Kolatkar, Dalal among Sahitya Akademi winners

PANAJI: Prominent writers and poets, inclduing the late Arun Kolatkar and Suresh Dalal, are among those who will be honoured with this year's Sahitya Akademi awards, even as writers of Bodo and Santhali will be recognied for the first time by the Akademi, president Gopichand Narang said on Thursday.

Poet Mangalsingh Hazorary (Bodo) and Jadumani Besra (Santhali) will be honoured by the Akademi this year, making it the first time that these two languages will be recognised, Narang told a press conference after the board meeting of the Akademi here.

Among others who won the awards are Suresh Dalal (Gujarati), Hamidi Kashmiri (Kashmiri), Vivekanand Thakur (Maithili), late Arun Kolatkar (Marathi), Swami Rambhadracharya (Sanskrit), and Dholan Rahi (Sindhi).

"It is for the first time that the awards to books in newly recognised Bodo and Santhali language were selected", Narang said while declaring the awards.

"The books were selected on the basis of recommendations made by a jury of three members in the concerned languages in accordance with the procedure laid down for the purpose," said Narang adding that the awards would be presented in a special ceremony on February 21 at New Delhi.

Those who won the awards for their collection of short stories include Dogri writer Krishan Sharma (Dhaldi Dhuppe Dasek), Konkani writer N Shivdas (Bhangarsaall), Malayalam writer G V Kakkanadan (Jappana Pukaliya), Manipuri writer M Nabakishore singh (Pangal Shonbi Eishe Adomgeeni), Oriya writer Ramchandra Behera (Gopapura), Punjabi writer Gurubachan Singh Bhull (Agni Kalas), Rajasthani writer Chetan Swami (Kisturi Mirag) and Telugu writer Abburi Chayadevi (Tana Margam.)

Among novelists, Assamese Novazowary (Jiuni Mwgthang Bisombi Arw Aroj), Gujarati poet Suresh Dalal (Akhand Zalar Vage), Kashmiri poet Hamidi Kashmiri (Yath Miani Joye), Mmaithili poet Vivekanand Thakur (Chanan Ghan Gachchiya), Marathi poet late Arun Kolatkar (Bhijaki Vahi), Santhali poet Jadumani Besra (Bhabna) and Sindhi poet Dholan Rahi (Andhero Roshan Thiye) bagged the award.

Nepali writer Krishna Singh Moktan won the award for his essay collection Jeevan Goretoma, while Sanskrit writer Swami Rambhadracharya won for his epic Sri-Bhargava-Raghaviyam even as Urdu writer Jabir Husain was recognised for his memoirs Ret Par Khema.

Narang said the awards were recommended by distinguished jury members representing 23 Indian languages which were then approved by executive board of Akademi on Thursday.