On December 30, 2021, the Executive Board of the Sahitya Akademi, an autonomous organization under the Ministry of Culture, met in New Delhi under the Chairmanship of Dr. Chandrashekhar Kambar, President, Sahitya Akademi. During this, the annual Sahitya Akademi Awards, Yuva Puraskar, and Bal Sahitya Puraskar for the year 2021 were announced.
- On the basis of majority vote by jury, the awards were approved by the Executive Board.
- The Jury comprises three members each in the concerned language.
- The awards recognized books first published during the five years immediately preceding the year of award i.e. books published between 2015 and 2019 are considered.
- The awards will be conferred at the award presentation function which will be held at a later date.
Sahitya Akademi Award 2021:
24 languages have been selected for Sahitya Akademi Award 2021.At first, there were announced in 20 languages.Awards in Gujarati, Maithili, Manipuri and Urdu languages will be announced in February 2022.
- The winning books include 7 poetry, 2 novels, 5 short stories, 2 Plays, one each of Biography, Autobiography, Criticism and Epic Poetry.
- Established in 1954, Sahitya Akademi is a literary honour in India for writers of the most outstanding books. The Award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, a shawl and an amount of Rs. 1,00,000.
Table showing winners of Sahitya Akademi Award 2021:
| Sr No | Awardee | Language | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poetry | |||
| 1 | Mwdai Gahai | Bodo | Khora Sayao Arw Himalay |
| 2 | Sanjiv Verenkar | Konkani | Raktachandan |
| 3 | Hrushikesh Mallick | Odia | Sarijaithiba Apera |
| 4 | Meethesh Nirmohi | Rajasthani | Mugtee |
| 5 | Vindeshwariprasad Mishr ‘Vinay’ | Sanskrit | Srijati Shankhnadam Kil, Kavita |
| 6 | Arjun Chawla | Sindhi | Nena Nindakhra |
| 7 | Gorati Venkanna | Telugu | Vallankitaalam |
| Short Stories | |||
| 1 | Raj Rahi | Dogri | Namme Tunnel |
| 2 | Kiran Gurav | Marathi | Baluchya Awasthantarachi Diary |
| 3 | Khalid Hussain | Punjabi | Sullan Da Salan |
| 4 | Niranjan Hansda | Santali | Mane Rena Arhang |
| 5 | Ambai | Tamil | Civappuk Kazuttu Tan Oru Paccaip Paravai |
| Novel | |||
| 1 | Anuradha Sarma Pujari | Assamese | Iyat Ekhan Aaronya Asil |
| 2 | Namita Gokhale | English | Things to Leave Behind |
| Biography | |||
| 1 | DS Nagabhushana | Kannada | Gandhi Kathana |
| Autobiography | |||
| 1 | George Onakkoor | Malayalam | Hrudayaragangal |
| Play | |||
| 1 | Bratya Basu | Bengali | Mirjafar O Ananya Natak |
| 2 | Daya Prakash Sinha | Hindi | Samrat Ashok |
| Criticism | |||
| 1 | Wali Mohd. Aseer Kashtawari | Kashmiri | Tawazun |
| Epic Poetry | |||
| 1 | Chhabilal Upadhyaya | Nepali | Usha Anirudha |
Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2021:
The Sahitya Akademi announces 22 winners in this category. It will be given for 9 books of poetry, 5 novels, 6 short stories and one each of essays and play.
- The Yuva Puraskar for Tamil will be declared at a later date, and there will be no award in Rajasthani this year.
- Megha Majumdar won the Yuva Puraskar for her debut novel, A Burning.
Established in 2011, Yuva Puraskar recognises young writers of the age 35 years and below, with the aim to encourage and promote young writers. The award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, and a cheque of Rs 50,000.
Table showing winners of Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2021:
| Sr No | Awardee | Language | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poetry | |||
| 1 | Gourob Chakraborty | Bengali | Sreeman Sonnet |
| 2 | Gautom Daimary | Bodo | Jiu Gwnang Soho |
| 3 | Arun Akash Dev | Dogri | Phang Honsele De |
| 4 | H Lakshmi Narayan Swamy | Kannada | Togala Cheelada Karna |
| 5 | Shraddha Garad | Konkani | Kavya Parmal |
| 6 | Lenin Khumancha | Manipuri | Matamgee Manglan |
| 7 | Amit Mishra | Maithili | Anshu Bani Pasari Jaeb |
| 8 | Thagulla Gopal | Telugu | Dandakadiyam |
| 9 | Umar Farhat | Urdu | Zameen Zaad |
| Short Stories | |||
| 1 | Abhijit Bora | Assamese | Deuka Kobai Jay |
| 2 | Razi Tahir Bhagat | Kashmiri | Yele Aene Phut |
| 3 | Mahesh Dahal | Nepali | Achal Kuhiro |
| 4 | Swetapadma Satapathy | Sanskrit | Kathakalpalata |
| 5 | Debabrata Das | Odia | Sparsha O Anyanya Galpa |
| 6 | Himanshu Vajpai | Hindi | Kissa Kissa Lucknowa — Lucknow Ke Awami Kisse |
| Novel | |||
| 1 | Drashti Soni | Gujarati | A-Manas |
| 2 | Mobin Mohan | Malayalam | Jacaranda |
| 3 | Pranav Sakhadeo | Marathi | Kale Karde Strokes |
| 4 | Kuna Hansdah | Santali | Sagai Ganade |
| 5 | Megha Majumdar | English | A Burning |
| Essays | |||
| 1 | Veerdavinder Singh | Punjabi | Paa De Pailaan |
| Play | |||
| 1 | Rakesh Shewani | Sindhi | Zindagia Jaa Rang |
Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2021:
The Sahitya Akademi announces 22 winners in this category. It will be given for 6 books of poetry, 4 short stories, 5 novels, 2 short novels, 2 plays, and one each of Folk Tales, Biography, and Collection of Plays.
- There is no award in Gujarati and Punjabi.
Established in 2010, this award acknowledges the outstanding children’s book. The book is meant for the target readership of 9 to 16 years age group. The award in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque, and a cheque of Rs 50,000.
| Sr No | Awardee | Language | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poetry | |||
| 1 | Anmol Jha | Maithili | Lagi Jo Phool Akash |
| 2 | Sudarshan Ambatey | Nepali | Jhyaunkiri ra Juunkiri |
| 3 | Digaraj Brahma | Odia | Geeta Kahe Mitar Katha |
| 4 | Sova Hansda | Santali | Hali Mon |
| 5 | Kishin Khubchandani ‘Ranjayal’ | Sindhi | Baar Man Thaar |
| 6 | Kausar Siddiqui | Urdu | Charagh Phoolon Ke |
| Short Stories | |||
| 1 | Sunirmal Chakraborty | Bengali | Batakesto Babur Chhata |
| 2 | Majeed Majazi | Kashmiri | Phulai Gulan Henz |
| 3 | Asha Agrawal | Sanskrit | Kathamadhuri |
| 4 | Mu. Murugesh | Tamil | Ammavukku Magal Sonna Ulagin Mudhal Kadhai |
| Novel | |||
| 1 | Mrinal Chandra Kalita | Assamese | Bakul Phular Dare |
| 2 | Basu Bevinagida | Kannada | Odi Hoda Huduga |
| 3 | Raghunath Paleri | Malayalam | Avar Moovarum Oru Mazhavillum |
| 4 | Sanjay Wagh | Marathi | Jokar Banala Kingmaker |
| 5 | Kirti Sharma | Rajasthani | Paani Ra Rukhalaa |
| Short Novel | |||
| 1 | Narsingh Dev Jamwal | Dogri | Khadak Singh Te Usda Guglu |
| 2 | Sumedha Kamat Desai | Konkani | Sumiche Cottangree |
| Folk Tales | |||
| 1 | Ratneswar Narzary | Bodo | Dikhura Solobatha |
| Biography | |||
| 1 | Anita Vachharajani | English | Amrita Sher-gil: Rebel with a paintbrush |
| Play | |||
| 1 | Davendra Mewari | Hindi | Natak Natak me Vigyan |
| 2 | Devaraju Maharaju | Telugu | Nenu Ante Evaru ? |
| Collection of Plays | |||
| 1 | Ningombam Jadumani Singh | Manipuri | Apunbana Pangalni |
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ii.Writer Namita Gokhale Receives the 7th Yamin Hazarika Woman of Substance Award for the year 2021 during the virtual ceremony. She is the co-founder and co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival, Gokhale also mentors Himalayan Echoes and the Kumaon Festival of Literature and the Arts.
About Ministry of Culture:
Union Minister– Gangapuram Kishan Reddy (Secunderabad, Telangana)
Ministers of State (MoS)- Arjun Ram Meghwal (Bikaner,Rajasthan), and Meenakshi Lekhi (New Delhi, Delhi)
