Indian writers, intellectuals return Awards

One of India's foremost writers in English, Padma award victor Jayanta Mahapatra on Sunday announced his decision to give up the honour as a mark of protest against rising intolerance in the country.

Mahapatra has written a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee showing his desire to return the award conferred on him in 2009 and requested him not to consider returning of award as "dishonouring the nation".

Joining the Award Wapsi bandwagon, the celebrated poet from Odisha stated that he was raising his voice in dissent against the growing moral asymmetry that's blatantly visible in the country.

Mahapatra, 88, who received the award in 2009 had donated his Padma Shri award, his Sahitya Akademi award, and several state literary awards to the heritage library of Fakir Mohan University in Balasore district, where he served as a professor of physics. "I have expressed my desire to the President of India wanting to return my Padmashree award", said Mahapatra to TOI.

The poet alleged that the government's inaction on the issue resorted him to take such a decision. "Everyday the newspapers are flooded with comments of politicians against beef eating and incidents of violence related to it. I am genuinely hurt by all this. I believe there is genuine curtailment of freedom".

He is the first ever Indian poet to win Sahitya Akademi award for English poetry. "I am not following the footsteps of other writers blindly. Hence, after a long thought, I chose to return the Padmashree as a mark of protest", he mentioned in the letter.

"I know my act is not a solution to the problem".

Mahapatra, as reported in the Indian Express said, "My protest is not against a particular party".