Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013 announced

Annual Sahitya Akademi Awards 2013 were recently announced covering 22 languages whereas Assamese and Gujarati language awards will be declared later. Poetry books are major winners of the awards followed by essays and novels, etc. The winners include eight books of poetry, four of essays, three of novels, two each of short stories and travelogues, and one each of autobiography, memoirs and play which have won the Sahitya Akademi Award this year. The awards were recommended by distinguished jury members representing 22 Indian languages and approved by the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi under the chairmanship of Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, president of the Sahitya Akademi.

Famous poets who have been honoured with the award for the year 2013 include: Subodh Sarkar for Dwaipayan Hrader Dhare (Bengali), Anil Boro for Delphini Onthai Mwdai Arw Gubun Gubun Khonthai (Bodo), Sitaram Sapolia for Doha Satsai (Dogri), Ambika Dutt for Aanthyoi Nahi Din Hal (Rajasthani), Radhakant Thakur for Chaladuravani (Sanskrit), Arjun Charan Hembram for Chanda Bonga (Santali), Namdev Tarachandani for Mansh-Nagari (Sindhi) and Javed Akhtar for Lava (Urdu).

The well-known novelists Mridula Garg for Miljul Man (Hindi), Manmohan for Nirvaan (Punjabi) and RN Joe D’ Cruz for Korkai (Tamil) are among those honoured with Akademi Awards 2013.

CN Ramachandran for Akyana-Vyakyana (Kannada), Tukaram Rama Shet for Manmotayam (Konkani), Satish Kalasekar for Vachanaryachi Rojanishee (Marathi), and Katyayani Vidmahe for Sahityaakashmlo Sagam (Telugu) have got the award for their books of essays.

Temsula Ao for Laburnum for My Head (English) and Mohi-ud-Din Reshi for Aina Aatash (Kashmiri) have got the award for their books of short stories. Makhonmani Mongsaba for Chinglon Amadagi Amada (Manipuri) and Man Bahadur Pradhan for Manka Lahar Ra Raharharu (Nepali) have got the award for their travelogues. MN Paloor for his autobiography Kathayillathavante Katha (Malayalam), Sureshwar Jha for his memoirs Sangharsh Aa Sehanta (Maithili) and Bijoy Misra for his play Banaprastha (Odia) have been honoured.

The Award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and a cheque of Rs 1,00,000/- will be presented to the authors of these books at a special function to be held on March 11, 2014 at New Delhi during the Festival of Letters organised by Sahitya Akademi.