Mumbai, 13 November 2024: Urvashi Butalia, distinguished feminist scholar and activist, who has made significant contributions to the fields of women’s studies, history, and social justice, will receive this year’s Rotary Writing for Peace Award instituted by The Peace Avenue of Rotary District 3141 Mumbai. The award will be presented to Ms Butalia at Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest on Sunday 17 November at 11.30am at the Godrej Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, followed by a conversation with Sameera Khan.
The co-founder of India’s first feminist publishing house, Kali for Women, Ms Butalia now runs Zubaan, another feminist imprint. She is a recipient of several awards including the Padma Shri, the French Chevalier des Artes et des Lettres, the German Goethe Medaille, the Polish Bene Merito and the Nikkei Asia Award for Culture.
Her books, such as Speaking Peace: Women’s Voices from Kashmir; In Search of Equal Rights: Women’s Movements in India; Women Changing India and Breaching The Citadel, have provided critical analyses of the challenges faced by women in India and the need for social and legal reforms. Her early book The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India which explored the traumatic experiences of women during Partition, was considered groundbreaking. It won international recognition and was translated into several languages including Chinese and Japanese.
Rotary believes that in a world where over 70 million people are displaced as a result of conflict, violence, persecution and human rights violations, peace-makers must be cherished and honoured. Equally, since its inception, Literature Live! (and as evinced through its Litfest) has been committed to providing a platform for writers who represent values of humanism, equality and respect.
The Writing for Peace Award therefore represents the shared vision both organizations have: in refusing to accept conflict as a way of life and of the importance of acknowledging writers who uphold these ideals in their work. Every year the award is to be conferred on an Indian writer whose body of work has centred around peace-building. The writer is chosen by a jury with representatives from both organizations as well as independent members.
Accepting the award, Urvashi Butalia said: “An award that foregrounds peace at a time when the world is caught up in different kinds of wars is an act of courage, and a really important step. Across the world, while men are the ones who are pushed to go into battle, the task of building peace at a day-to-day level is often left to women. They are the ones who patiently and diligently stitch the shredded fabric of society back together. It is these women’s voices that speak in my work, and it is to them that this honour belongs”.
Rajiv Punater, Chair, Peace Awards Committee, Rotary District 3141 said: “The Rotary Writing for Peace Award aims to foster global harmony through the written word. By celebrating authors who champion the ideals of peace, we hope to promote dialogue, unity worldwide, and inspire change. Our congratulations to Urvashi Butalia for being chosen for the Peace Award whose work has made an indelible impact on peace, tolerance and understanding”.
Amy Fernandes, Co-Director, Literature Live! The Mumbai Litfest said:“Urvashi Butalia’s commitment to social justice and her unwavering support for women’s rights have earned her rightful recognition as one of India’s most influential feminist scholars and activists. Through her lifetime’s work, she has given a voice to marginalised, dispossessed, unrepresented women who would otherwise have remained unheard and unseen. Universal social justice is imperative for a peaceful and secure society. She is most richly deserving of this award”.
The Rotary Writing for Peace Award was instituted in 2022. Previous recipients are Nandita Haksar and Sanjoy Hazarika.
