Kochi: Social media is filled with huge reactions against Kerala Sahitya Akademi. It comes after Balachandran Chullikad’s friend Cicc Jayachandran (owner of CICC Book House) wrote a note on Facebook quoting the poet. The note is about what Chullikkad had spoken about an incident that led him to speak up against Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
Poet Balachandran Chullikad came out expressing his unhappiness towards the reward given to him on January 30 for speaking at the ‘International Literary Festival’ held in Kozhikode, organized by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi.
He said that it cost him Rs 3,500 to go to Kozhikode and speak at the International Literature Festival but he was paid only Rs 2,400 by the organisers. The poet said that he had to spare the rest of the expense of Rs 1100 from the money he got from acting in serials.
Chullikadu said that he has never approached anyone to join Sahitya Akademi nor bowed to any ministers and accepted awards and recognitions. He requested the organizers who spend lakhs of rupees on music festivals and other shows to at least pay the travel fares to those like him. The poet also implored not to invite him to such events ever again.
Writers like Echmu Kutty and Indu Menon also ridiculed the Kerala Sahitya Akademi stating that it is giving Sahitya Akademi awards and recognition to those involved in molestation cases.
A Facebook post by Echmu Kutty, who writes that Sahitya Akademi Chairman K Satchidanandan is using even Marx’s name to justify the perpetrators of harassment, is gaining attention. She said that institutions like DC Books and Mathrubhumi exclude writers who have been involved in harassment cases from award ceremonies; yet Sahitya Akademi does not. When it was demanded to keep such writers away, Satchidanandan gave the justification that Marx, though lived with his family, still had a child with a maid. Echmu Kutty also shared Satchidanandan’s reply to her.
Writer Indu Menon also noted her response saying that sexual predators are regular guests at the programs of the left-wing organization ‘Purogamana Kala Sahitya Sangam’.
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