BHUBANESWAR: After more than a decade of the remarkable journey of Odisha Literary Festival (OLF), the one-of-its-kind in Eastern India, The New Indian Express Group on Sunday added another feather to its cap by launching the first edition of literary awards in the memory of its legendary founder and freedom fighter Ramnath Goenka.
Announcing the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman (RGSS) in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, chairman and managing director of TNIE Group Manoj Kumar Sonthalia said the award has been instituted to celebrate and honour literary excellence among both veterans and debutants. As chief guest of the ceremony, Naveen presented the RGSS award for literary excellence to celebrated Tamil writer Perumal Murugan for his contribution to Indian literature. Murugan was presented with a signature trophy, a cash award of `2 lakh and a citation.
The award for Best Non-Fiction writing went to Anirudh Kanisetti for his work, Lords of the Deccan: Southern India from the Chalukyas to the Cholas, while Devika Rege was chosen for her novel Quarterlife in the Best Fiction category. Both were presented the RGSS trophy, `1 lakh cash prize each along with citations. The awardees were chosen by a distinguished jury headed by noted author and chairman of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, Bibek Debroy.
Elaborating on the institution of the RGSS award, Sonthalia said, “The trophy has a legacy. It was personally chosen by Ramnathji for excellence in journalism and it is a fortunate stroke of serendipity that we are here in Bhubhaneshwar and its motif is inspired by the Sun Temple at Konark.”
The Sun, guiding the vehicle giving it a sense of direction and providing the moving force symbolises continuous movement of time. The motif thus suggests that a writer too functions with a sense of mission, direction and purpose, dispelling the darkness of ignorance and enlightening the readers, he said.
“Literat ure, he believed, is of paramount importance for the development of modern society as it possesses the capability to transport the reader’s mind into a completely different universe. Literature helps us in unlocking our minds and alters our perception of the world,” Sonthalia said.
Expressing his gratitude to TNIE for choosing him to head a jury of eminent members to select the awardees, Debroy said first it appeared to be a difficult task to make a choice for the three categories. “However, the job became easier because of the cohesiveness of the members who came to a remarkable consensus in less than half an hour,” he said.
Announcing the name of the awardees, TNIE Editor Santwana Bhattacharya said, “At TNIE, every day we strive to live up to the great legacy of Ramnath Goenka. Believe me, these are not mere words but lived beliefs that many of us hold on to. It is part of that legacy that we bring to share with all of you here and outside, with the world at large.”