GUWAHATI, Oct 13 - Joining the bandwagon, two Sahitya Akademi awardees from Assam � Homen Borgohain and Nirupama Borgohain - have decided to return the honour in protest against the Dadri incident.
Over the past one week, disgruntled writers and poets across the country have returned the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award to protest against the increasing incidents of communal violence in India, especially the recent Dadri incident in Uttar Pradesh.
Homen Borgohain, former president of the Asam Sahitya Sabha in his column published in a vernacular Daily wrote: �Ever since the Dadri killing took place, a silent protest was growing inside me. I was unable to find an outlet to express my feelings. Seeing the Sahitya Akademi winners return the honour, I felt like having found a way.�
�My protest to return the Sahitya Akademi award is not only against the Dadri killing, but also against the growing fascist tendency in the country, he said.
�However, I am not aware of the process, as to how to return the award to the Akademi. I will discuss with the officials of the Akademi on completing the formalities of returning the award,� he said. He was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1978 in Assamese language for his novel Pita Putra (Father and Son).
Novelist Nirupama Borgohain, who received the Sahitya Akademi award in 1996 for her novel Abhijatri, however, talking to The Assam Tribune said, �It was unfortunate to see that the Prime Minister had not uttered a single word of assurance to the people after the Dadri incident. In the interest of the future of the country and in protest against the inhumane incident, I have deiced to return the honour.�
�We writers can lodge our protest only through our writings and by returning the honour bestowed upon us by the Government,� she said.
