Sahitya Academy Award for Lomte's story collection 'Alok'

Marathi author Asaram Lomte's book 'Alok' has been selected for the prestigious Sahitya Academy Award.

An announcement in this regard was made this afternoon in New Delhi.

Published in 2010, 'Alok' is a collection of six stories that largely reflect rural life and people. Before Lomte, story writer and dramatist Jayant Pawar's "Phoneixchya Rakhetoon Uthala Mor", had won the Sahitya Academy Award for his collection of stories in 2013.

"Some years back, stories were written on rural background either anecdotal or 'shrungarik'. Other story writers were writing about middle class and its mentality. My stories represent the people from rural as well as semi-urban areas because technology has thrust some changes on the rural areas in the state," Lomte, who hails from Parbhani, told PTI.

The collection has already been translated into Kannad language under the title 'Kotemane'.

The stories are multi-faceted and deal with contemporary topics. It is a reflection of society and life, he said.