Shillong, Nov 6: Writer Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih from the city and Anju Basumatary from Assam bagged SPARROW-R THYAGARAJAN Literary Award 2022 for poetry.
The award is instituted by R Thyagarajan, Founder, Shriram Group.
A statement in this regard said the SPARROW literary awards are normally given to a woman and a man writing in Tamil and either a woman or a man for the non-Tamil language category. The SPARROW panel of judges this year were D I Aravindan, T Parameswari and Ambai for Tamil and its consultant was poet and writer, Sukumaran. This year SPARROW decided to choose two languages in the other language category. The languages chosen were Khasi and Bodo. The final award decisions were taken by DI Aravindan, T Parameswari and Ambai in the panel of judges.
“The awardees this year are Tamil poets Ponmugali and V N Surya. In the other language category, SPARROW literary award this year will be given to Khasi poet Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih and Bodo poet Anju Basumatary”, said the statement.
Biodata of the awardees
Ponmugali was born on November 18, 1983, and has two poetry collections to her credit. Thazamboo (Screw Pine) (Chennai, Thamizhini, 2019) and Oruthi Kavithaigalukkum Iravugalukkum Thirumbumbothu (When A Women Returns to Poems and Nights) (Nagercoil, Kalachuvadu, 2021). Her first book received the Kavingnar Thakkai Ve. Babu Memorial Award. Ponmugali is the pseudonym of Deepa. She lives in Chennai.
Surya
V N Surya belongs to Parakkai near Nagercoil where he was born on October 3, 1996, and has published two poetry collections so far. Karappaaniyam (Cockroachism) (Chennai, Salt Publishers, 2020) and Andhiyil Thigazhvathu (Abiding in Twilight) (Nagercoil, Kalachuvadu, 2022). His first book received the Kavingnar Thakkai Ve. Babu Memorial Award. He has a graduate degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is currently doing an online graduation course in Tamil and lives in Nagercoil.
Kynpham
Born on April, 41964 in Sohra (Cherrapunjee), Kynpham Sing Nongkynrih is a poet, writer, and translator. He belongs to the Khasi tribe and writes in both Khasi and English. Nongkynrih is among the first Khasi writers to be published by Penguin, HarperCollins and Oxford University Press. He has a total of ten books in Khasi and twelve in English besides edited volumes and translations of poetry and short stories in both Khasi and English. Some of his poems have been translated into Welsh, Swedish, Irish, German, Gaelic, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, and many Indian languages including Hindi, Gujrati, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi and Bangla. His Khasi poetry collections include Ka Samoi jong ka Lyer (The Season of the Wind) (Shillong, Government-financed, 2007); Ki Mawsiang ka Sohra (The Ancient Rocks of Cherra) (Shillong, Government-financed, 2007); Ki Jingkynmaw (Remembrances) (Shillong, Lanong Brothers, 2002); Ka Jingïapeiñ jong ka Por: Ki Haiku bad Senryu (Time’s Barter: Haiku and Senryu) (Shillong, Pine Cones Publications, 2009); and Ka Jingshai ha ka Miet (Light in the Night) forthcoming).
He was awarded a ‘Fellowship for Outstanding Artists 2000’ by the Government of India. He has also received the first North-East Poetry Award in 2004 from the North-East India Poetry Council, Tripura; the Veer Shankar Shah-Raghunath Shah National Award for Tribal Literature’ established by the Government of Madhya Pradesh in 2008; the prestigious Tagore Fellowship from IIAS, Shimla, in 2018 and ‘The Bangalore Review June Jazz Award’ in 2021. He used to edit the university newsletter, NEHU News, and the first poetry journal in Khasi, Rilum (Land of the Mountain People) besides being the associate editor of the university’s official journal, The NEHU Journal. He works as a Professor in the Department of English at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
Anju Basumatary
Anju is the pen name of Anjalee Basumatary who was born on July 15, 1963, at Tengpara in Kokrajhar, the headquarters of Bodoland Territorial Council in Assam. She writes poetry in Bodo language. Her other genres of writing are short stories, essays and literary criticism. She has six collections of poems and one collection of prose. Her poetry collections in Bodo include, Nwngni Jiu: Angni Bibungthi (Your Life: My Opinion) (Kokrajhar, Dayaram Narzary, November, 1982); Phasini Doulengao Okhafwr (The Moon In A Noose) (Kokrajhar, Benudhar Basumatary, October, 1995); Gwrbwni Radab (The Message of Heart) (Benudhar Basumatary, Kokrajhar, November, 2002); Gwrbwni Khonthaini (Of Heart Of Poetry) (Kokrajhar, Benudhar Basumatary, February 2005); Ang Mabwrwi Dong Daswng (Ask Me Not How I Am) (Kokrajhar, Benudhar Basumatary, January, 2014) and Nwng Nwng Nwng… Jwng (You You You … We) (Barama, Thunlai Publication, April, 2022). The first book brought out in 1982, was the first book in Bodo language published by a Bodo woman writer in creative writing. It was brought out by Anju’s father Dayaram Narzary when she was 19 years old and still in college. From 1995 to 2014 Anju’s books were brought out by her husband Benudhar Basumatary. Some of her poems have been translated into English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali and Telegu and have been published in various journals, magazines and anthologies. She has edited many souvenirs and magazines and has also edited a poetry anthology of Bodo poets of modern period of Bodo literature, titled Khonthaini Ikebana (The Ikebana of Poetry).
Anju Basumatary has received several awards for her works. Her awards include Rangsar Award for poetry collection Phasini Doulengao Okhafwr (The Moon in A Noose), the highest award of Bodo Sahitya Sabha, the foremost literary organisation of the Bodos, in 2002; Sahitya Akademi Award of Govt of India in 2016 for poetry collection titled Ang Mabwrwi Dong Daswng (Ask Me Not How I Am), in 2016 and Pramod Chandra Literary Award of Bodoland Territorial Council for literary contributions, in 2017. She teaches Physics at Kokrajhar Govt College in Kokrajhar in Assam. She is currently the president of Bodo Women Writers’ Association.
“All the writers have honoured SPARROW and the panel of judges by accepting the awards. SPARROW has not resumed its award functions which are normally held in Mumbai. The plaques with the citations will be sent to the awardees. SPARROW hopes that sometime in the future we will be able to meet the awardees in person. We consider meeting writers through such events rare opportunities that come with maintaining the SPARROW archives”, the statement said.
