Writer Nayantara Sahgal, Nehru’s Niece, Returns Sahitya Akademi Award

Mangalore Today News Network

Oct 06, 2015: Eminent writer Nayantara Sahgal has returned the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award in protest against what she calls the government’s failure to safeguard cultural diversity.

Ms Sahgal, the niece of India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, is known for her upright and outspoken political views. She received the award in 1986.

In a statement titled "Unmaking of India", she has accused the government of failing to "protect  those who dissent from the ruling ideology of Hindutva."

Asserting that the right to dissent is an integral part of India’s Constitution, Ms Sahgal says that India’s culture of diversity and debate is now under "vicious assault."

 

 

Courtesy: NDTV