Returning awards no solution, but strong protest a must: Goan Sahitya Akademi award winner Damodar Mauzo

Panaji: While several accomplished writers across India have renounced their Sahitya Akademi awards in protest against brewing intolerance in the country and the silence of the apex literary body following the murder of rationalists and writers, winners of the award in Goa have chosen to tread a different path. Eleven Sahitya Akademi award-winning Konkani writers on Thursday refused to renounce their awards. Such a step “is not going to solve the problem”, says well-known author Damodar Mauzo. [caption id=“attachment_2470340” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Damodar Mauzo. Image courtesy: Damodar Mauzo Facebook page[/caption] In this interview, Mauzo, who won the Sahitya Akademi award in 1983 for his novel ‘Karmelin’, speaks about the shades of growing intolerance in Goa and how some of the major social movements in the state have been guided by communal sentiment. He also tries to put in context how award-winning authors like Nagesh Karmali, who were involved in tarring of old Portuguese signages in 2004 in Fontainhas, the state capital’s Latin Quarter, are now supporting him in the battle against socio-cultural intolerance. Q: How did this collective of 11 Sahitya Akademi award-winning writers come about? A: When there was a spate of cases of writers returning awards, I immediately contacted the writers I knew. Some were returning awards and some had not returned these. After listening to both sides, I came to the conclusion that returning the award is not going to solve the problem, because award is not given by any particular organisation or by the government. It is given by a body of writers. It is a long procedure and they must respect it. I think returning the award is not the solution, but strong protest is a must. Even taking to the streets, giving slogans in public will help. I was very upset with the comment of the president (of the Akademi) who said, you have earned credibility and benefited by (accepting the) the award. In fact, Sahitya Akademi benefits by giving awards to great writers like Amitav Ghosh and others. Q: Should the president of the Sahitya Akademi apologise for his callous remarks? A: He should have, long back. We are worried because of his silence. He should have reacted immediately because he heads a body of writers. Q: What is the immediate course of action for you and your collective of 11 Sahitya Akademi award winners? A: We have to convene a meeting of artistes from all the fields - theatre, painters, singers, musicians etc. We will find ways to voice our concern. One, we will go to the Governor. Whether she is on our side or not, she will have to listen to us. And then there are major upcoming events like IFFI. Maybe we will find some way to take our voice to the national and international delegates. But this is one thing we have to be very, very careful of. The growing intolerance is fomented by the political leadership. Q: We have heard through the media about the rising levels of intolerance in the rest of India. How is the situation in your home state, Goa? Do you feel the levels of intolerance are rising here too? A: Yes, very much. Q: Could you quantify? A: I am very happy that active writers and artistes are vociferous whenever there is a threat to harmony, threat to co-existence. But in spite of that, intolerance is rising… I am talking about the last few years, right from the (official) language agitation, to anti-Konkan Railway (agitation), Mopa issue, everywhere we like to connect it to a communal part, which is very much worrying. Q: You have writers, part of your panel of 11 award winners, who were also involved in certain extra-constitutional acts at one point of time. A: I am aware of it and have always been vociferous about it. They are my friends as writers, but I feel writers should be more cautious when they react to a particular issue, particularly Medium of Instruction. We ourselves should exert tolerance to intolerance, also try to understand why they are reacting like this. Q: A sense of duress has brought the 11 of you together. Your immediate goal is to get a response from the Sahitya Akademi. How well will this collective use this opportunity to keep watch, monitor and critique the goings on in your immediate neighbourhood, Goa? A: In Goa, every time we form an organisation and start a movement, it falls apart because we do not have the same opinion on other issues. In this case also I do not know the future. Some of my friends are on the same wavelength, some are not. (Mayabhushan Nagvenkar is a Goa correspondent for the Indo-Asian News Service)