Hyderabad : Short story writer from TS, Dr Ravinder Pasunoori has won the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2015 for his collection of stories titled ‘Out of Coverage Area’ in the Telugu language category.
Chokkapu Vekataramana, a magician and writer, won the Sahitya Akademi Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2015 for his contribution to children’s literature in Telugu. According to Mr K. Sreenivasa Rao, secretary of the Sahitya Akademi, Delhi, the annual yuva puraskar is given to writers aged below 35, in 23 languages. A jury of eminent writers in each language selected the winners and the awards were declared on Wednesday.
Dr Ravinder, a doctorate in Telugu literature from the department of Telugu, University of Hyderabad, dealt with the nuances of the ‘caste’ system including the latest real estate ventures in AP and TS. He is a native of Warangal district.
Speaking about the award, Dr Ravinder said, “This award is recognition to the TS story. There is no space allotted to TS stories in the mainstream media. As a Dalit writer hailing from this region I focus on the downtrodden and their woes. ‘Out of Coverage Area’ is a compilation of 15 short stories. The central theme is caste discrimination not only in rural areas but in cities too. There are real estate ventures in cities like Hyderabad that have come up exclusively for certain upper castes.”
