Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 20: KPS officer Shailender Singh and Prof M R Shah (Shad Ramzan) of Kashmir University, have been awarded this year’s prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for their literary work in Dogri and Kashmiri language, respectively.
Total eight books of poetry, five of novels, three of essays and three of short stories, one each of literary criticism, autobiography and play, have won the Sahitya Akademi Award this year.
Shailender Singh has bagged the Sahitya Akademi Award in Dogri language for his novel ‘Hashiye Par’ (A Tree to Grow), the English translation of which has been published by the world renowned Oxford University Press recently.
‘Hashiye Par’, published in 2010, is the first literary creation of Shailender Singh. The story of the 161 page book revolves around the character living Below Poverty Line in India.
The author has keen interest in social justice and empowerment of citizens. His book, although on the exploited and poorest of the poor characters, does not meet a tragic end but explore progressive alternatives. The author has projected the status of social justice and economic dynamics of the underprivileged class of more than 1/3rd population of the country, leading a life of abject poverty.
Mr Singh, who is serving as SSP in J&K Police, was born on August 1, 1968 in a liberal belief family in village Chhamb, now in PoK. His childhood was spent in refugee camps and tents. He did BE from Regional Engineering College, Srinagar and then MBA from Jammu University before joining Jammu and Kashmir Police as KPS officer in 1999.
Shailender Singh has also been awarded Prof Ram Nath Shastri Memorial Award for his novel ‘Hashiye Par’.
Prof M R Shah, popularly known by his literary name Shad Ramzan, has bagged Sahitya Akademi award for his collection of Kashmiri poetry, “Kore Kakud Pushrith Gome”. He has authored number of books and his research articles have been published in prestigious literary journals of Kashmiri language and literature.
He has already bagged Sahitya Akademi National Translation Award-2009 and Harmukh Literary Award 2007 for his literary works.
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