Uday Prakash

Biography

Born in Sitapur, a village in a region of Madhya Pradesh with a strong presence of Scheduled Castes and Tribes population, Uday Prakash is a Hindi poet, novelist, scholar, short story writer, journalist, and translator, whose worls have been extensively translated in Indian and international languages. Among his best known stories are Peeli Chhatri Waali Ladki and Mohandas, the latter a disturbing tale of a Dalit boy who sets off to rediscover his stolen identity. Later made into a film, Mohandas fetched Prakash the Sahitya Akademi Award for Hindi in 2010. He is the first author to return his Sahitya Akademi award on Sep 3, 2015 against the killing of M. M. Kalburgi that initiated a storm of national protests by writers, artists,scholars and intellectuals. Through his writings, Prakash has explored themes of displacement and alienation, and given voice to the concerns of the marginalised.