Communist activist Kobad Ghandy PROMINENT academic Suhas Palashikar on Thursday announced his resignation from the Language Advisory Committee of Maharashtra government in protest against its decision to withdraw an earlier announcement to confer an award to Anagha Lele for her Marathi translation of Communist activist Kobad Ghandy’s prison memoir.
“I am resigning from the membership of the Language Advisory Committee of Maharashtra Government owing its decision to abruptly withdraw the award of a book it had previously conferred,” Palashikar, who taught political science at Savitribai Phule University for many years, said in a Twitter post.
The literary awards were announced on December 6 for 35 categories. This included an award and a cash prize of Rs 100,000 to Lele for her Marathi translation of Ghandy’s book Fractured Freedom: Prison Memoir and Thoughts. Two days ago, however, the government issued a resolution withdrawing the award, a move that invited widespread criticism from the literary world.
Among those who criticised the government’s move were authors Sharad Bawiskar and Anand Karandikar. Members of various committees from the state’s Marathi Language department also submitted their resignations over the issue. Laxmikant Deshmukh, president of Marathi language Advisory committee, and Dr Pradnya Daya Pawar and Neerja, members of Maharashtra State Literary Culture Board, resigned as a mark of protest against the government decision.