Sahitya Akademi Awardee writer Rita Chowdhury on Tuesday came down heavily on those who have spawn controversy around her on being conferred the Assam Valley Literary Award.
The controversy has it that Chowdhury, who is also the wife of Assam cabinet minister Chandra Mohan Patowary, received the award because of her husband’s “political influences”.
“I have my own identity and individuality. I have been writing since 1980 and the Sahitya Akademi Award was conferred to me in 2008. If I had to use my husband’s political influence, I wouldn’t have waited this long for the award,” Chowdhury told media here, clarifying, “There is no political influence involved.”
Without naming anybody, she said, “Those who are spewing such controversies regarding me getting the award are not democratic. They identified me as someone’s wife instead of an independent woman. It is not my fault that my husband is a minister. I accept the award.”
Born in 1960, Dr Rita Chowdhury, who had been an Associate Professor of Political Science in Cotton College since 2001, is an established poet and novelist. She is currently the director of National Book Trust, India.
A prolific writer, Dr Chowdhury has an immense body of work and has to her credit several novels, including Abirata Jatra, Tirthabhumi, Jala Padma, Deo Langkhui and Makam. She also has several books on poetry to her credit. She has been awarded with a number of literary awards and recognitions, major among them being Kalaguru Bishnu Prasad Rabha Award and Lekhika Samaroh Sahitya Bota.
