20 Oct 2017 | 06:02am IST
Don’t take lines out of context, says Sudhir Sukta publisher
Feisty Hema not worried about FIR filed against her and Vishnu; Says an author should have the freedom to write what he feels
PONDA: Apurbay Prakashan publisher Hema Nayak on Thursday said that a book should be read for its literary values, and that it is wrong for people who are not conversant with literature to single out a few lines from a poem without keeping it in context with the rest of the work.
Nayak, a writer herself, was referring to the controversy over the book Sudhir Sukta by Vishnu Wagh that has led to a FIR being filed at Ponda Police Station, against the writer and publisher.
Nayak said she had read and checked the book before publishing. “I don’t feel anything wrong has been presented in the book. A writer doesn’t bother with who will feel good or bad. In several books such language has been used. A book should be read from the literature point of view. If some people take just a few lines or words in the book and raise a controversy then there will be no end to controversies. It is not fair. An author should have the freedom to write what he feels.”
“A writer can creatively write on evil and good in society. If this is not done by a writer, who will write about it?” she questioned.
She added, “Some people have alleged that the book is obscene and derogatory because they are not seeing it from a literature point of view. The book should be read and understood by referring to its context.”
Referring to the FIR that has been filed, she said, “Though I haven’t received a copy of the FIR, I have learnt that one FIR has been lodged against me. But I am not afraid. Since my student days I have participated in various social movements, and also brought many women onto social platforms.”
Since it was set up in 1974, Apurbay Prakashan has published around 100 books by different author and five of the books have received the Sahitya Academy Award, one of which was by Nayak.
She is the wife of Konkani writer Pundalik Nayak. Her Son Yugank Nayak said that people raise controversies by taking selective words or lines, but none have read the entire book. “If they had read the entire book there would be no controversy,” he said.
The book has been in the news following allegations that its contents are communal in nature and that there are derogatory references to women.
