NEWS – The Jnanpith selection committee has announced two popular names for the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award, Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya

HIGHLIGHTS

• Gulzar
  • Celebrated for his contributions to Hindi cinema
  • Recognized as one of the finest Urdu poets of our time
  • Received several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, Padma Bhushan in 2004
• Jagadguru Rambhadracharya
  • Founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot
  • Distinguished Hindu spiritual leader, educator, and author of over 100 books
  • Awarded with Padma Vibhushan award in 2015
• The recipients were chosen by a selection committee headed by Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Rai
• This year marks the second occasion of the award being conferred for excellence in Sanskrit and the fifth time for Urdu

THE JNANPITH AWARD

• Instituted in 1961
• Presented annually to writers who have demonstrated literary excellence in any of the 22 officially recognized languages of India
• The prestigious award includes a cash prize of Rs 21 lakh, a statue of Vagdevi, and a citation
• The first recipient of the Jnanpith Award was G. Sankara Kurup. He was a Malayalam poet and lyricist from Kerala, India. G. Sankara Kurup was awarded the Jnanpith Award in 1965 . G. Sankara Kurup, often referred to as “Mahakavi” (great poet)
• Kuvempu was the first Kannada writer to receive the Jnanpith Award. He was honored in 1967 for his exceptional contributions to Kannada literature. Kuvempu was a prolific poet, playwright, novelist, and essayist. His notable works include “Sri Ramayana Darshanam” and “Kanooru Heggadithi.”