The Jnanpith Award is widely seen as the highest literary honour in India. It is given every year to a writer for an outstanding contribution to literature. Here is a look at the award.
Who gives it
The award is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a literary and cultural trust founded in 1944 by industrialist Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain and his wife Rama Jain. It is a private honour, not a government award, but it carries great prestige.
History
The trust instituted the award in 1961. The first award was given in 1965 to Malayalam poet G Sankara Kurup for his collection Odakkuzhal (The Bamboo Flute). Since then, writers from most Indian languages have been honoured.
Languages covered
- The award covers languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
- English was added later. Amitav Ghosh became the first English language writer to receive it, for 2018.
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What the winner receives
The winner receives a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a citation and a bronze replica of Vagdevi, the goddess of learning.
How winners are chosen
- Language advisory committees for each eligible language recommend names.
- A selection board of eminent writers and scholars reviews the recommendations.
- The board picks one writer, or sometimes two writers jointly.
Since 1982, the award has been given for overall contribution to literature rather than for a single book.
Notable winners
- Uma Shankar Joshi (Gujarati) and Kuppali Venkatappa Puttappa, known as Kuvempu (Kannada), shared the 1967 award.
- Ramdhari Singh Dinkar (Hindi), 1972.
- Mahasweta Devi (Bengali), 1996.
- Gulzar (Urdu) and Jagadguru Rambhadracharya (Sanskrit) shared the 2023 award.
- Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla was named for the 2024 award.
Moortidevi Award
The Bharatiya Jnanpith also gives the Moortidevi Award for works that reflect Indian philosophy and culture.
Why it matters
For many writers, the Jnanpith is the crowning recognition of a lifetime. The award also helps readers discover great literature from languages they may not read.
How to read Jnanpith winners
Many works by Jnanpith winners are available in Hindi and English translation from publishers including the Bharatiya Jnanpith itself and the Sahitya Akademi. Reading a translated work by a winner from another language is one of the best ways to explore India’s literary diversity.
Bottom line
The Jnanpith Award has honoured India’s finest writers for six decades. Its list of winners is a guide to the best of Indian literature across languages.
Source / स्रोत: Bharatiya Jnanpith, Ministry of Culture, Press Information Bureau
