AMU rejoices as Geetanjali Shree receives Booker

Aligarh, May 27 (IANS) Geetanjali Shree's incredible literary conquest of winning the prestigious International Booker Prize has enraptured Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) fraternity.

The Vice Chancellor, Professor Tariq Mansoor said that the creative dexterity of famous Hindi fiction writer, Geetanjali has got international acclaim as she became the first ever Indian to get International Booker Prize for her novel 'Ret Samadhi' (Tomb of Sand).

In a congratulatory message, Prof Mansoor said it is rare that a novel from a non-European language got the highest honour and it is the acknowledgement of Indian cerebral power.

Prof Imtiyaz Hasnain, Dean Faculty of Arts, said that the students and academicians at AMU are deliriously happy that a gripping narrative of the scourge of partition and its indelible impact got the award.

Prof Shafey Kidwai (Sahitya Academy Awardee, 2019) said: "Geetanjali fashioned an enormously engaging and layered narrative on the unresolved trauma of the partition. Earlier the novels of U R Ananthamurthy and Intizar Hussain were shortlisted but the celebrated Hindi author carried the date".

Prof Ashiq Ali (Chairman, Department of Hindi) while extending heartfelt congratulations said that now the West has started looking at India not only through the prism of Indian writers who write in English, but also through the rich and flourishing literary tradition in Hindi and it is a welcome step.

Prof Asim Siddiqui (Chairman, Department of English) said that Geetanjali's writings nuancedly explore the whole gamut of life through the poignant tale of an 80-year-old female protagonist. It looks incredible that she was preferred over Olga Tokarcuzk, a Polish author who won the Nobel Prize in 2018.

Professor Azra Musavi (Director, Advanced Centre for Women Studies), pointed out that the feminist writing in Hindi has come of age and Geetanjali tried to reinvent life by poring over the deplorable and tragic events unfolded by the unfortunate partition.

Hindi critic, Ajay Bisariya (Department of Hindi) remarked: "Geetanjali is a prolific writer, who has published four novels and four collections of short stories. Her award winning novel meticulously maps poignant terrain of a topic on which much has been written. It is a family saga set in the partition".