Reference:

• President Droupadi Murmu presented the 58th Jnanpith Award on May 16, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

Winners:

The 58th Jnanpith Award for the year 2023 was conferred upon two eminent literary figures:

• Gulzar (Sampooran Singh Kalra): Renowned Urdu poet and Hindi cinema lyricist, honored for his significant contributions to literature.
• Jagadguru Rambhadracharya: Known for his remarkable works in Sanskrit literature, particularly in the spiritual and educational fields. (Could not attend the ceremony due to health reasons)

• • This award has been given for Sanskrit for the second time and for Urdu for the fifth time.

Jagadguru Rambhadracharya: A Proponent of Sanskrit:

• A renowned Hindu spiritual leader, teacher, and writer.
• Born as Giridhar Mishra, Rambhadracharya received early education at home from his grandfather.
• By the age of eight, he had memorized the entire Bhagavad Gita and the entire Ramcharitmanas.
• The founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, he has authored over 240 books and texts, including four epics.
• Serving as one of the present four Jagadguru Ramanandacharyas under the Ramananda Sampradaya since 1982.
• Despite being blind since the age of two months due to trachoma, Rambhadracharya is a polyglot who can speak 22 languages.
• He is also a poet and writer in several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, and Maithili.

Gulzar (Sampooran Singh Kalra):

• A prominent figure in Hindi cinema and a highly respected Urdu poet.
• Major Awards: Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu: 2002, Dadasaheb Phalke Award: 2013, Padma Bhushan: 2004.
• Notable Works Include: The song "Jai Ho" from the film "Slumdog Millionaire" (won an Oscar in 2009 and a Grammy Award in 2010).

Jnanpith Award:

• The highest literary honor in India, established in 1961 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith Trust.
• The first award was given in 1965 to Malayalam poet G. Sankara Kurup for his work 'Odakkuzhal'.
• Objective: To honor literary excellence in Indian languages.
• Award Money: Currently ₹11 lakh, a bronze statue of Vagdevi, and a citation.

Selection Process and Eligibility:

• Languages: 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution (including English since 2013).
• Selection Criteria: Author's overall literary contribution (prior to 1982, it was given for a single outstanding work).
• Evaluation by language advisory committees and a selection board.
• Disqualification: The award is not given posthumously.

Notable Winners:

• Sumitranandan Pant (1968, Hindi), Mahadevi Verma (1982, Hindi).
• 2023 Winners: Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and Urdu poet Gulzar.
• 2024 Winner: Hindi writer Vinod Kumar Shukla (first winner from Chhattisgarh).

22 Languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution:

1. Assamese
2. Bengali
3. Gujarati
4. Hindi
5. Kannada
6. Kashmiri
7. Konkani
8. Maithili
9. Malayalam
10. Manipuri
11. Marathi
12. Nepali
13. Odia
14. Punjabi
15. Sanskrit
16. Santali
17. Sindhi
18. Tamil
19. Telugu
20. Urdu
21. Bodo
22. Dogri

Some Key Facts:

• Initially (in 1950), only 14 languages were included.
• Sindhi language was added in 1967 (21st Amendment).
• Konkani, Manipuri, Nepali were added in 1992 (71st Amendment).
• Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali were added in 2003 (92nd Amendment).