Jacinta Kerketta, a renowned Indian poet and author from the Oraon Adivasi community, has rejected the prestigious 2024 Room to Read Young Author Award. This accolade, jointly presented by USAID and Room to Read India Trust, was intended to honor her children’s poetry collection, Jirhul. However, Kerketta refused the award as a gesture of solidarity with the Palestinian people, citing concerns over the involvement of Boeing, a key partner in Room to Read India’s initiatives and a major supplier of arms to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
Speaking to The Independent, the 41-year-old poet expressed her reasoning, stating, “As a poet, I want to show my solidarity with the children, women, and victims of Palestine.” Kerketta’s decision was further influenced by the relationship between Room to Read India Trust and Boeing, particularly in light of Boeing’s business connections to Israel’s military activities.
She explained, “I saw that Room to Read India Trust is also associated with Boeing for children’s education.” Her decision to decline the award stemmed from her inability to reconcile the notion of promoting education for children while partnering with a company involved in supplying arms to a nation engaged in a violent conflict that has claimed thousands of lives, including those of children.
In August 2023, India’s then-Minister of Women and Child Development and Minority Affairs, Smriti Irani, had announced a collaboration between Boeing and Room to Read India aimed at promoting literacy in 60 primary schools in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. Boeing was set to fund a four-year literacy program to foster independent reading skills among young children. Despite these philanthropic initiatives, Boeing’s extensive arms dealings with Israel—particularly as a supplier of weapons to the IDF—prompted Kerketta’s moral stand.
“When children were being killed in Palestine, Room to Read India Trust in India was collaborating with Boeing for better education of children,” she emphasized. “How can the arms business and care for children continue simultaneously when the world of children is being destroyed by the same weapons? Because of these concerns, I have declined to accept this USAID-supported award.”
Kerketta officially communicated her refusal in a letter addressed to both USAID and the Room to Read India Trust. In the letter, she elaborated on her concerns about accepting an award linked to organizations with ties to arms manufacturing, especially in light of the ongoing violence in Gaza.
Since October 7 of last year, when Israel launched a full-scale military assault on Gaza following a series of attacks led by Hamas, the death toll has risen drastically. Over 16,000 children have lost their lives during this offensive. These figures have shocked international observers, including Bragi Gudbrandsson, vice chairperson of a UN committee, who remarked, “The outrageous death of children is almost historically unique. This is an extremely dark place in history.” He continued, “I don’t think we have seen before a violation that is so massive as we’ve seen in Gaza. These are extremely grave violations that we do not often see.”
Kerketta, who belongs to the Indigenous Oraon Adivasi community of Jharkhand, has established herself as an outspoken advocate for marginalized groups. In addition to Jirhul, she has authored seven other works, including Ishwar aur Bazar, Jacinta ki Diary, and Land of the Roots. This is not the first time the poet has refused an award on ethical grounds. Previously, she rejected an honor in solidarity with Adivasi communities in India’s northeastern state of Manipur. At the time, she expressed her distress to Newslaundry, stating, “This is coming at a time when the respect for the life of the tribals of Manipur is ending. The respect for the life of the tribals in central India is disappearing as well, and people from other communities are also being attacked continuously in the global society. My mind remainsdistressed and I am not feeling any thrill or happiness with this acknowledgement.”
Manipur has been embroiled in ethnic violence since May 2023, with clashes between the majority Meitei community and the minority Kuki tribe. These conflicts, driven by disputes over economic benefits and quotas, have resulted in widespread unrest. Kerketta’s book, Ishwar aur Bazar, is a tribute to the Dalit and Adivasi communities of Niyamgiri in Odisha, who have resisted bauxite mining in their region for over a decade.
Kerketta’s decision to refuse the Room to Read Young Author Award has also drawn attention to the silence surrounding the ongoing violence in Palestine. She expressed her frustration with the lack of empathy for Palestinians, stating, “I see many people in India remain silent about the genocide in Palestine. Just as there is hatred for minorities within the country, similarly there is no sympathy for the people of Palestine. As a poet and writer, this also troubles me.”
Her poetry collection Jirhul, which was published earlier this year by Jugnu Prakashan, the publishing division of Iktara Trust in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, aims to raise socio-political awareness among young readers. Through her work, Kerketta draws on the rich cultural heritage of Adivasi communities to offer insights into broader global struggles for justice and equality.
By rejecting the award, Jacinta Kerketta has underscored the need for poets and writers to stand in solidarity with oppressed communities, even if it means declining prestigious honors. For her, the moral responsibility of supporting the victims of violence—particularly children—outweighs the personal satisfaction of receiving recognition for her literary contributions.