No More ‘Award Wapsi’!

Sahitya Akademi is a self-governing organization. Early in the 1950s, when it was first founded, it was thought that after setting it up, "it (government) would refrain from exercising any control and leave them to perform their function as autonomous institution.

on Aug 01, 2023

In order to get the Sahitya Akademi honor, writers must sign an agreement with a parliamentary commission that was established in the wake of the 2015 "award wapsi" issue stating they will not at any point return their awards to protest any political occurrence. In its report, which was presented to Parliament on Monday, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism, and Culture noted that "such inappropriate incidents involving the return of awards undermine the accomplishments of other awardees and also impact the overall prestige and reputation of the awards." Therefore, before finalizing, the panel requests "prior concurrence of shortlisted candidates for awards." The proposals made by the panel imply willful ignorance of and disrespect for the significance of Akademis, the position of writers in society, and the rationale behind honoring them.

First, the Sahitya Akademi is a self-governing organization. Early in the 1950s, when it was first founded, it was thought that after setting it up, "it (government) would refrain from exercising any control and leave them to perform their function as autonomous institution." Each year, it recognizes writers for both original works and translations in 24 Indian languages. The picks are made by a group of authors. A Sahitya Akademi award is given to an author on behalf of the Akademi, which is registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. It is not a state honor like the Padma awards. Second, the author does not speak for the government.

The panel's fear that a recipient returning an Akademi honor would be "disgraceful to the country" is unfounded. Third, receiving an award is not the state granting patronage; rather, the state should view its relationship with a writer as a privilege. Awards are given for individual excellence. And finally, a prize offered as an inducement to comply is not an honor.

"Award wapsi" obviously had a political context. The 39 writers who returned their awards did so in protest against a "climate of intolerance" that was becoming more prevalent and in which right-wing organizations were smearing dissenting voices. The assassination of Kannada academic and Sahitya Akademi winner M. M. Kalburgi in 2015—who was allegedly assassinated by right-wing militants because of his opinions—was the immediate catalyst. The writers who were demonstrating called attention to the state's disregard for the freedom to dissent. Instead of pointing the finger at the political repercussions of the demonstration, the government and Parliament should pay attention to this message.