The Delhi government's Hindi Academy has renamed several of its literary awards after prominent nationalists and freedom fighters, including Veer Savarkar, Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay, and Madan Mohan Malaviya. Additionally, a new Atal Bihari Vajpayee Award has been instituted to promote Indian culture and knowledge traditions. A Hindi service award has been named after late BJP functionary Vijay Kumar Malhotra.
Background of Hindi Academy
Established in 1981, the Hindi Academy is an autonomous body under the Delhi government. Its primary objective is to promote and preserve the Hindi language, literature, and culture. The academy honors writers and scholars, supports literary publications, organizes seminars and cultural events, publishes journals, facilitates translations, and conducts events aimed at advancing Hindi.
Major Changes in Awards
Among the significant changes, the academy's highest honor, the Hindi Academy Shalaka Samman, has been renamed the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Shalaka Samman. The award amount has been increased from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 7 lakh. The newly introduced Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhartiya Sanskriti and Gyan Parampara Samman, which recognizes efforts to promote Indian culture and knowledge traditions, offers a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh.
Other Awards and Their Cash Prizes
- Rani Ahilyabai Holkar Samman for women litterateurs: Rs 2 lakh
- Sant Ravidas Sahitya Samman: Rs 2 lakh
- Veer Savarkar Samman for national consciousness: Rs 2 lakh
- Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya Hindi Sahityakar Samman: Rs 1 lakh
- Baba Jorawar Singh Samman for children's literature: Rs 1 lakh
- Swami Vivekanand Yuva Pratibha Samman: Rs 1 lakh
- Vidya Niwas Mishra Samman for Hindi journalism: Rs 1 lakh
- Dr Vijay Kumar Malhotra Hindi Sewi Samman for Hindi promotion: Rs 1 lakh
Previously, the award for women litterateurs was named after Santosh Koli, an anti-corruption activist who died in a road accident. That honor was instituted in her memory during the previous AAP government.
Nomination Process
The academy has uploaded details of all award categories on its website. It has sought recommendations from intellectuals, writers, poets, and journalists across the Delhi-NCR region. Eligible Hindi writers, litterateurs, and individuals working for the advancement of the language can be nominated for consideration.
Other honors listed include the Nirmal Verma Samman for Hindi translation, Ramchandra Shukla Hindi Utkarsh Samman, Vasudev Sharan Agrawal Samman for folk writings, Devendra Swaroop Samman for works in science, economics, political science, history, and sociology, Mridula Sinha Samman for women litterateurs, and Narendra Kohli Samman for contributions across various literary forms.
Application Details
The academy has invited nominations for awards covering the period from 2022-23 to 2025-26 from Delhi-NCR-based litterateurs, poets, and journalists. Sixteen award categories carrying cash prizes ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 7 lakh will be conferred. According to officials, applications can be submitted until June 23 under the academy's 'Sahityakar Samman Yojna', which recognizes individuals who have made notable contributions to the promotion and growth of Hindi language and literature.
