Mahesh Katare declared winner of 2019 IFFCO’s Srilal Shukla Award

The cooperative titan IFFCO has named Shri Mahesh Katare as the winner of the Srilal Shukla Smiriti IFFCO Sahitya Samman for the year 2019. The announcement led to a flood of congratulations for Shri Katare on social media late Friday evening.

Shri Mahesh Katare will get this award on 31st January in a function organized by IFFCO in Delhi, reads a press release from the farmers’ cooperative.

The Award Selection Committee headed by Dr Vishwanath Tripathy had worthies like D P Tripathy, Smt Mridula Garg, Prof Ravibhushan, Murli Manohar Singh, Ibbar Rabbi and Dinesh Kumar as its members.

Congratulating Shri Katare, IFFCO MD tweeted “It’s a great pleasure to inform you all that Sri Mahesh Katara whose writings depict rural life in all its dimensions is the winner of this year’s Srilal Shukla Smiriti IFFCO Sahitya Samman. I extend my congratulations to him”.

Shri Katare was born into a lower middle-class family in the village Bilhaiti of Gwalior district. He has been connected to rural life and farming not only through his writings but also through his daily experiences. Earlier, he had been recognized for his literary contributions by many prestigious bodies including Madhya Pradesh Sahitya Parishad and Bihar Rajyabhasa Parishad.

Some of his works include Samar Shesh hai, Itikatha Aathkatah, Murda Sthagit, Pahrua, Chachia bhar Chach, Saat Pan ki Hamel, Phagun kee Maut, Meri priya Kathayan, Gaurtalab Kanhiya, Mahasamar kee Sakshi, Andhere Yuganat ka, Panchrangi, Vibhajan(drama), Pahiyon par raat din, Desh Vidhesh Darvesh(travelogue), Kaminikay Kantare, Kali Dhar, Bhatruhari, Kaya ke Van me, Samay ke Sath Sath, Nazar Idhar Udhar, etc.

There began a deluge of congratulations on social media as soon as Shri Katara’s name as the winner was announced late Friday evening. One of his followers wrote “He deserves it more than anybody else in the present times”. Ramdhari Singh Diwakar- a versatile Hindi novelist from Bihar was the winner for the last year’s IFFCO’s ‘Shri Lal Shukla Sahitya Samman.

The IFFCO Literary award was started in 2011 in the name of a famous litterateur Sri Lal Shukla and is given every year for outstanding writings on the life in the countryside. Srilal Shukla was a versatile writer who portrayed the life of rural as well as semi-urban areas in its totality and made a scathing attack on the exploitative system prevailing in the countryside. His book Rag Darbari remains a sensation till date.

Vidya Sagar Nautial, Shekhar Joshi, Sanjeev, Mithileshwar, Ashtabhuja Shukla, Kamla Kant Tripathy and Ramdev Dhurandhar had been the recipients of the award in the past.