Malayalam poet Akkitham wins 55th Jnanpith award
New Delhi, Nov 29: Eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham has been chosen for the 55th Jnanpith Award, the Jnanpith Selection Board announced on Friday.
"The Jnanpith Selection Board has announced the recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award for the year 2019 today in a meeting. It went to Shri Akkitham, eminent Indian poet writing in Malayalam," the board said in statement.
Born in 1926, Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham is one of the most revered names in Malayalam poetry.
Apart from poetry, his literary excellence has footprints in genres like drama, reminiscence, critical essays, children literature, short stories and translation.
"A poet of rare integrity, a creator of many works, all considered as classics, Akkitham's poetry reflects unfathomable compassion, imprints of Indian philosophical and moral values and a bridge between tradition and modernity, delves deep into human emotions in a fast changing social space," the statement by the board chaired by novelist, scholar and Jnanpith laureate Pratibha Ray, said.
Others on the decision making body included Madhav Kaushik, Shamim Hanfi, Harish Trivedi, Suranjan Das, Purushothama Bilimale, Chandrakant Patil, S Mani Valan, Prabha Varma, Asghar Wajahat and Madhusudan Anand.
Akkitham has authored 55 books out of which 45 are collections of poems including "Khanda Kavyas", "Katha Kavyas", "Charitha Kavyas" and songs.
Some of his celebrated creations include "Veeravadam", "Bali Darshanam", "Nimisha Kshethram", "Amrita Khatika", "Akkitham Kavithaka", "Epic of Twentieth Century" and "Antimahakalam".
A Padma Shri awardee, he has won several literary accolades including the Sahitya Akademi Award (1973), Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award (1972 and 1988), Mathrubhumi Award, Vayalar Award, and Kabir Samman.
His works have also been translated into many Indian and foreign languages.
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Unemployed 'youngsters like cockroaches' become media, activists; attack system: CJI
New Delhi (PTI): Likening some unemployed youngsters to cockroaches, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on Friday said they go on to "become" media, social media and RTI activists and start attacking the system.
The comments came while a bench of CJI Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was pulling up a lawyer for "pursuing" a senior advocate designation. It said there were already "parasites" in society who attack the system and asked the petitioner whether he wanted to join hands with them.
"The entire world may be eligible to become senior (advocate), but at least you are not entitled," the bench told the petitioner lawyer.
A visibly anguished CJI observed that if the Delhi High Court would confer senior advocate designation upon the petitioner, the apex court would set that aside seeing his professional conduct.
The CJI also referred to the kind of language used by the petitioner on Facebook.
"There are already parasites of society who attack the system and you want to join hands with them?" he said.
"There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don't get any employment or have any place in profession. Some of them become media, some of them become social media, RTI activists and other activists and they start attacking everyone," he said.
The bench also asked the petitioner whether he did not have any other litigation.
"Is this the conduct of a person who seeks to be designated as a senior advocate?" the bench asked.
It said senior advocate designation is something that is conferred on a person and is not to be pursued.
"You are pursuing it. Does it look proper?" the top court said, asking whether a senior advocate designation was a status symbol to be kept ornamentally.
It also observed that it wanted to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to verify the degrees of many of those who were wearing black robes as there were serious doubts over the genuineness of their degrees.
It said the Bar Council of India would never do anything on this issue as they "need their votes".
The petitioner apologised to the bench and sought permission to withdraw the petition. The bench allowed the withdrawal of the petition.
