LUCKNOW: Novel Ret Samadhi, which helped its author Geetanjali Shree win this year’s Booker Prize, has courted controversy over alleged objectionable references to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, leading to the last-minute cancellation of an event to felicitate Geetanjali in Agra on Saturday. “The event was called off due to a controversy over a complaint against the International Booker prize winner Geetanjali Shree,” Anil Shukla of Rangeela, one of the organisers of the event said.
He said a police complaint was filed by one Sandeep Kumar Pathak in Hathras, claiming that the author has given objectionable references to Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati in her book, which has hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The organisers claimed that Pathak submitted a written complaint in Hathras against Geetanjali Shree and tweeted the complaint tagging UP CM and UP DGP, seeking registration of an FIR against Geetanjali. Attempts to contact the author went in vain. In May, Geetanjali became the first Indian author to win the International Booker Prize. Her novel ‘Ret Samadhi’ was translated into English as ‘Tomb of Sand’ by American translator Daisy Rockwell.
ORGANISERS REGRET CANCELLING THE EVENT
The event was organised by two organisations of Agra – ‘Rangleela’, involved in the promotion and revival of theatre activities, and Agra Theatre Club. The organisers – Anil Shukla of ‘Rangeela’ and Harvijay Bahia of ‘Agra Theatre Club’-- said that it was unfortunate that they could not felicitate Geetanjali Shree who was born in Mainpuri and did her schooling and college at UP. Her father was an IAS officer posted in the Agra division.