The report, "Clueless Sahitya Akademi as authors return awards" (October 13), names 21 writers who have returned the awards bestowed on them by the Akademi to denounce the recent atrocities committed against Dalits, minorities and rationalists, and to fault the institution for not expressing its protest loudly. Seven of these awards were instituted at least 15 years ago - one was first conferred 40 years ago. Five people holding positions in the Akademi have also resigned for similar reasons.
A literary award recognises a writer's work. It helps the writer and the reader. If writers accept awards and return them later, surely they do not mean these were wrongly given to them earlier. Returning an award does not strengthen a writer's condemnation of any crime occurring at any time. If it makes sense for writers to return awards to protest crimes taking place after they have been honoured, it would make sense for them to have declined the awards when they were announced, for crimes that had taken place earlier. In either case, it does not make sense. Nobel Prize winners would not expect the Royal Swedish Academy to express concern over atrocities happening around the world.
Returning a literary award for such reasons is not a sacrifice. In fact, it turns the media spotlight back on the writer, reminding the public about the distinction he or she had earned earlier. Also, an organisation conferring awards cannot take back its honour on such grounds. Thus the incidents of the returning of awards occupy public consciousness prominently.
Resigning from the Akademi on such grounds is equally purposeless. Actions to check crimes or the incompetency of an authority must come from elsewhere, not the Akademi.
R Veera Raghavan Mumbai
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