New Delhi Aug 22 (IANS) The Sahitya Akademi an autonomous body working with the Ministry of Culture said the ban on the book "The Adivasi Will Not Dance" is a state government decision and it will only interfere in it if the author approaches the body.
"Sahitya Akademi will only ban a book if it receives a legal notice. The ban by the Jharkhand government was not informed officially to us. We came to know about it through the media " an official from the Sahitya Akademi told IANS.
"We are here to promote talented authors who deserve limelight. Banning a book is a decision that is taken by either a court or a government. However if the author approaches us we will discuss the matter in our executive meeting."
"The Adivasi Will Not Dance" -- a collection of short stories published by Speaking Tiger -- is Santhal writer Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar s second book.
His first book "The Mysterious Ailment of Rupi Baskey" won him the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar in 2015.
The Jharkhand government has recently imposed a ban on it stating that the content of the book is obscene and derogatory to the Santhal women.
The 34-year-old author who was a state government employee working as a medical doctor at the Additional Health Centre in Pakur district has since been suspended.
--IANS
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