The three -- Ranjit Lal (author), Shanti Devi (illustrator), Nirmal Kanti Bhattacharjee (translator) -- have been included in the Honours List 2012 by the International Board on Books for Young People, which represents the best in international children's literature.
Bhattacharjee, who is the director of the KK Birla Foundation, has been honoured for his translation into English of Sunil Gangopadhyay's Bhoyonkar Sundor (Bengali) at a conference at the Imperial College here. The English version is titled The Dreadful Beauty (Ponytale Books). Ranjit Lal is the author of the acclaimed book, Faces in the Water (Penguin), which deals with female infanticide in India.
Shanti Devi, a Madhubani artist, is the illustrator of the book Bioscope (Katha), a story of a village near Mithila told by a girl through illustrations.
According to Pranav K Singh of Ponytale Books, the award for Bhattachatrjee's translation was the first ever international recognition for an Indian children's book where a translation from an Indian language into English has been commended by IBBY.
Bhattacharjee said after receiving the diploma, "I strongly believe that there are excellent books for children and young adults in Bengali which need to be projected on a national and international platform."
"If the selection of my translation in the IBBY Honour List motivates more people to undertake the task of translation in this area, I will feel my effort rewarded."
IBBY is currently hosting its 33rd International Congress, entitled Crossing Boundaries: Translations and Migrations at the Imperial College from 23 to 26 August.
The books in IBBY Honour List represent the best in children's literature from each country and are suitable for publication throughout the world.
The 2012 list comprises 169 titles from 58 countries in 44 languages.
Founded in Switzerland in 1953, IBBY is a non-profit organisation which represents an international network of people from all over the world who are committed to bringing books and children together with the mission to promote international understanding through children's books.
