The stage was set on Thursday afternoon for the Sahitya Akademi to announce this year’s awardees — cameras had been placed, jute bags with notepads and pens distributed, samosas and dhoklas were steaming outside the conference room at Rabindra Bhawan.
But instead of Akademi secretary Pallavi Holkar and other officials, a junior employee walked in and told the waiting videojournalists: “Cancel ho gaya (The event has been cancelled).”
There were murmurs of “pressure” from the Centre in the capital’s literary corridors since Wednesday night. However, nobody had anticipated something so dramatic that the Sahitya Akademi — an autonomous literary body under the Union culture ministry — would be unable to address its own media conference to announce the winners, whose list had been approved by its executive board by 2.30pm.
The Press Information Bureau had earlier said the media conference would
begin at 3pm. When the Akademi member walked in to announce the cancellation of the event, it was barely past that time.
A board member told The Telegraph that a suggestion from a ministry representative on the board to “review the names” of the awardees had been swiftly rejected.
“(When presented with the names of the winners, culture ministry) Additional secretary Amita Prasad Sarbhai said the ministry would review it and make the announcement. The other members said the ministry had no business reviewing the names, and that once the board has approved, the secretary makes the announcement. The additional secretary agreed to this and the names of the winners were accepted by the board.... There were no suggestions from the ministry to include any names,” the member said.
He added that all the recommendations presented by the jury were accepted. Another member confirmed this.
“There is always pressure from many quarters for these prestigious awards in 24 languages. But the recommendations of the juries, who completed their deliberations on Tuesday, were all accepted by the board. There is no room for any name to be added at this stage. I expect the names, as approved, to be announced. I don’t know why the media conference was not held,”
the second member told this newspaper.
The Akademi has not offered any explanation for the cancellation of the event. Its vice-president, Kumud Sharma, directed this paper to Akademi secretary Holkar, whose office staff said she did not wish to speak. Akademi president Madhav Kaushik disconnected a call from this paper after this reporter had introduced himself.
The government cited an ongoing restructuring process, which a culture ministry official said was aimed at ensuring "more transparency".
In a letter to the Sahitya Akademi, Sangeet Natak Akademi, Lalit Kala Akademi and the National School of Drama on Thursday, the culture ministry said: "This is to invite your attention to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Akademies and the Ministry for the year 2025-26, wherein it has been stipulated that the exercise of restructuring of Awards is required to be undertaken in consultation with the Ministry. In this regard, you are requested to inform this Ministry of the measures taken so far.
"It is further directed that, till such time the restructuring process is duly approved by the Ministry, no process for declaration of Awards shall be undertaken without the prior approval of the Ministry."
A senior ministry official told this paper that the MoUs had stressed on "more transparency" in these awards.
Asked by reporters while leaving Rabindra Bhawan, board member for Malayalam, K.P. Ramaunni, said the Akademi was “trying to uphold its dignity” and was
in talks with the ministry. Member (Assamese) Diganta Biswa Sarma said: “This is the first time this (withholding the announcement) has happened.” Neither gave any reason why.