Shabd Samman's first chapter concludes, promises of more robust chapters in future

Hindi literature and literatures in regional languages, reflect the cosmos of Indian dreams and aspirations. There was a need for a platform to understand nuances of language as a reflection of changes in cultural milieu. ‘Shabd Samman was created by Amar Ujala group to recognize those who are working towards preserving the ethos of literature.

The first chapter of Shabd Samman concluded on 31st January 2019 in Delhi in the presence of ex-President Shri Pranab Mukherjee who awarded the winners. More than 1200 titles were submitted to a panel of jury members comprising of stalwart writers – Gyanranjan, Manglesh Dabral, Vishwanath Tripathi, PrayagShukl and Sudhish Pichauri who judged the submissions. The award was not only for recognition of books with a literary value but for works of literature with a deep understanding of cultural shifts.

Shabd Samman’s highest honour “Akashdeep” for overall contribution in literary filed was given to eminent critic Dr. Namwar Singh for Hindi Language and renowned artist-guru Girish Karnad for Non- Hindi language category. In the fiction category Manish Vaidya's collection 'Fugati Ka Joota' was recognized.

In poetry category, the collection of R Chetan Kranti’s ‘Veerta par Vichlit' and in the non-fiction category Anil Yadav's book 'Sonam Gupta Bewafa Nahi Hai' was given the award. Under the first work category, Praveen Kumar's work 'Chhabila Rangabaaz ka Shahar' has been recognized. In the translation category, Gorakh Thorath was embellished with an award 'Dekhni' (original work BhalchandraNemarde). Each awardee was presented with a cash reward along with a specially designed sculpture by Shri Ram Suttar.

Commenting on the success of the first chapter of Shabd Samman, Yashwant Vyas, group advisor mentioned, “India is a cauldron of various cultures and literature is the binding force of those cultural values. So as a Hindi media house it was a natural step to provide impetus to the works of literary stalwarts who are preserving the spirit of Literature, the true essence of a culture, hence Shabd Samman.” With the closure of the first chapter, Shabd Samman promises of more robust chapters in the coming years.

(With inputs from agencies.)