Noted critic Kottapalle elected president of 86th literary meet

Noted critic and former vice chancellor of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University, Nagnath Kottapalle, was elected the president of the 86th Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Sahitya Sammelan (All India Marathi Literary Meet) on Thursday.

Kottapalle defeated arch rival HM Marathe with a huge margin and bagged 584 votes, while Marathe got only 163 votes. The literary meet would be held in Chiplun between January 11 and 13, 2013.

Kottapalle, who has penned almost all genres of literature, including poetry, novels and short stories, is known for his progressive approach. He has also headed the Marathi department of the University of Pune.

He has also received many awards, including five state awards for his books. Kottapalle hails from Mukhed in Nanded and completed his BA from Deglur College and won gold medal for scoring the highest marks in MA in Marathi from Marathwada University.

He has worked with many prestigious institutions and organisations including Sahitya Akademi, Rajya Marathi Vikas Sanstha, National Council Of Educational Research And Training (NCERT), State Education Board, besides the state government literature awards committee.
While speaking to reporters, Kottapalle said, “I would be raising fundamental issues about the purpose of writing for a writer. It is not only important to deliver presidential address during the meet, but to evoke debate on the same.”