Marathi writer Nanda Khare has refused to accept the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel “Udya”, published in 2014.

“I was conveyed this afternoon that my novel ‘Udya’ was chosen for Sahitya Akademi award. I politely refused to accept the award since I have stopped accepting awards for the past four years. Society has given me a lot. So, I feel I shouldn’t accept more. This is entirely a personal reason and nothing political should be read into it,” Khare, who resides here, told The Indian Express.

Former president of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan Vasant Abaji Dahake, who was one of the three experts who chose the awardees, said, “None of us knew that he had stopped accepting awards. So, we selected him. Sahitya Academi doesn’t seek a writer’s consent before making a selection.”

Asked about the novel, Dahake said, “It is a very interesting futuristic account of the possible scenarios emerging as consequences of the current capitalistic and machine-driven human life. It nuances how humans have been enslaved by machines, particularly by the ones that are susceptible to surveillance of one’s personal life.”