The Jnanpith Award is the highest literary award in India. It is presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a trust founded by the Sahu Jain family, the publishers of The Times of India Newspaper. The name of the award is taken from Sanskrit jnāna-pīṭha = "knowledge-seat". The award carries a check for Rs. 700,000, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and the arts. The award was instituted in 1961, and its first recipient, in 1965, was the Malayalam writer G. Sankara Kurup. Any Indian citizen who writes in any of the official languages of India is eligible for the honor. Prior to 1982, the awards were given for a single work by a writer; since then, the award has been given for a lifetime contribution to Indian literature. Seven awards each have been awarded in Kannada and Hindi and followed by five in Bengali and Malayalam, four in and Urdu and three in Gujarati, Oriya and Marathi[3].The award announcements have lately been lagging behind the award-years. The awards for the years 2005 and 2006 were announced on November 22, 2008, and were awarded to the Hindi writer Kunwar Narayan for 2005 and jointly to Konkani writer Ravindra Kelekar and Sanskrit scholar Satya Vrat Shastri for 2006. Satya Vrat Shastri is the first Sanskrit poet to be conferred the award since its inception.
Jnanpith Award recipients
1965 | Odakkuzhal (Flute) | ||
1966 | Ganadevta | ||
1967 | Kuppali Venkatappagowda Puttappa (Kuvempu) | Sri Ramayana Darshanam | |
1967 | Nishitha | ||
1968 | Chidambara | ||
1969 | Gul-e-Naghma | ||
1970 | Ramayana Kalpavrikshamu (A resourceful tree:Ramayana) | ||
1971 | Smriti Satta Bhavishyat | ||
1972 | Urvashi | ||
1973 | Nakutanti (Naku Thanthi) (Four Strings) | ||
1973 | Paraja | ||
1974 | Yayati | ||
1975 | Chitttrappavai | ||
1976 | Pratham Pratisruti | ||
1977 | Mookajjiya Kanasugalu (Mookajjis dreams) | ||
1978 | Kitni Navon Men Kitni Bar (How many times in many boats?) | ||
1979 | Mrityunjay (Immortal) | ||
1980 | Oru Desattinte Katha (Story of a land) | ||
1981 | Kagaj te Canvas | ||
1982 | Yama | ||
1983 | Chikkaveera Rajendra (Life and struggle of Kodava King Chikkaveera Rajendra) | ||
1984 | Kayar {Coir} | ||
1985 | Maanavi Ni Bhavaai | ||
1986 | |||
1987 | Natsamrat | ||
1988 | Vishwambhara | ||
1989 | Akhire Shab Ke Humsafar | ||
1990 | V. K. Gokak (Vinayaka Krishna Gokak) | Bharatha Sindhu Rashmi | |
1991 | |||
1992 | |||
1993 | "for outstanding contribution to the enrichment of Indian literature, 1973-92" | ||
1994 | Samskara | ||
1995 | Randamoozham (Second Chance) | ||
1996 | |||
1997 | |||
1998 | "for his contributions to Kannada literature and for contributions to kannada theater (yayati)"[ | ||
1999 | |||
1999 | |||
2000 | |||
2001 | |||
2002 | |||
2003 | Ashtadarshana (poetry) | ||
2004 | Subhuk Soda, Kalami Rahi and Siyah Rode Jaren Manz | ||
2005 | Hindi | ||
2006 | Konkani | ||
2006 | |||
2007 | |||
2008 |
Why has it never been given to an English language writer?
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