Author Geetanjali has become the first Hindi author to win the Shree International Booker Prize. This is the first time that someone in Hindi has been awarded the Booker Prize.
Geetanjali Shree is most popular for her Hindi language novel 'Ret Samadhi' released in 2018. Which was translated into English by Daisy Rockwell as Tomb of Sand.
Daisy Rockwell is a painter and writer based in the US. She has translated many literary works into Hindi and Urdu.
In the year 2022, Tomb of Sand has been selected for the most prestigious International Booker Prize. It became the first Indian book to receive this honor.
On 26 April 2022, Gitanjali Shree and Daisy Rockwell received the £50,000 literary prize, which they split equally.
29 May 2022 In the list of 13 novels nominated for the International Booker Prize, the translated work 'Tomb of Sand' of Geetanjali Shri's Hindi novel 'Ret Samadhi' was included in March.
The book selected for the 2022 prize was announced at the London Book Fair on 7 April.
The number of people who knew this Hindi writer outside the literary world was not very large. But now after being awarded the prestigious Booker Prize of the literary world, Gitanjali has become the center of discussion in the country and the world.
Her achievement is being linked to the fame that Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali got in 1913 and it is being said that after 110 years, Gitanjali has become the pride of the country.
This may sound like a bit of exaggeration, but there is no doubt that this is a moment of celebration for Hindi. Gitanjali Shree has not only hoisted the flag of Hindi in the world but has created many paradigms.
In an interview, Gitanjali Shree said, “It is a novel written in Hindi. The language in which there are many writers, who if translated and come in front of the world, will prove to be entitled to more awards.
After receiving the award, Gitanjali Shree said that she had never imagined in her life that she would be able to win this award. I am surprised, happy, and feel honored.
Gitanjali Shree, also known as Gitanjali Pandey, takes her mother's maiden name Shree as her last name.
Geetanjali Shree is a Hindi novelist and short story writer from India.
She has composed many short stories and five novels.
The story of Gitanjali Shree was published in Belpatra in 1987 in Hans. Her works include 'Anugunj', 'Vairagya', 'March', 'Maa' and 'Sakura' and the story collection 'Here elephants lived'. Before Ret Samadhi, four of his novels, 'Mai', 'Hamara Shehar Us Baras, 'Tirohit' and 'Khali Jag' have been published.
Her 2000 novel was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award, in 2001. The English translation of the book was done by Neeta Kumar.
The translated book was republished in 2017 by Niyogi Books.
Let us know about this great writer…
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Early Life
Gitanjali Shree has a deep connection with Banaras and Ghazipur. Her mother's native village is Jamui, Banaras, and her father's Godur, Ghazipur.
Her father Anirudh Pandey was an Indian Administrative Service officer and was transferred to Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh. Whereas Gitanjali Shri was born on 12 June 1957.
Her father Anirudh Pandey was an administrative officer as well as a writer. Her mother Shri Kumari Pandey was a housewife.
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Education
Father was an IAS officer, so he was posted in small and big cities of Uttar Pradesh and Gitanjali Shree grew up in these cities and got her primary education.
She did her BA in History from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi. She completed her graduation in M.A. and M.A. in History from Jawaharlal Nehru University.
She chose Hindi instead of history for her doctorate. She did Ph.D. In the 1980s for Manak, famous Hindi writer Premchand and Maharaj Sayaji Rao University of MS University, Baroda did research on the subject and the colonial educated classes of North India.
After teaching at Jamia Millia Islamia for a few days, she did post-doctoral research at the Center for Social Studies, Surat. While living there, she also started the creation of literature.
Geetanjali Shree got the companionship of literature from the family itself. Her mother has been a literature lover.
In an interview, she said, “Mother is now 95 years old, physically weak, but reads a lot. She has read Krishna Sobti's 'Zindaginama' thrice. Reads my creations, and gives feedback. She did not like my novel 'Khali Jag', but he liked 'Mai' and 'Ret Samadhi very much.
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Career
After obtaining her doctoral degree, she joined Jamia Millia Islamia and Zakir Hussain, New Delhi as a lecturer. But she felt herself confused between her writing and teaching position.
If she had to teach in English as a lecturer and write novels in Hindi as a writer, it was difficult to adjust.
Her husband supported her and advised her to continue her love of writing and resign from the job. She did the same and dedicated her entire life to Hindi literature.
A novelist and short-story writer, Gitanjali Shree wrote her first story 'Bel Patra' in 1987.
She came into the limelight with her first novel, Mai, whose English translation was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award in 2001. The novel was translated into English by Neeta Kumar, who earned the Sahitya Akademi Translation Award for it.
Gitanjali Shree's debut novel 'My' published by Kali Publishers for women, the novel gives readers a glimpse into the lives and consciousness of three generations of women and the men around them in a North Indian middle-class family.
Mai has been translated into several languages including Serbian, Urdu, French, German, and Korean.
Her second novel 'Hamara Shehar Us Baras' is centered around the time when Ayodhya was plagued by communal violence after the Babri Masjid demolition.
In 2006, she published the novel Empty Space, which focuses on themes such as violence, loss, and the search for identity in the contemporary world.
The French translation, published in 2018, is titled Un place Vide, and the English translation, published in 2011, is titled The Empty Space.
In the year 2018, she wrote the novel 'Ret Samadhi', which talks about the destructive effect of boundaries between religions, countries, and genders. The novel humorously presents the journey of an 80-year-old Indian woman to Pakistan after the death of her husband.
This woman goes to Pakistan and tries to find a solution to her pains during the time of partition. She evaluates what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a woman, and a feminist.
Gitanjali Shree has captured the state of mind of this woman in very poignant and sensitive language and Daisy Rockwell has put it into beautiful words while retaining its original spirit in its English translation.
She gained international recognition for the novel Tomb of Sand, translated by Daisy Rockwell, an English translation of her novel Sand Tomb (2018).
Her novels and stories have been translated into several languages including Gujarati, Urdu, English, French, Siberian, and Korean.
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Booker's honor increased the prestige
Geetanjali Shree is the first writer in Hindi to receive the prestigious Booker Prize and this achievement of hers will not only open up new opportunities for Hindi and Hindi literature but will also enrich world literature.
After receiving the award, Gitanjali Shree said, “Apart from this novel of mine, there is a very rich literature in Hindi and other South Asian languages. Global literature will be enriched by knowing some of the best writers in these languages. This type of interaction will increase the dimensions of life.
Hindi litterateurs also believe that the achievement of Gitanjali Shri will play an important role in giving Hindi a new stage at the global level. Sahitya Akademi Award-winning Hindi novelist Alka Saraogi said, "The Booker Prize for the translation of Gitanjali Shree's work has opened new doors of opportunity for Hindi writing."
Eminent Hindi writer Prayag Shukla, who claims to have written the first review of 'Ret Samadhi', has said that Hindi literature is moving towards finding its rightful place on the global stage. She said, "You will see that the translation of Hindi literature will grow 20 times faster than before."
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Awards and Honors
- The Hindi Academy honored Gitanjali Shree with the Literary Award for the year 2000-2001.
- She was awarded the UK Katha Samman in the year 1994 for his story collection Anugoonj.
- She has also received Indu Sharma Katha Samman and Dwijdev Samman.
- Gitanjali has received honors from the Shree Japan Foundation, the Charles Wallace Trust, the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
- Has been awarded the International Booker Prize for the year 2022.
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