Writers should be fearless: Sahitya Akademi award winners

Writers should get rid of fear from their mind, courageously stand against authority and figure out different ways to send out strong messages, Sahitya Akademi award winners said here on Wednesday.

The winning authors from across 24 Indian languages are in the capital for the "Festival of Letters", organised by the literary institution every year.

In an interactive session with the media they touched upon the case of Tamil writer Perumal Murugan, who decided to renounce writing on January 13 after his novel "Modhorubhagan", which revolves around the problems faced by a childless peasant couple and the woman's attempt to get pregnant following a tradition of consensual sex with a stranger, was attacked by several organisations.

"A writer is free to talk his mind and the first thing he should do is to get rid of fear from his mind. If he can do that he can stand against any authority," said Rampal Singh Rajpurohit, who won the Sahitya Akademi award for his short stories collection in Rajasthani.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Assamese writer Arupa Patangia Kalita, who said she will never bow down to the demands of publishers and the state to alter what she has written.

"We writers are the voice of the voiceless and I won't ever compromise with my writings. As a writer it is our duty to support each other. I like to highlight the plight of marginalised women and recall their many struggles," said Kalita, who won the award for her short stories collection "Mariam Astin Hira Baruah".

However, Shailender Singh, a novelist and short story writer, said an author has to "find a way out" when he is speaking against the state.

"If an author is not able to say what he feels then literature is of no value. And this is the reason why it is important to use your words effectively and selectively," Singh, author of "Hashiye Para", told IANS.

"I had to think twice before raising my voice against the state or government through these stories, as I work for the government. So I had to put my thoughts in someone else's mind to ensure that the message is conveyed," he said.

Interestingly, Singh is a senior superintendent of police in Jammu and Kashmir and his novel portrays the lives of the underprivileged and marginalised sections.