Monday March 14, 2011 09:14:46 AM, ummid.com Staff Reporter
"Maharashtra State Urdu Academy would be organising a glittering function at YB Chavan Auditorium near Mantralaya in Mumbai March 14 to give away its annual literary awards", declares Academy Secretary Qasim Imam in the advertisements that appeared in all the Urdu dailies March 13.
"The ceremony will be presided over by Minister of Minority Department and Awkaf Arif Naseem Khand and Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will grace the occasion as Chief Guest", it added.
The advertisements also state that the annual awards pending since 2004 and till 2008 will be given away in today's ceremony.
The list of the awardees released by the Academy includes names of around hundred Urdu scholars, writers, researchers, historians and journalists. They will be given away special citations and cash prizes in today's ceremony.
According to the sources, the awards were pending since 2004 due to the infighting and political upmanship, and today's award giving ceremony has also become possible by hectic backdoor lobbying. It is also alleged that some of the names in the list are of those, who do not deserve but are being honored because of their proximity with politicians and the current Academy office bearers.
Interestingly, irregularities are being complained in the distribution of invitation cards also. On one side, there are community bigwigs and dignitaries who complain they are not invited, some awardees say they have not received any formal invitation from the Academy and came to know about their nominations for the awards only through newspapers.
Meanwhile, the Academy is totally silent on when and how it will declare the annual awards from 2009 onwards.
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