Padma Binani Foundation

Know the Writer - 10

Dr. Ramesh Prasad Patri was presented with the Vatsalya Award ( 2015 - 16) by the Padma Binani Foundation.

Dr. Patri has made an indelible contribution to Odia literature through his prolific children's literature writing. He has published 57 books, 100 articles and has been translated into several other Indian languages. His writings have been included in the school syllabus. Dr. Patri has received more than eighty awards at National and State level.

Please read below an interview with him conducted by the Padma Binani Foundation team.

Know the Writer - 9

Prof. T.S. Nagaraja Setty was awarded with the Vatsalya Award for the year 2015-16 by the Padma Binani Foundation for his exemplary writing in Kannada children's literature.

We present a small interview with him below:

1. Tell us a little about your childhood and how it shaped your writing?

A. When I was studying in middle school my mother would generally take me to her father’s home (my grandfather) in the evenings. There I would read these Telegu epics (Bhagavatham and Mahabharatam) loudly. My grandfather would explain it and my mother would hear it. I entered into the field of literature through this triangular process. This eventually led me to writing. By that time I had already developed the reading habit and was reading newspapers, magazines, children’s books etc.

2. Why did you choose children’s literature as a preferred means of expression?

A. Rather than saying that it was my choice it would be more real to say that children’s literature grabbed me gradually. It took four decades for me to realize this fact. Actually I was a story writer and poet earlier and then gradually shifted to children’s literature.

3. Your writing has a rhythmic, lyrical quality to it. Can you explain the importance of it?

A. While writing for children it is important to have a lyrical quality to it, it is mandatory. This attracts the children and the teachers even without their knowledge.

4. Your have been presented with the Vatsalya Award for your writing. Can you tell us what inspires you to write for children?

A. I won the Vatsalya Award for my contribution to children’s literature as a life-time achievement. The main idea of my creations is to make children happy, to inculcate human values in their minds especially through expressing the beauty of poetry, curiosity of stories, and the enthusiasm of narration.

5. You have written many plays for radio. How was that experience?

A. I have got national award for my radio plays. They are written in a combination style of both poetry and prose. Every play was relayed for about thirty minutes with music expressing some teaching and preaching. They were applauded by me and all the listeners. I am very happy with these musical plays.

6. What are your future plans?

A. I will continue writing for children as it is my humble habit. I am planning to produce a huge volume of knowledge for the
m in simple form with rich production.

Know The Writer - 8

Shri. B.L. Mali has laid the foundation of modern Rajasthani children's literature through his prolific writing. He has made and continues to make major contributions to the development of the Rajasthani language and bal sahitya through his work. His valuable contribution to Rajasthani children's literature comprises of short stories, novels, essays, plays and poetry. He has also written tele-films and episodic serials in Hindi and Rajasthani. His work has been translated into English, Assamese, Nepali, Punjabi, Hindi, Gujarati, Dogri, Marathi and so on. He was presented with the Vatsalya Award for the year 2013-14 by the Padma Binani Foundation.

Know The Writer - 7

Smt. Leela Nambudiripad writes under the pen name of Sumangala and is a popular author of children's literature in Malayalam. The Padma Binani Foundation presented her with the Vatsalya Award (2012-2013).

She was born on 16 May 1934 as the eldest daughter of eminent Sanskrit scholars O M C Narayanan Nambudiripad and Uma Antharjanam in Vellinezhi (Palakkad District, Kerala, India). Sumangala has been a prolific writer of books for children over the past 40 years. Fondly referred to as the Enid Blyton of Malayalam, Sumangala has penned 37 books of which 23 are for children.

Her most celebrated works include Mithayippoti, Neypaayasam, Manchaatikkuru, Kurinjiyum Koottukaarum, Ee Kattha Kettittundo, Nadodi Cholkathakal, Rahasyam and Kudamanikal. Perhaps her most famous work is a translation into Malayalam of the Panchatantra. Sumangala has also translated the Valmiki Ramayanam into Malayalam from Sanskrit. Another important literary work of hers is the compilation of Pacha Malayala Nikhandu. Sumangala is the recipient of many awards including the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for the best work in children's literature (in 1979) and the Bala Sahitya Institute award for Lifelong contribution towards children's literature (in 1999). She has written a song for a Malayalam film Chenda.

As Leela Nambudripad, she has served in the Public Relations Department of Kerala Kalamandalam for 22 years. Sumangala resides in the town of Wadakkancheri in Thrissur District.

Know The Writer - 6

Smt. Meena Kakodkar is a Konkani writer who has authored two collections of short stories and a full-length play for children. She was presented with the Vatsalya Award (2011-12) by the Padma Binani Foundation. Her work has been very well received and she is the recipient of a number of literary awards. She is actively involved in promoting performing arts and culture along with being an active social activist. She is a trustee of the Goa Animal Welfare Trust. She retired recently from the Goa State Government. The Padma Binani Foundation has published a Hindi translation of her story titled, 'Kamal Niwasi Jadugar'.

We present a small interview with her below:

1. Your first essay came out of an extremely difficult experience, where you underwent the process of ‘Parkaya Pravesh’ for the first time. Can you tell us about it and how it spurred your writing?
A. It was not my first essay but of course it was my first experience of ‘Parkaya Pravesh’. As a writer one needs to get into the skin of his/her characters if he wants to do justice to his work. In my case this ‘Parkaya Pravesh’ occurred during my school days. One of my friends had a parrot called ‘Mithu’. I was just five years old at that time. Mithu squeaked and circled in the cage all the time. I enjoyed watching him doing that. As the years passed there came a stage when writing of essay became a part of our curriculum. One day our teacher told us to write a biography of a parrot in a cage. I, at once thought of ‘Mithu’ and felt that I would enjoy writing about his antics. But the moment I started writing the essay I became Mithu myself and literally felt his trauma and sufferings who yearned for the winds beneath its wings. It was an extremely difficult experience. Memory of Mithu still haunts me. I could not forgive myself for being oblivious to his sufferings. But Mithu also taught me to be aware of sufferings of the tiniest creatures in the world.

2. You have lent a new dimension to the art of short story writing in Konkani literature. Can you tell us more about that?
A. Growing up is a process where people, culture and nature play a vital role in the formation of ones personality. It is also a journey where one gathers incidents, experiences – happy, sad, frustrating, fulfilling which influences your mind with different emotions. Closeness to nature also gives you perception to see beauty in it and to respond to it.
Perhaps all these things were like blessings and helped me with the art of short story writing.

3. Palolem lends itself deeply in most of your work. How was your childhood there and how did it influence your writing?
A. My village Palolem unfolded before me with its varied moods and faces of mother nature and this lure of evergreen nature slowly seeped into my life and embedded itself in my stories.
Sometimes in the early hours of dawn I accompanied my father on his trips to the forest and saw the lush green forest slowly awakening from its deep slumber, golden rays finding their way through their leaves and branches and sprinkling gold glimmer on the cool dewy ground, heard the first notes of the chirping of half-awake birds. Then suddenly a monkey would jump from a tree top, a woodpecker would start knocking on the trunk, hidden in the leaves some unknown birds would sing sweetly and I would feel as if the entire forest watched me with myriad eyes. In that forest I learnt to respond to the notes of the birds, to assimilate the rainbow colours from the dewdrops and learnt to love and respect nature immensely.
The blue green sea and the silvery beach of Palolem have acquired a certain dimension in my life. At dusk when the cattle would return to their sheds with their jingling bells, and when the birds would return frolicking, to their nests, the twilight hours would seem to awaken for a moment and when the days chores were over, silence would descend with the onset of night spreading its dark wings, the sea nearby with the gentle roar of its waves would seem to be singing lullabies to the sleeping village.
On one side of the shore there were reefs, some of them penetrating deep into the sea. The waves would break against these reefs sending the foam high up in sky. I loved to sit there and get wet in that salty spray. I loved the gushing breeze which tried to dissolve the sea salt in my body and made me appear like a tiny drop of that turbulent sea. The setting sun would paint everything crimson red and touch the palm leaves with gold. I would sit there entranced with all this beauty and lost in the eternal expanse. There is a bond between this sea and me. The bond of salt. No wonder therefore sometimes the sea’s salty sprinkles find a place in my stories.

4. ‘Kamal Niwasi Jadugar’ is a magical world. What inspires you to write for children?
A. Though many of my stories are based on child psychology, I had not ventured into the avenue of Bal Sahitya. When I was a child myself, my mother used to tell me bed time stories. She introduced me to the magical world of golden haired princesses, blue eyed prince and wicked witches. It was indeed a magical journey to the land of glistening diamonds and pearls. Perhaps these stories were like seeds sown in my mind which later on blossomed into a strong desire in me to take up the world of magic and ‘Kamal Niwasi Jadugar’ was born. That was my first book for children.

5. What are your future plans?
A. I intend to write a novel for children and also publish a collection of short stories.

6. What are your feelings on winning the Vatsalya Award?
A. I was in the U.S.A. at that time. Padma Binani Foundation contacted me there. Naturally I was happy! ‘Kamal Niwasi Jadugar’ has a special place in my heart being my first book for children. Incidentally now I have 20 more books for children to my credit, including two one act plays. Both plays have been awarded the first prize by the Goa Kala Akademi, for the drama competition organised by them. Perhaps Vatsalya Award gave me boost to contribute more for children’s literature.

7. Would you like to share any message for our readers?
A. Cultivate the reading habit in a child! Let your child be a reader and one day he/she may become a writer too!

Know The Writer – 5

Shri. Sailen Ghose was a Bengali child litterateur and a dramatist. He was presented with the Vatsalya Award (2010 -2011) by the Padma Binani Foundation. A sensitive writer, he had a deep affection for children. He played a role in the drama Dakghar, written by Rabindranath Tagore, when he was in Class IX. The death of the protagonist Amal at the end of the story affected him so much that he wrote a new drama, Gharer Kheya, by adopting the same theme.

Ghose wrote and directed dramas for children. In 1959, he became affiliated with the Manimela organisation and started writing for them. He won several awards, including the prestigious Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Vidyasagar Award and Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship. He wrote several short stories, novels and dramas for children in various Bengali magazines, including Anandamela and Sandesh.
He was a founder member and stayed actively involved with Shishur Angan, a voluntary organisation that teaches children the basics of acting, dancing and singing. It was established in 1970. He was the General Secretary of Shishur Angan, from its foundation day till the very end of his life.

Know The Writer - 4

Dhiruben Patel, a staunch Gandhian, a versatile writer and a person extraordinaire was the recipient of the 2009-2010 Vatsalya Award conferred by the Padma Binani Foundation.

She was born on 25 May 1926 in Baroda (now Vadodara, Gujarat) to Gordhanbhai Patel, a journalist with the Bombay Chronicle, and Gangaben Patel, a political activist and member of the All India Congress Committee. Her family belongs to Dharmaj village near Anand. She grew up and still resides in Santacruz, a suburb of Mumbai. She was educated at the Poddar School in Mumbai. She completed higher education from Elphinstone College. She completed B.A. in English in 1945 and M.A. in 1949 from Bhavan's College. She taught English in a college at Dahisar in 1963-64 and later taught English literature at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.

She briefly worked with Anand Publishers. Subsequently, she founded Kalki Prakashan, a publishing house in 1963-64. From 1966 to 1975, she edited Sudha, a Gujarati journal. She later served as the President of the Gujarat Sahitya Sabha. One of her plays, Bhavni Bhavai, has been adapted into a film.

Dhiruben Patel has written several collections of short stories and poetry as well as novels. She has written radio plays and stage plays. Children’s literature occupies a special place in her oeuvre, with many nursery rhymes, short stories, novels, plays, TV serials and films for children in Gujarati and English.

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ।।
नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः ।
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्यापो न शोषयति मारुतः ।।

Smt. Padma Binani
1935 - ETERNITY

With profound grief we would like to inform that our beloved ‘MAA’ Smt. Padma Binani (wife of Late Shri Ghanshyamdasji Binani) and Founder Chairperson of Padma Binani Foundation left for her heavenly abode on 7th January 2020.

What is art? It is the response of man's creative soul to the call of the real. - Rabindranath Tagore

Art is the elixir of human life. Art sustains our souls and builds bridges beyond borders of all kinds. Our Chairperson, Smt Padma ji Binani is also an ardent writer, sharing her thoughts on life, literature and philosophy often through her writing. She has read voraciously over the years and has many published books to her credit. In her new blog, 'Parivritta' she shares some of these priceless gems with us...

Please follow this link https://parivrutt.blogspot.com to read more...

परिवृत्‍त