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Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree conferred
The Madan Puraskar Guthi has conferred this year’s Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree to littérateur Ghanashyam Kandel and cartoonist Durga Baral ‘Batsyayan’, respectively, at a function held in the Capital. Kandel was awarded the literary prize for his book of epic poetry, Dhritarashtra.The Madan Puraskar Guthi has conferred this year’s Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree to littérateur Ghanashyam Kandel and cartoonist Durga Baral ‘Batsyayan’, respectively, at a function held in the Capital. Kandel was awarded the literary prize for his book of epic poetry, Dhritarashtra.
While the Jagadamba Shree Puraskar was conferred to Baral “for his continuous service to Nepali society and linguistics with the use of cartoon and a short yet effective expression through words.”
This is the first time a cartoonist has been honoured with the Jagadamba Shree. Baral is a regular cartoon contributor to Kantipur daily. Speaking at the event, Baral said, “At a time when the country is undergoing a crisis, cartoonists should be more responsible towards their work.” Baral added, “This honour has provided me with more energy and responsibility.” Likewise, the Madan Puraskar winner Kandel said, “An epic has been awarded with Madan Puraskar after 26 years. It is a moment of celebration for the entire Nepali poetry fraternity.”
Kandel, speaking about his book Dhritarashtra, said, “The book is about those without the gift of eyesight. The book aims to establish that there is immense possibility in differently-abled individuals and they should be given not just sympathy but also opportunities.”
First awarded in 1956, Madan Puraskar is the premier literary prize in the country. Previous recipients of the honour include litterateurs Satya Mohan Joshi, Parijaat, Saru Bhakta, Dinesh Adhikari, Jhamak Ghimire and Amar Neupane, among others. Last year, the honour was conferred to Ramlal Joshi.