Jnanpith Award

• Renowned Urdu poet and lyricist Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award, the selection committee of India’s highest literary award announced recently.
• This is the second time the award is being given for the Sanskrit language and for the fifth time for the Urdu language.
• The recipients for the award were decided by a selection committee chaired by Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Rai.

ABOUT GULZAR

• Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar, 89, is celebrated for his works in Hindi cinema and is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of this era.
• Gulzar is also the recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, and at least five National Film awards for his works.

ABOUT JAGADGURU RAMBHADRACHARYA

• Rambhadracharya, 74, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, is a renowned Hindu spiritual leader, educator, and writer of more than 240 books and texts, including four epics.
• Rambhadracharya is one of the four Jagadguru Ramanandacharyas of the Ramananda sect and has been holding this position since 1982.
• A polyglot, who speaks 22 languages, Rambhadracharya is a poet and writer in several Indian languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, and Maithili.
• In 2015, he received the Padma Vibhushan award.

ABOUT THE AWARD

• Established in 1944, the Jnanpith Award is given annually for outstanding contributions to Indian literature and is considered the highest literary honour in the country.
• The award carries a prize money of ₹21 lakh, a statue of Vagdevi, and a citation.
• Goan writer Damodar Mauzo had received the prestigious award for 2022.