24 writers receive Sahitya Akademi Award for 2023

On Tuesday, the Sahitya Akademi Award for 2023 was conferred upon twenty-four writers, among them English author Neelum Saran Gaur and Hindi novelist Sanjeev.
The award ceremony coincided with the 70th anniversary festivities of the National Academy of Letters at the 'Sahityotsav'.

These awards recognized literary works across various genres, comprising nine volumes of poetry, six novels, five collections of short stories, three essays, and one literary study.

The awards recognized a variety of literary works, including nine volumes of poetry, six novels, five collections of short stories, three essays, and one literary study.
Sanjeev was honoured for his novel "Mujhe Pehchaano," while Gaur received the prestigious award for her book "Requiem in Raga Janki."

Sadiqua Nawab Saher was awarded for her book "Rajdev Ki Amrai" in Urdu, and Swarnjit Savi received recognition for his poetry collection "Mann Di Chip" in Punjabi.
Among the recipients of the poetry awards were Vijay Verma (Dogri), Vinod Joshi (Gujarati), Manshoor Banihali (Kashmiri), Sorokkhaibam Gambhini (Manipuri), Ashutosh Parida (Odia), Gaje Singh Rajpurohit (Rajasthani), Arun Ranjan Mishra (Sanskrit), and Vinod Asudani (Sindhi).

In addition to Gaur, Sanjeev, and Saher, writers such as Swapnamay Chakrabarti (Bengali), Krushnat Khot (Marathi), and Rajasekaran Devibharathi (Tamil) were also recognized for their novels.

The awards are determined either through unanimous selections by the jurors or by majority vote. The eligibility criteria for the awards specify that the books must have been first published in the five years leading up to the award year, from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. Recipients of the awards, including authors and poets, are presented with a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh.