Thiruvananthapuram: Taking a contrary stand on the return of Sahitya Akademi awards by eminent writers, former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor today said that although the writers have every right to stand up for their freedom of expression, returning the awards amount to "dishonouring" the recognition.
"Personally, I regret the fact that a section of writers have returned the Akademi awards. Award is a recognition of intellectual, literary, creative or academic merits. It is not a political act," he told PTI on the sidelines of a function in Thiruvananthapuram.
"Sahitya Akademi is actually an independent institution, and the concerns we have are political ones. For writers, I think there is no need to confuse these two. One should oppose the present climate...one should stand up for freedom...but one should not dishonour the award," he said.
However, the Congress leader said he was very much glad that so many writers had stood up for their cause at a time when many others had preferred silence.
Stating that freedom of expression is not just an abstract right in the constitution, Mr Tharoor noted it was "as important as the blood that flows in our vein or the ink that flows in the pen".
"Many prominent Malayalam writers including M T Vasudevan Nair, Paul Zacharia and Sugathakumari have not returned their Akademi honours. I do not think that they are any less committed to freedom," he said.
"Personally, I regret the fact that a section of writers have returned the Akademi awards. Award is a recognition of intellectual, literary, creative or academic merits. It is not a political act," he told PTI on the sidelines of a function in Thiruvananthapuram.
"Sahitya Akademi is actually an independent institution, and the concerns we have are political ones. For writers, I think there is no need to confuse these two. One should oppose the present climate...one should stand up for freedom...but one should not dishonour the award," he said.
However, the Congress leader said he was very much glad that so many writers had stood up for their cause at a time when many others had preferred silence.
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Stating that freedom of expression is not just an abstract right in the constitution, Mr Tharoor noted it was "as important as the blood that flows in our vein or the ink that flows in the pen".
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"Many prominent Malayalam writers including M T Vasudevan Nair, Paul Zacharia and Sugathakumari have not returned their Akademi honours. I do not think that they are any less committed to freedom," he said.
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