The 11th M.N. Sathyarthi Memorial Award for outstanding translations was conferred on writer R. Surendran (Dr. Arsu) at an event organised by the M.N. Sathyarthi Trust here on Saturday. Writer P. Valsala presented the award.
Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Valsala said the translations of Mr. Sathyarthi, who was also a freedom fighter, portrayed the lives of people in other States to the native readers with their true intensity. She also recalled that his works had inspired her to closely observe the lives of people from other States, especially those from West Bengal.
“In my experience, West Bengal natives who come to our State for odd jobs are very much dedicated to their work. They also stand out when it comes to preserving their culture and traditions,” she observed. The writer said it was high time Keralites treated them with respect and consideration.
Ankanam , an Urdu novel translated into Malayalam by Sathyarthi, was released on the occasion. Writer U.K. Kumaran released the book published by M.N. Sathyarthi Trust. Kerala Sasthra Sahithya Parishad functionary K. Sreedharan accepted the first copy.
