Writer Paul Zachariah has expressed solidarity with the writers who returned their Sahitya Akademi awards and relinquished their positions in the Akademi in protest against the murder of rationalists and rising intolerance in the country.
He said that their act has brought the world’s attention to the fascist threat that India was facing.
Explaining his decision not to return his awards, he said that he would like to continue fighting fascism through his writings and words.
“The Akademi awards are decided by a committee of writers. I have been part of such committees. The interference of the akademi is minimal in these decisions. So, to raise my protest against the Narendra Modi government, I don’t need to make responsible the community of writers who decided the awards and the people whose tax money is used for such awards. This does not mean those who have returned the awards are wrong,” he said.
Only such institution
On the akademi, he said: “The Sahitya Akademi is the only such institution for writers in the country. Though it functions using money from the public exchequer, it was created as a body independent of the government of the day. The Akademi need not intervene in all social issues, but when writers and intellectuals are murdered, it surely needs to raise its voice.”
