It will weaken akademi’s autonomy: Gyanendra Pati

NOTED LITTERATEUR AND SAHITYA AKADEMI PROFESSOR, KASHINATH SINGH, WHO HAS PENNED ‘REHAN PAR RAGGHU’, ‘KASHI KA ASSI’ AND SEVERAL OTHER BOOKS, REFUSED TO COMMENT ON THE MATTER.

VARANASI: Sahitya Akademi Award winner, poet Gyanendra Pati, said that while he shared his fellow writers’ concerns regarding the silence of the academy with respect to the recent incidents of violence, he found their move of returning awards “illogical”.

Speaking on the subject on Monday, Pati said that this would eventually weaken the autonomous character of the academy. “It may result in getting someone close to the government appointed as chairman of this autonomous organisation,” said the poet.

Instead he laid emphasis on launching a socio-cultural campaign, led by writers, to end superstitions, obscurantism and any move to suppress one’s right to the freedom of speech.

“In Varanasi, recently, we (him and other writers) along with concerned citizens took out a march in protest against the murder of Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and MM Kalburg,” said Pati.

He said that the writers should also adopt a similar approach and lead a campaign to bring to an end to superstition, obscurantism and subversion of one’s right to freedom of speech. He also informed that he had penned a poem on the matter, which would soon be published in a literary magazine.

Noted litterateur and Sahitya Academy professor, Kashinath Singh, who has penned ‘Rehan par Ragghu’, ‘Kashi Ka Assi’ and several other books, refused to comment on the matter. He said that he would speak on the issue after two days. “I don’t want to comment on the matter,” said Singh.