Centre for Study of Society and Secularism along with Central Board of Dawoodi Bohra Community (CBDBC), Institute of Islamic Studies (IIS) and Bohra Youth Sansthan (BYS) is pleased to announce that K.P Ramanunni has won the first Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award constituted in 2019.
K.P Ramanunni is a prolific writer whose award winning works including Sufi Paranja Katha and Daivathinte Pusthakam have contributed immensely to the sphere of religious and communal amity. They invite readers to the similarities in the religions of both Hindus and Muslims, in their rituals and in the teachings of wise Gurus in both the traditions. Ramanunni’s very first novel Sufi Paranja Katha won the two most prestigious awards for Malayalam Literature – The Kerala Sahitya Akademi award and the Edassery award. Sufi Paranja Katha has been translated to English, French, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Konkani, Telugu and Bengali. The Hindi and Kannada versions were published by Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.
Ramanunni’s third novel ‘Jeevithathinte Pusthakam’ has won one of the most prestigious National literary awards, Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award and Malayattoor Award. His selected Short Story collection has bagged C.V. Sreeraman Award of 2009 & T.V. Kochubava Award of 2009. His latest novel ‘Daivathinte pustakam’ has won Abudabi Sakthi award for Novel 2016. Apart from the works mentioned above, Ramanunni has authored many short stories and essays bring him more accolades and recognition as a writer. Ramanunni has participated in many National and International Literary Seminars. As a senior fiction writer in Malayalam he has represented the language in the international Katha Seminar in New Delhi.
Ramanunni is an activist working in the field of communal harmony in India and has led so many campaigns against the communal division of the society. He has addressed the communal problems from the standpoint of a real believer. His initiative in this field has been duly acknowledged throughout India. When communal riots broke out at Maradu in Kerala, Ramanunni conducted a symbolic pilgrimage with a Muslim writer named C Ashraf to Sabarimala, which has been the centre of religious amity in the state.
Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award is constituted to acknowledge and promote legacy of Dr. Engineer and his work in the areas of liberation theology, religious reforms in any community, communal harmony and peace, rights of women in Islam. The Award carries a cash prize of INR 25,000 along with a citation. We congratulate K.P Ramanunni on winning this Award. The Award will be handed over in Udaipur on 14th February.