NEW DELHI: Renowned Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla was named the recipient of India’s highest literary honour, the 59th Jnanpith Award, on Saturday.
The 88-year-old writer, celebrated for his poetry, short stories, and essays, will be the first author from Chhattisgarh to receive this prestigious honour. After receiving the honour, Shukla will join the ranks of 12 distinguished Hindi writers who have been awarded the Jnanpith.
Shukla is regarded as one of the greatest contemporary Hindi writers, with a distinctive linguistic texture and deep emotional appeal. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1999 for his novel Deewar Mein Ek Khirkee Rahati Thi. His notable works include Naukar Ki Kameez (1979), which was adapted into a film by director Mani Kaul, and the poetry collection Sab Kuch Hona Bacha Rahega (1992).
The decision to honour Shukla was made by the Jnanpith Selection Committee, chaired by storyteller and Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Ray. “Vinod Kumar Shukla will be the first author from the state of Chhattisgarh to be honoured with this award. This honour is being conferred upon him for his outstanding contribution to Hindi literature, creativity and distinctive writing style,” the committee said in a statement.
Other members present in the selection meeting included Madhav Kaushik, Damodar Mauzo, Prabha Varma, Anamika, A Krishna Rao, Prafful Shiledar, Janki Prasad Sharma and Jnanpith director Madhusudan Anand.
The Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1961 and is given annually to Indian writers for their outstanding contribution to literature. It carries a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a bronze statue of Saraswati the Hindu goddess of learning and a citation.
The first recipient of the Jnanpith Award was Malayalam poet G. Sankara Kurup in 1965.