Geetanjali Shree | SabrangIndia News Related to Human Rights Mon, 01 Aug 2022 04:17:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://sabrangindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Favicon_0.png Geetanjali Shree | SabrangIndia 32 32 Booker Winner Geetanjali Shree’s Event Cancelled in Agra After Complaint Against Her https://sabrangindia.in/booker-winner-geetanjali-shrees-event-cancelled-agra-after-complaint-against-her/ Mon, 01 Aug 2022 04:17:15 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2022/08/01/booker-winner-geetanjali-shrees-event-cancelled-agra-after-complaint-against-her/ "A man named Sandeep Kumar Pathak from Sadabad in Hathras district has filed the complaint against the writer. In the complaint, he has blamed Geetanjali Shree for alleged objectionable comments on Lord Shiva and mother Parvati," he said.

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]]> GeetanjaliGeetanjali Shree. Photo credit: BBC
 

An event to honour International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree here on Saturday was called off by the organisers after a complaint was filed against the author alleging there are some objectionable comments about Indian deities in her novel. 

The felicitation event was to be hosted by cultural organisations Rangleela and Agra Theatre Club. 

“The event was called off due to a controversy over a complaint against the International Booker prize winner Geetanjali Shree,” Anil Shukla, a functionary of Rangleela, told PTI. 

“A man named Sandeep Kumar Pathak from Sadabad in Hathras district has filed the complaint against the writer. In the complaint, he has blamed Geetanjali Shree for alleged objectionable comments on Lord Shiva and mother Parvati,” he said. 

Spokesperson of the event Rambharat Upadhyay said that in his complaint, Pathak mentioned that the comments have “hurt the sentiments of Hindus”.

In May, Shree became the first Indian author to win the International Booker Prize for her novel “Ret Samadhi”, which was translated into English as “Tomb of Sand” by American translator Daisy Rockwell. 

Set in north India, “Tomb of Sand” is the tale of  80-year-old Ma, who insists on travelling to Pakistan, simultaneously confronting the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition, and re-evaluating what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman and a feminist.

Upadhyay also said Pathak had tweeted requesting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the DGP for an FIR against Shree.

Shukla said people are disappointed over the cancellation of the event.

Courtesy: Newsclick

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]]> Geetanjali Shree wins Booker Prize 2022! https://sabrangindia.in/geetanjali-shree-wins-booker-prize-2022/ Mon, 30 May 2022 09:20:46 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2022/05/30/geetanjali-shree-wins-booker-prize-2022/ While the academic community celebrates, "nationalists" stay oddly silent on the success of this Hindi writer

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]]> First Indian Booker
Image Courtesy:aljazeera.com

National and global literary worlds alike have been abuzz with the news of Hindi writer Geetanjali Shree’s translated book ‘Tomb of Sand’ (Ret Samadhi) winning the International Booker Prize. Announced on May 26, 2022, this is the first time that the award recognised the mettle of a book translated from Hindi.

Translated by Daisy Rockwell, the book is also the first book written in any Indian language to receive the prestigious award. The story focuses on the adventures of an 80-year-old woman in northern India, who unexpectedly gains a new, and highly unconventional, lease of life. While her fifth book won the Booker Prize, her second novel ‘Hamara Shahar Us Baras’ is set loosely after the incidents of Babri Masjid demolition. Overall, Shree has written three novels and several story collections with many works translated into English, French, German, Serbian and Korean.

The news has been hailed by literary and academic groups especially Shree’s alma mater Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and student unions.

 

 

Even some politicians congratulated Shree for making her mark on the international level and providing India’s regional works their due limelight.

 

 

 

However, The Telegraph and The Wire pointed out how Prime Minister Narendra Modi refrained from congratulating the writer publicly. Although, Modi is known to hail any and every achievement made by India’s artists, sportspersons, health personnel, the BJP has largely stayed silent this time, barring a few exceptions.

The Telegraph suspected that the right-wing remains silent because of the Booker judges’ observations on the book such as how it is an “urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries or genders.” Not to mention, Shree’s earlier views on the Babri Masjid and the Gujarat riots in her earlier books.

Speaking about Tomb of Sand to the Booker officials Shree said, “This is not just about me, the individual. I represent a language and culture and this recognition brings into larger purview the entire world of Hindi literature in particular and Indian literature as a whole.”

It is interesting how books providing such commentary about India are being acknowledged worldwide at a time when the BJP-led government is excluding such works from college syllabus. On August 26, 2021 the Delhi University agreed to remove Tamil Dalit feminist writers Bama, Sukhartharini and internationally acclaimed Mahasweta Devi’s writings, from the Semester 5 course.  The committee claimed these exclusions were done to ensure that “no sentiments are hurt”. Similarly, SabrangIndia looked at how the right-wing was also trying to edit the school syllabus to suit its narrative.

When in reality, there are multiple regional writings that are yet to get proper recognition even in India. Many writers have spoken about the situation in north-east India, within the Dalit feminism community that are yet to reach the general public.

 

 

 

 

It is for this reason that the Mainpuri writer’s accomplishment is a topic of such pride in India for progressive groups. Tomb of Sand is the first of her books to be published in the UK. Aside from this, Shree has received and been shortlisted for a number of awards and fellowships.

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