BHUBANESWAR: Dr Sakuntala Baliarsingh will receive the Central Sahitya Akademi Award in Translation for 2015 for her book ‘Kaberi Bhali Jhiatie’, published by the Sahitya Akademi. The original novel ‘Oru Kaberiyai Pola’ was written by Tripurasundari Laxmi in Tamil language. A release was issued in this regard by the Akademi on Monday.
A three-member selection committee in Odia language had shortlisted ‘Kaberi Bhali Jhiatie’ and the Executive Board of Central Sahitya Akademi approved the selection on Monday. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated Baliarsingh earlier in the day.
Baliarsingh, who has written around 30 books so far including ‘Bipanna Nabika’ and ‘Angyata Basara Itikatha’, said she is glad that her work has been selected for the prestigious award. The book deals with conflicts among the first, second and third generation non-resident Indians, the changes in their lifestyle and how they are treated in India after their return. She said translation is important for growth of literature as it enables people to read works in other languages.
The three-member committee for selection in Odia language consisted of Kailash Pattnayak, Khageswar Mohapatra and Sangram Jena.
The Central Sahitya Akademi had instituted an annual prize for translation from 1989 to be given to outstanding translations in 24 languages. It carries a cash award of `50,000 and a citation.