister may have proven maturity by not accepting the award after it was introduced by the Academy Chairman Bratya Basu in her presence, stated the creator who had penned over 30 books of articles and brief tales.

She has additionally accomplished analysis works on people tradition, together with these of the marginalised sections of society.

“The Bangla Academy has determined to reward those that are working tirelessly for the betterment of literature in addition to different sectors of society,” Basu had stated on Monday.

The CM’s e-book, ‘Kabita Bitan’, was launched on the 2020 Worldwide Kolkata E book Truthful.

(Aside from the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV employees and is printed from a syndicated feed.)