National
Sahitya Akademi Awards presented, Malayam writer gives prize money to lynch victim kin
New Delhi, Feb 12 (IANS) The Sahitya Akademi Awards 2017 were given away to writers from 23 languages here on Monday evening.
However, as a mark of protest against the murder of Haryana teenager Junaid Khan, who was killed in a train last June while returning home after Eid shopping, Malayalam writer K.P.Ramanunni gave away the award to his mother after taking Rs 3 from the total prize money of Rs 1 lakh.
Ramanunni said that the book for which he won the award is about communal harmony and said that Junaid was killed for no reason.
The family of Tamil poet Inquilab, awarded posthumously, who had earlier announced their refusal to accept the award also didn’t attend the award ceremony.
Jayanta Madhab Bora won the award in Assamese for his book “Moriahola”, Afsar Ahmed won the award in Bengali for his “Sei Nikhonj Manushta” and Rita Baro won the award in Bodo for “Thwisam”.
The award in Dogri went to Shiv Mehta for “Banna”, in English to Mamang Dai for her book “The Black Hill”, and in Gujarati to Urmi Ghanshyam Desai for her “Gujarati Vyakarana na Baso Varsha”.
The award in Hindi went to Ramesh Kuntal Megh for “Vishw Mithak, Sarit Sagar”, in Kannada to T.P. Ashoka for “Kathana Bharathi” in Kashmiri to Autar Krishen Rahbar for his “Yeli Parda Woth” and in Konkani to Gajanan Raghunath Jog for “Khand Ani Her Katha”.
In Maithili, Udaya Narayan Singh ‘Nachiketa’ won for “Jahalak Diary”, Ramanunni in Malayalam for “Daivathinte Pustakam”, Rajen Toijamba in Manipuri for his “Chahee Taret Khuntakpa”, in Marathi to Shrikant Deshmukh for “Bolave Te Amhi”, and in Nepali to Bina Hangkhim for her book Kriti Vimarsh.
The award in Odia went to Gayatri Saraf for “Etavatira Shilpi”, in Punjabi to Nachhatar for “Slow Down”, in Rajasthani to Neeraj Daiya for “Bina Hasalpai”, in Sanskrit to Niranjan Mishra for his “Gangaputravadanam”, in Santhali to Bhujanga Tudu for his book “Tahenan Tangi Re”, and in Sindhi to Jagdish Lachhani for his “Aachhende Laja Maraan”.
T.Devipriya bagged the award in Telugu for “Gaalirangu” and the award in Urdu went to Mohammed Baig Ehsas for his book “Dakhma”.
Sahitya Akademi President Chandrashekhar Kambar presented the winners with a citation, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1 lakh.
–IANS
nkh/and/vd
National
Foodman Vishal Singh Honored for Hunger Free World Mission in Bangkok
Lucknow: Vishal Singh, a renowned social worker from Lucknow, also known as Foodman, has once again made India proud. He was honored by the Happy Hands Gloves Cooperative Limited Company in Korathai, Thailand, for his work with the Hunger Free World Mission.
The Hunger Free World Mission’s meeting was held in Korathai, Thailand, under Vishal Singh’s leadership. Representatives from several countries, including Mr. Raja Dwivedi (Managing Director of Happy Hands Gloves Limited), Thailand Coordinator Mr. Raja Mishra, and member Mr. Varun Singh, attended the event.
Under Vishal Singh’s leadership, the attendees took a pledge to work together toward creating a hunger-free world.
Speaking on the occasion, Vishal Singh explained that the main goal of the Hunger Free World Mission is social participation. He said the mission is not just about feeding people but also about meeting other basic needs of those who are struggling. The mission focuses on helping families of terminally ill patients in hospitals by providing food and shelter. It also works to fulfill essential needs like education, jobs, and care for the elderly.
For the last 16 years, the Vijay Sri Foundation has been providing free services, benefiting thousands of people. Vishal Singh highlighted that the mission aims to gain global recognition like other organizations such as WHO, WWF, and Red Cross, which work for social causes.
During this meeting, Vishal Singh was appointed as the Chairman of the Hunger Free World Mission by representatives from various countries. They also discussed holding regular meetings in different countries to push the mission forward.
Business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has also supported this humanitarian mission, vowing to promote the idea of “Seva Parmo Dharma” (Service is the highest duty) worldwide. Vishal Singh praised him, stating that people like Dr .Abhishek Verma inspire others to work for the betterment of society.
Recently, Romania’s Ambassador, Mr . Daniela Sezonov Ţane, invited Vishal Singh to the Romanian Embassy in Delhi, where they discussed the mission in detail. Impressed by his humanitarian work, she honored Vishal Singh and invited him to Romania to take the mission forward .
Food man Vishal Singh has been serving the people of India for the past 16 years. Through the Vijay Sri Foundation, he provides free meals to cancer patients & their families ,shelter, and education for women & children along with running free old-age homes in Lucknow.
In addition to his humanitarian work, Vishal Singh also addresses issues like crime and corruption through his role as Chairman of Seva Path Media and Managing Director of Vijay Sri Foundation.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishal Singh and his team worked tirelessly to provide food and help to the needy, including starving children, elderly citizens, and pregnant women. Despite contracting the virus himself, he continued to assist others after his recovery. He even created a life-saving oxygen regulator using household items, which was praised by doctors both in India and abroad.
In his address at the meeting, Vishal Singh spoke about his mission to create a hunger-free world. He pointed out that India’s large population, along with issues like unemployment and poverty, has caused the country to fall on the Hunger Index. He urged people to contribute just one handful of grains daily to help create a hunger-free world.
He concluded by saying that through social participation, we can empower the people around us, meet their basic needs, and work together to build a stronger, more prosperous, and developed society.