Thiruvananthapuram: Novelist K.P. Ramannunni has been selected for the Kendra Sahitya Academy award for his novel Daivathinte Pusthakam. The award carries a sum of Rs 1 lakh, citation and sculptor. Mr Ramannunni told Deccan Chronicle that he was happy for the award as the novel was one that depicted the true tradition of secularism in the country. In the novel, Lord Krishna refers to Prophet Mohammed as ekka or big brother. It was for the first time, that any novel in Malayalam has the prophet as character, said Mr Ramannunni.
“I am happy as the novel got recongised during a testing period, when the pluralistic traditions of our country are being questioned. The novel was written in the same secularist tradition like my earlier works, Sufi Paranja Katha and Jeevithainte pusthakam. The tradition of secularism, becomes a major theme of my novels as I was brought up in this cultural context,” said Mr Ramannunni Ramannunni weaves a story of Science and religion through the novel, across light years. Apart from Lord Krishna and Prophet Muhammed in their role as time travellers there are eccentric NASA scientists, one Hindu and one Muslim, each of them technical geniuses from Isro, and also Karl Marx, Hitler, Gandhi, Nehru and Jinnah.
