Author returns award after Bangla Academy honours poet Mamata Banerjee
The Hindu
Ratna Rashid Banerjee returned the ‘Annada Shankar Smarak Samman’ with which she was honoured by the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy in 2019
A Bengali writer and folk culture researcher on Tuesday returned an award given to her by the Paschimbanga Bangla Academy to protest against its decision to confer a special award on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her contribution to the cause of literature.
Ratna Rashid Banerjee returned the ‘Annada Shankar Smarak Samman’ with which she was honoured by the Academy in 2019.
In a letter to the Academy Chairman Bratya Basu who is also the education minister, Ms. Rashid Banerjee claimed that the award has become a “crown of thorns” for her in the wake of its decision to confer a new literary award to the CM on the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
"In the letter, I have informed them about my decision to return the award with immediate effect.
“As a writer, I feel insulted by the move to give a literary award to the CM. It will set a bad precedent. The statement of the Academy praising the relentless literary pursuit of the honourable chief minister is a travesty of truth,” Ms. Rashid Banerjee told PTI.
The award, introduced this year, was announced for the chief minister's book, ‘Kabita Bitan’ a collection of over 900 poems, at the state government organised programme to celebrate the birth anniversary of Tagore on Monday. Though the CM was present at the event, the award was handed over to Basu on her behalf.
"We admire and respect the CM for her political battle, the massive mandate she got from people to rule the state for three terms. We had voted for her. But I cannot equate her contribution to politics with the claim that she worked for the cause of literature. I am not aware of,” Ms. Rashid Banerjee said.
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