Jnanpith Award

Jnanpith award is the highest literary award in India, given each year to an author for their outstanding contribution toward literature. This was started by Sahu Santi Prasad an industrialist, in 1961, and was first given in 1965. Any Indian citizen who writes in any of the official language of
India is eligible for this honour. This award is present every year by Bharatiya jnanpith, a trust founded by sahu jain family. Sahu jain family also owned The Times of India newspaper, the oldest English language newspaper still in circulation. The word Jnanpith is taken from Sanskrit words jnana and pitha, which mean Knowledge-seat. The award, carry a citation plaque, Rs. 11 lakh and bronze replica of Saraswati (Indian god of knowledge).


            The first recipient of this award was Malayalam writer G. Shankar Kurup, he received this award for his collection of poems, odakkzhal (The Bamboo flute) and Ashapoorna Devi a Bengali writer, was the first woman who got this award in 1976 for Pratham Pratisruti (The first promise). In punjabi language, two personalities got this award Amrita pritam and Gurdial Singh. Amrita Pritam got this award in 1981 for Kagaz Te Canvas, and second woman who got jnanpith award. Gurdial singh got this award in 1999.In 2016 Shankar Gosh a Bengali writer got this award.

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