Gujarati poet and critic Chandrakant Topiwala was Thursday conferred with Samanvay Bhasha Samman at the ongoing Samanvay IHC Indian Languages Festival for his contribution to Gujarati and Indian literature.
Topiwala's poems and essays are known for standing against the authoritarian forces in contemporary Indian society, and have evolved with time.
"I have always been a lover of poetry and have felt this medium is short, sharp and sweet to send out a message to the audience. This award has put more responsibility on me to improve my work," Topiwala told IANS after receiving the award.
"I have been through various phases ever since I began writing. Initially I took very traditional route, then I moved to the modernist era and now it is more of post modernism kind of writing," he said.
Also a recipient of prestigious Sahitya Kala Academy award, the 79-year-old has written around 60 poems and essays and has been a renowned critic as well.
His books include "Pakshiteerth", "Black Forest", "Vivechanano Vibhajit Pat", "Aparichit aa, Aparichit ba", and he has also edited "Aadhunik Saahitya Sangna Kosh" and "Gujarati Sahitya Kosh".
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These days, Topiwala is applying bifocal approach towards writing which integrates textual and contextual techniques to have a broader scheme of things.
He stresses there is much more to explore in literature.
"I try not to repeat myself. I am learning constantly and growing every day. It is important to learn and grow every day," he said.