Literature is the mirror of any country and society. The literary academies there work to keep this mirror clean. But guess what will happen? When the mirror of the country or state is not working properly, it is natural to raise questions about the government there. Yes, something similar is happening in the literary academies of the states of the country. The President of the Sahitya Academy of any state is the Chief Minister of the state. If the institution of which the Chief Minister is the head does not function properly, then you can imagine the condition of other institutions.
Today there is indeed more politics in literature and arts than there is in politics. Premchand had called literature a torch that burns before politics. The decline of literature, culture, and language in the last decades will have an impact on future generations. But who cares? The work which should be completed in one year is taking years to complete. The evaluation process for awards is not clear and timely. For example, the annual results of Haryana Sahitya Academy are about to be declared at the end of the year, but it has not been announced yet. Nor has the form for the coming year been released. What games are played inside an academy? Due to a lack of transparency, no one comes to know.
However, no award or honor can be a measure of excellence. Today, the way some worthy and ineligible litterateurs, poets, writers, and artists are adopting the same principle to receive honors and awards and are almost succeeding in their efforts, the selection of honors and awards has changed. Literature cannot do any good in the race for awards.
Today many organizations are working in the world of literature and art. When I see the working style of these organizations or read any report related to their functions, only one truth comes to the fore. And the truth is that organizations of a particular field or a particular ideology are moving forward by making agreements among themselves. This agreement is such that you will honor us and we will honor you. This trend continues continuously and makes headlines in newspapers and social media. Especially they share such news among themselves. The common reader has nothing much to do with it. Now let’s talk about government institutions and awards. Their truth is not hidden from anyone. The stronger the stick, the bigger the medal. It is not known who will get this award as it passes through the intersections of recommendations. No applicant knows. Their monkey business is already well known. Serious allegations are being made across the country regarding the credibility of such awards. The true creator is rarely falling prey to them.
Today the institutions have become one another. They are busy honoring each other and covering themselves with shawls. The greater the recognition, the bigger the medal. Today, literary academies across the country are busy distributing posts and awards. Looking at the functioning of most of the academies, this seems to be the case. In the last decades, many categories like special litterateur, pioneer artist, literary sage, etc. have been created to present the so-called litterateurs, artists, and their people in the distribution of awards. Various academies reward each other’s presidents and also give honors to the judges. There is a lack of transparency in these awards. What kind of literature is there without spiritual practice?
Now the time has come that all the state academies of the country should be made truly autonomous like the Central Sahitya Academy and their work should be completely handed over to the litterateurs and artists. Emphasis will be laid on making the progress of the annual work of any academy timely and completely transparent so that true litterateurs continue to have faith in them.
For example, the announcement of the annual awards of Haryana Hindi Sahitya Academy, which the litterateurs of the state eagerly wait for, the results for the year 2022 have not been released yet even in 2024. From this, you can guess how much those who show the mirror to society are sleeping. Haryana Hindi Sahitya Akademi gives more than 12 literary awards every year in which the prize money ranges from one lakh to seven lakhs and an amount of Rs 31,000 each is given as an honor in fifteen to sixteen genres under the best work. Apart from these awards, it selects the best manuscripts of the year and provides them with publication grants. But like the government recruitments in Haryana, it is also very sad that the results which were to be declared in August; were not announced even after January of the next year, nor was the form for the year 2023 released in which writers have to apply for the coming year; Why after all?
It is expected that the state governments will investigate the current controversial actions of the academies and appoint deserving and talented writers and artists to the academies. So that language, literature, and culture continue to create new dimensions across the country.
Author is a Poet, freelance journalist, and columnist. He can be mailed at goonjtichaupal@gmail.com
