SPATS BEYOND IGNOBLE NOBELS

Is the Nobel Prize not so noble? The question pops up almost every year, as the awardees- often in the peace and literature categories-are criticised for being less deserving, or because they are seen to serve some political agenda of the West by design.

- MADHAVAN NARAYANAN

S the Nobel Prize not so noble? The question pops up almost every year, as the awardeesoften in the peace and literature categories-are criticised for being less deserving, or because they are seen to serve some political agenda of the West by design.

Whatever the squabble, it is undeniable that like the Oscars, there is a special charm in the awards that take names to the stratosphere of global recognition.

The truth of the awards lies perhaps between the recognition of excellence and socially useful work on the one hand, and some debatable values in a world where the shadow of Western imperialism still looms.

But it takes a Donald Trump to make the Nobels rise skyhigh in the controversy stakes. In the US president we have the rare phenomenon of a public figure not-so-subtly lobbying about him deserving the award, utterly unmindful of the understated elegance of some of its winners-including Bob Dylan, who faced criticism for not deserving the literature prize and then coolly refused to show up for the award ceremony.

On current reckoning, the Nobel's monetary value is about 11 million Swedish Kronas, or a bit more than ₹10 crore. A nouveau-riche denizen of the National Capital Region may snigger about the award being worth less than the prize of a fancy apartment in Gurugram, where a penthouse sold for ₹190 crore last year. But it is what it is: something money can't buy, even if you are the man who owns Trump Towers.