The family of Tamil poet Inquilab (pictured), who was bestowed the Sahitya Akademi award in the poetry category earlier this year, declined it on Friday in a ‘tribute’ to the writer who had always been openly indifferent towards awards bestowed by governments. The Sahitya Akademi had conferred the award to the Tamil poet, who passed away at the age of 72 in December last year, posthumously.

The family, in a letter reportedly sent to the Akademi secretary, quoted the poet’s stinging lines, “Awards may be showered on us, If we live like corpses”. The family recalled that Inquilab’s take on felicitations and awards was always indiference. Inquilab (born Shahul Hameed) was popularly known as the ‘People’s Poet’.

In 2006, he returned the state’s Kalaimamani award in protest of the government’s failure to protect Sri Lankan Tamils. His poem ‘Kanmani Rajam ’, criticising the moral bankruptcy of politicians, was prescribed in school textbooks until the DMK government removed it after he criticised one of their moves.

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The text of the advertisement says:

We, the Shia Muslims of Mumbai, condemn the alleged intervention and affidavit in the Supreme Court by the Shia Wakf Board. We have got to know through news reports that Shia Wakf Board is trying to exchange land of the demolished Babri Masjid. This seems like a dangerous plan by the BJP government.

All the Shias of Mumbai are fully with the Sunni Muslims in the Babri Masjid case and will remain together forever.

The present Shia Wakf Board has no right to take any decision on behalf of the Shia Muslims of Mumbai. This kind of irresponsible and illegal intervention is a betrayal of the process of justice in the Babri Masjid case and also harmful for overall Muslim Unity.

We, the Shia Muslims of Mumbai, cannot be tricked into this trap by communal forces. We will work shoulder to shoulder with Sunni brothers for unity and justice.
 
Signatories:
Safdar Karmali, President, Khoja Shia Ithna-Ashari Jamat (K.S.I.) Jamat, Mumbai.
Dr. S. Fakhrul Hassan Rizvi, President, Shia Ishna Ashari Jamat, Mumbai Suburban.
Khan Mohd. Abbas (Rizwan)  President, Muslim’s Association for Peace & Harmony, Mumbai
Firoze Jaffery (Mandap Wale), Vice President, Muslim’s Association for Peace & Harmony, Mumbai
S. Fayyaz Ali, Secretary, Muslim’s Association for Peace & Harmony, Mumbai
Safdar H. Panjwani, Gen Secretary. Muslim’s Association for Peace & Harmony, Mumbai 
Amir Rizvi, Member, IMSD, Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy 
 

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He added that the Board will consider its future course of action after the apex court’s judgement which has been reserved after a weeklong hearing by a Constitution bench which concluded on May 18.

He said the Board has clearly spelt out its stand on the issue before the Constitution bench and was confident of a favourable outcome.

Reiterating that the Board will accept the SC’s ruling whatever it may be, he added that after all its not as if the court is going to pass its judgment “eyes closed”. The issue, he said was straightforward and the Board has already acted on the court’s suggestion.   

The bench, he said, had suggested that a model and modern nikahnama may be adopted to which the Board was readily agreeable. The Board, he said, will be issuing an advisory to all qazis (who solemnize marriages) in this regard.

Asked whether a court order contrary to the Board’s stand was likely to recreate the scenario following the Shah Bano judgment (1986), Maulana Rahmani said it’s too early to comment on that.

However, he added that the conditions prevailing in India then were very different from how things are today.

Commenting on the media coverage of the triple talaq debate in and out of court, the maulana said from the media coverage (the electronic media in particular) of the issue during the past 18 months it would seem as if triple talaq was the biggest problem before the country.   
 
 

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