Marathi poet-novelist Bhalchandra Nemade wins Jnanpith for 2014

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The Mumbai-based author had earlier been conferred with the Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Awards.

Hindu explores the idea of Hinduism with its protagonist, who is an archaeologist, revisiting the Indus Valley civilisation.

Nemade already has the manuscripts of Hindu’s part two and three ready. The second part is likely to go to print in a year once he finishes editing it. After wrapping of the series, he wants to retire from novel writing. “Hindu will be my last novel. After this, I will switch to poetry,” says Nemade, who has already published two books of poetry, Melody and Dekhne.

The 77-year-old author ushered in a new voice in Marathi literature with his first novel Kosala (1963) even though the style adopted for this loosely autobiographical novel has been compared to that of JD Salinger’s The Catcher In the Rye. His publisher for the last 40 years, Ramdas Bhatkal of Popular Prakashan, says, “Nemade is not a populist writer. Yet, he is one of the most popular Marathi writers today. I admire his writing for the philosophy it encompasses. And that is not very different from his personal views.”

The Jnanpith-winner’s other important works include novels such as Bidhar, Hool, Jarila and Jhool.

“We are happy that after nearly 12 years since Vinda Karandikar was awarded Jnanpith, another Marathi writer would be receiving the honour,” says Hemant Divate, a Mumbai-based poet and publisher.

The two other litterateurs to get Jnanpith are VS Khandekar (1974) and VV Shirwadkar (1988). “Nemade is a brilliant writer. However, I am again his idea of nativism. I like him as a poet more than a novelist,” says Divate.