News Excerpt:
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.
About Gulzar:
- Gulzar is celebrated for his contributions to Hindi cinema and is recognized as one of the finest Urdu poets of our time.
- He has previously received several awards, including the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, Padma Bhushan in 2004, and multiple National Film Awards.
- Renowned for his musical prowess, some of his notable compositions include the song “Jai Ho” from the movie “Slumdog Millionaire,” which clinched both an Oscar in 2009 and a Grammy in 2010.
About Jagadguru Rambhadracharya:
- Jagadguru Rambhadracharya, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, is a distinguished Hindu spiritual leader, educator, and author of over 100 books.
- He was also awarded with the Padma Vibhushan award in 2015 by the former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan in Delhi.
- Rambhadracharya, fluent in 22 languages, is a versatile poet and writer proficient in various Indian languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, and Maithili.
About the Award:
- Bharatiya Jnanpith is one of the premier literary organizations of India, which is nurturing literature and culture through its literary endeavors, which include Awards, Publication, Fellowship, and Research for the last several decades.
- Since its inception, Bharatiya Jnanpith has been working devotedly for the fulfillment of its twin objectives,
- to conduct research and publication of the extinct, rare, and unpublished works of knowledge and
- to encourage the creation of original literature in the service of the people and aspires to continue its noble mission in the future as well.
- The Jnanpith Award, instituted in 1944, recognizes outstanding contributions to Indian literature and is awarded annually.
- The prestigious award includes a cash prize of Rs 21 lakh, a statue of Vagdevi, and a citation.
- This year marks the second occasion of the award being conferred for excellence in Sanskrit and the fifth time for Urdu.
Rules:
- As per the rules of the award, once a language gets the award, it is not eligible for consideration during the next two years. Thus two languages are out of reckoning for the award every year.
- From the 49th Jnanpith Award, English has been included in the language list along with other Indian languages for consideration of the Jnanpith Award.
- However, the award is open only to Indian citizens.
