Akademi people dismiss Khushwant’s view
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 1 — With author-colmunist Khushwant Singh claiming that the sahitya akademis do nothing purposeful other than “donating month here, and distributing awards there”, he once again seems to have stirred the hornet’s nest. TNS spoke to some authors those associated with the akademis, and all of them condemned the “controversial sardar” for not only raking up a non-issue but also being insensitive towards the Indian authors and their needs.

“Khushwant Singh has always been known to sensationalise matters and this statement is no different. The akademis make it possible for the writers to reach out to a larger audience, which otherwise would not be possible for a poor writer, especially for the regional writer”, said this year’s Punjabi Sahitya Akademi award winner Mohan Bhandari. He bagged the award for his book, ‘Moon Di Akh’. Commenting on Khushwant Singh’s statement that Indian authors writing in English handle both the plot and theme with greater sensitivity and skill than those in Urdu, Punjabi and Bengali, Bhandari said, “I once remember that he had declared that his mother tongue is English. So how can he even comment on the regional writers, who are actually the ones attached to the roots of this country, its people and its problems? Tell me how much of English literature is even read? As far his novels are concerned, only ‘Train to Pakistan’ can be called a creative piece of work”.

Mohan Bhandari also said that the problem with regional languages was that its “written word” has never been presented well, and the regional language literature does not have any interaction with other languages. “With the award your readership increases since your work is translated by the sahitya akademi in 22 other languages, which gives you a wider readership”, he added.

Santokh Singh Dheer, the 1996 Punjab Sahitya Akademi award winner for his collection of short stories, titled ‘Pakhi’, dismissed Khushwant Singh’s remark as “just another sweeping statement”. But he did contend that because of the corrupted value systems, the functioning of the akademis might not have remained the same today, “since ‘sifarish’ has become an acceptable thing everywhere”.

“The solution for sorting out such complexities does not mean that we shut down the akademis. In fact, today the stress should be to increase the book reading culture. The award given to the writers is a one-time affair in the writer’s lifetime, so I think that even the sum of Rs 25,000 as award money should be increased. Otherwise, how do writers survive, and especially those of regional languages, and that too at a time when books are hardly selling?” Dheer questioned.

Maj-Gen Himmat Singh Gill (retd), Chairman of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi, said the sahitya akademis played a leading role in locating, identifying and projecting promising voices of the region and the country.

“Khushwant Singh is welcome to his views. The value of ‘good’ or ‘bad’ writing certainly cannot be based on the language. If writer handles the work with concern and depth, that is what is good literature”, he added. General Gill has penned a number of books in the English language.

Terming Khushwant Singh’s criticism as an “emotional reaction”, Dr Rama Rattan, Secretary, Punjab Sahitya Akademi, said that the akademis are not meant to promote the writers but good literature. “The writer in this way would obviously be talked about. What is so wrong with this kind of patronage?” she asked.

Dr Rattan added that if the akademis did not exist, a lot of good literature would be lost and scanty reading culture that is prevalent today would also not be found. “Only the akademis can make documentaries on literature and on writers, like our akademi has done. The Punjab Sahitya Akademi has also opened libraries in villages and these days is busy taking out booklets to different towns of Punjab, in order to study the book culture in greater depth. These booklets, which would list the number of libraries present in a town, or the number of popular book stores or even the number of contemporary writers living there, would be ready soon. The akademis are certainly not meant for promotion or patronage alone”.

For the time being, Khushwant Singh has prompted the writing world to again take his notice and maybe even review the work of the sahitya akademis. But as Dr Rattan puts it, “There certainly is a need to strengthen and not shut down the akademis. And like always, Khushwant Singh would again have to take back his words”.

Fountain cries for care
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Aug 1— A nice place to have a walk for a number of varieties of seasonal flowers, yet the Sector 33 Terraced Garden is in need of more attention as far as its upkeep is concerned.

The garden was set up by the Horticulture Department of the UT Administration in 1982-83 with an idea to showcasing different varieties of annual flowers for the city residents. For this purpose, about 60 varieties of seasonal flowers, including the majestic guldaudi and marigold were planted at the place, having four large terraces. Later, it was handed over to the Municipal Corporation after it came into being in 1996.

The terrace at the entrance to the place from the Sector 33 market side is a picture of neglect as it displays very few varieties of flowers. Most of the flower beds are totally bereft of flowers and instead are full of wild grass. The area presents a slushy look and a few flower beds with cosmos flowers could also be seen filled with water, apparently due to lack of proper arrangement for disposal of rain water.

As one enters the comparatively well-maintained second terrace, one could relish a number of varieties of flowers. But here, too, some flower beds do not have any flowers.

The musical fountain at the place has also been non-functional for a couple of months due to the alleged theft of a number of critical components. The water feature was sans water and speaker boxes of the musical fountain, set up by the authorities after spending about Rs 15 lakh were damaged.

Another major problem faced by the visitors at the place is non-functioning of toilets. "As there is no toilet facility, people like me, who visit it daily after covering a long distance face a major problem," said Mr S.P. Sayal. He also alleged that the first part of the garden remains flooded with water for hours together after rains.

The third and the fourth phases of the garden are well maintained with well-trimmed hedges, properly mowed lawns and seasonal flowers. The visitors demanded that more attention should be paid by the authorities towards low-lying areas of the garden near the entrance facing the Sector 33 market.