The Jnanpith selection committee announced that the 58th Jnanpith Award will be given to two writers, Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and Urdu poet and lyricist Gulzar, for 2023.It is the second time the award is being given for Sanskrit and the fifth time for Urdu.
Jnanpith Award
- The Jnanpith Award is India’s oldest and highest literary award. It’s given annually to an author for their “outstanding contribution towards literature”. The award was established in 1961 and first awarded in 1965.
- The Award considers both English and other Indian languages. However, eligibility is restricted to Indian citizens. It is not given posthumously.
- It is presented by Bharatiya Jnanpith to recognize outstanding contributions to Indian literature.
- Bharatiya Jnanpith, established in 1944 by Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain and his wife Rama Jain, is a prestigious literary and research organization headquartered in New Delhi, India.
- It is renowned for nurturing literature and culture, it has been actively promoting literary endeavours such as awards, publications, fellowships, and research for several decades.
Cash Prize and Recognition
- Awardees receive a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a statue of Vagdevi, and a citation, honouring their literary achievements.
Contributions of Gulzar and Jagadguru Rambhadracharya
Gulzar
- Gulzar (Sampuran Singh Kalra) was born on 18th August 1934, in the village of Dina, Jhelum district of undivided India.
- He is one of the most respected names not just in cinema but also in literary circles. He is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of his era.
- Gulzar received the Sahitya Akademi Award (2002) for Urdu, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2013), the Padma Bhushan (2004), and the National Film Awards for his works.
- In poetry, he invented a new genre ‘Triveni’ which is a non-mukaffa poem of three lines.
- Some of his finest works include the song “Jai Ho” for the film “Slumdog Millionaire”, which received an Oscar award in 2009 and a Grammy Award in 2010.
Jagadguru Rambhadracharya
- Jagadguru Ramanandacharya, is a polyglot, Hindu spiritual leader, educator, poet and writer. He was born in 1950 in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh and speaks 22 languages.
- Rambhadracharya is a poet and writer in several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, and Maithili. He has written more than 240 books and texts in various Indian languages and received the Padma Vibhushan in 2015.
- Arundhatī, Aṣṭāvakra, Avadha Kai Ajoriya and Dashavtar are some of the literary works composed by Rambhadracharya.
- He is the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, Madhya Pradesh.
- Tulsi Peeth is one of the leading publishers of Hindu religious literature.
- Rambhadracharya is one of the four Jagadguru Ramanandacharyas of the Ramananda sect (Sampradaya) and has been holding this position since 1982.
- The Ramanandi Sampradaya is one of the largest and most egalitarian Hindu sects in India, around the Ganges Plain, and Nepal today. It mainly emphasises the worship of Rama, as well as Vishnu directly and other incarnations.