
The novel was serialised four years ago, and nobody protested then. It was translated into Russian and two years ago, into Hindi too. Then, too, no one protested. It's only now, after it has been selected for the award, that there are protests in some quarters.
Were you expecting the award?
Would you like to counter the allegations being made by the Hindu rightwing?
In fact, this is not my first Sahitya Akademi award. I was also awarded for translating Tamas, Bhishma Sahni's Hindi novel, into Telugu way back in 1992.