Sahitya Akademi awards announced

23 litterateurs in all major Indian languages, were awarded the prestigious Sahitya Akademi awards for 2008 in Delhi. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000 and an engraved copper plaque. The Akademi, which picked up writers from all major Indian languages, however, did not award any English work this year as no book was found eligible for the honour.
Well-known critic in Malayalam language, K P Appan, who died in December last year, won the award for his collection of essays in Malayalam titled Madhuram Ninte Jeevitham.
The Hindi language award was presented to prominent novelist Govind Mishra for his work Kohre Mein Kaid Rang.
Kashmiri critic Ghulam Nabi Aatash won the award for Bazyaft, a collection of essays, including a commentary on some of the past Kashmiri writers. Besides another critic Hiro Shewkani, a Sindhi writer, also won the award.
SAHITYA AKADEMI AWARDS 2008
LANGUAGE TITLE (GENRE) AUTHOR
ASSAMESE Deou Langkhui (Novel) Rita Choudhury
BENGALI Ghumer Barir Mato Chand (Poetry) Sarat Kumar Mukhopadhyay
BODO Birgwsrini Thungri (Novel) Bidyasagar Narzary
DOGRI Cheten Di Rhol (Poetry) Champa Sharma
GUJARATI Fatfatiun (Short Stories) Suman Shah
HINDI Kohre Mein Kaid Rang (Novel) Govind Mishra
KANNADA Halla Bantu Halla (Novel) Shrinivas B. Vaidya
KASHMIRI Baazyaafat (Criticism) Gh. Nabi Aatash
KONKANI Ghanaghai Niyatiche (Novel) Ashok Kamat
MALAYALAM Madhuram Ninte Jeevitham (Essays) (late) K. P. Appan
MANIPURI Edu Ningthou (Poetry) A. O. Memchoubi
MARATHI Utsukatene Mee Zopalo (Novel) Shyam Manohar
NEPALI Kehi Namileka Rekhaharu (Short Stories) Shri ‘Kirat’
ORIYA Asaranti Anasara (Poetry) Pramod Kumar Mohanty
PUNJABI Sudhar Ghar (Novel) Mitter Sain Meet
RAJASTHANI Pagarva (Short Stories) Dinesh Panchal
SANSKRIT Rasapriya-vibhavanam (Poetry) Om Prakash Pandey
SANTHALI Manmi (Short Stories) Badal Hembam
SINDHI Sirjan Jo Sankat Ain Sindhi Kahani (Criticism) Hiro Shewkani
TAMIL Minsarapoo (Short Stories) Melanmai Ponnusamy
URDU Pencil Aur Doosri Nazmein (Poetry) Jayant Parmar

Note : Awards in MAITHILI and TELUGU to be announced; No Award in ENGLISH