Saraswati Samman

{{Short description|Indian literary award}} {{Infobox award | name = Saraswati Samman | subheader = | imagesize = | alt = | caption = | awarded_for = | sponsor = K. K. Birla Foundation<ref name="abt">{{cite web | title =About Saraswati Samman|work= K.K. Birla Foundation | url = http://www.kkbirlafoundation.org/saraswati.html | accessdate = 2014-09-23 }}</ref> | date = {{start date and age|1991}}  | location = Delhi | reward = ₹15,00,000 | holder_label = Most recent winner | holder = Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay | country = India | award1_type = Total awarded | award1_winner = 35 | award2_type = First winner | award2_winner = Harivansh Rai Bachchan | presenter = | host = | year = | year2 = | website =  | image2 = | image2size = | alt2 = | caption2 = | previous = | main = | next = }} The '''Saraswati Samman''' is an annual award for outstanding prose or poetry literary works in any of the 23 languages of India listed in Schedule VIII of the Constitution of India.<ref name=abt/><ref name="SS-2005">{{Cite news|title=Saraswati Samman for Prof Paniker|date=19 February 2006|newspaper=The Tribune|location=Chandigarh, India|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060220/cth1.htm#21|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216215051/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060220/cth1.htm#21|archivedate=16 December 2006|url-status=live}}</ref> It is named after the Hindu goddess of knowledge, Saraswati.<ref name="SS-2005" />

== History and selection process == The Saraswati Samman was instituted in 1991 by the K. K. Birla Foundation. It consists of ₹15,00,000,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/community/padma-sachdev-to-get-saraswati-samman/221490.html|title=Padma Sachdev to get Saraswati Samman|access-date=2016-11-18|archive-date=2017-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505182131/http://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jammu-kashmir/community/padma-sachdev-to-get-saraswati-samman/221490.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> a citation and a plaque.<ref name="abt"/><ref name="SS-2005" /><ref name="Bhyrappa">{{Cite news|title=Saraswati Samman for writer Bhyrappa|date=6 April 2011|newspaper=The Times of India|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Saraswati-Samman-for-writer-Bhyrappa/articleshow/7880219.cms|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111205115539/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Saraswati-Samman-for-writer-Bhyrappa/articleshow/7880219.cms|archivedate=5 December 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> Candidates are selected from literary works published in the previous ten years by a panel that included scholars and former award winners. The inaugural award was given to Harivansh Rai 'Bachchan' for his four volume autobiography, ''Kya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon'', ''Needa Ka Nirman Phir'', ''Basere Se Door'' and ''Dashdwar se Sopan Tak''.<ref>{{cite web|title = Saraswati Samman Recipients|work=K.K. Birla Foundation| url = http://www.kkbirlafoundation.org/saraswati-r.html| accessdate = 2014-09-23}}</ref>

Shankha Ghosh, the 1998 recipient of Saraswati Samman, went on to win India's highest literary honor Jnanpith Award in 2016. Three recipients of Saraswati Samman -- Manubhai Pancholi (1997), Govind Chandra Pande (2003), and Veerappa Moily (2014) -- received Moortidevi Award, considered the second highest after the Jnanpith Award, in 1987, 2000, and 2007, respectively.

==Awardees==

{| class="wikitable sortable" |+ |- ! Year !! Image !! Recipient !! Work !! Language !! Ref. |- | 1991 || 100px ||Harivansh Rai Bachchan||Autobiography in four volumes ''(Autobiography)''||Hindi||<ref name="SS-2005" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wings.buffalo.edu/litgloss/bachchan/about.shtml|title=Harivansh Rai Bachchan|publisher=LitGloss, University at Buffalo|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100624144939/http://litgloss.buffalo.edu/bachchan/about.shtml|archivedate=24 June 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 1992 ||100px||Ramakant Rath|| "Sri Radha" ''(Poetry)''||Odia||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1993 ||100px||Vijay Tendulkar|| "Kanyadaan" ''(Play)''||Marathi||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1994 ||100px||Harbhajan Singh|| "Rukh Te Rishi" ''(Poetry collection)''||Punjabi||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1995 ||100px||Balamani Amma|| "Nivedyam" ''(Poetry collection)''||Malayalam||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1996 ||100px||Shamsur Rahman Faruqi|| "She`r-e Shor-Angez" ||Urdu||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1997 || ||Manubhai Pancholi|| "Kurukshetra" ||Gujarati||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1998 ||100px||Shankha Ghosh|| "Gandharba Kabita Guccha" ''(Poetry collection)''||Bengali||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 1999 ||– ||Indira Parthasarathy|| "Ramanujar" ''(Play)''||Tamil||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 2000 ||100px||Manoj Das|| "Amruta Phala" ''(Novel)''|| Odia ||<ref name="SS-2005" /><ref>{{Cite news|author=Choudhury, Ashok K.|date=17 June 2001|title=Manoj Das: True interpreter of India's cultural and spiritual heritage|newspaper=Daily Excelsior|location=Jammu and Kashmir, India|url=http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/01june17/edit.htm#5|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20010701080120/http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/01june17/edit.htm#5|archivedate=1 July 2001|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- | 2001 ||100px||Dalip Kaur Tiwana|| "Katha Kaho Urvashi" ''(Novel)''|| Punjabi ||<ref name="SS-2005" /><ref>{{Cite news|title=Saraswati Samman for Dalip Kaur Tiwana|date=24 January 2002|newspaper=The Tribune|location=Chandigarh, India|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020125/nation.htm#8|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20020213041936/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2002/20020125/nation.htm#8|archivedate=13 February 2002|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 2002 ||100x100px||Mahesh Elkunchwar|| "Yugant" ''(Play)''|| Marathi ||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 2003 ||{{dash}}||Govind Chandra Pande|| "Bhagirathi" ''(Poetry collection)''||Sanskrit||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 2004 ||100px||Sunil Gangopadhyay|| "Pratham Alo" ''(Novel)''|| Bengali ||<ref name="SS-2005" /> |- | 2005 ||100px||K. Ayyappa Panicker|| "Ayyappa Panikarude Kritikal" ''(Poetry collection)''|| Malayalam ||<ref name="SS-2005" /><ref>{{Cite news|author=Joshua, Anita|title=Saraswati Samman for Ayyappa Paniker, Malayalam poet|date=18 February 2006|newspaper=The Hindu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/saraswati-samman-for-ayyappa-paniker-malayalam-poet/article3179869.ece|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128083236/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/saraswati-samman-for-ayyappa-paniker-malayalam-poet/article3179869.ece|archivedate=28 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 2006 ||100px||Jagannath Prasad Das|| "Parikrama" ''(Poetry collection)''|| Odia ||<ref>{{Cite news|title=Saraswati Samman for eminent Oriya writer|date=13 February 2007|url=http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/13/stories/2007021307390500.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304090350/http://www.hindu.com/2007/02/13/stories/2007021307390500.htm|archivedate=4 March 2007|newspaper=The Hindu|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- | 2007 ||100px||Naiyer Masud|| "Taoos Chaman Ki Myna" ''(Short stories collection)''||Urdu||<ref>{{Cite news|title=Saraswati Samman for Urdu author|date=15 February 2008|url=http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/15/stories/2008021553060400.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080219235446/http://www.hindu.com/2008/02/15/stories/2008021553060400.htm |archivedate=19 February 2008 |newspaper=The Hindu|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=I view the whole story like a movie: Naiyer Masud |date=24 February 2008|newspaper=The Tribune|location=Chandigarh, India |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080224/spectrum/book6.htm |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006171815/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2008/20080224/spectrum/book6.htm |archivedate= 2008-10-06 |url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 2008 ||100px ||Lakshmi Nandan Bora|| "Kayakalpa" ''(Novel)''|| Assamese||<ref>{{Cite news|title="Kayakalpa" gets Saraswati Samman|date=12 February 2009|newspaper=The Hindu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/kayakalpa-gets-saraswati-samman/article353080.ece|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128082538/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/kayakalpa-gets-saraswati-samman/article353080.ece|archivedate=28 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 2009 ||100px||Surjit Paatar|| "Lafzan Di Dargah" || Punjabi ||<ref>{{Cite news|title=Punjabi poet Surjit Patar gets Saraswati Samman|date=19 September 2010|newspaper=The Hindu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/punjabi-poet-surjit-patar-gets-saraswati-samman/article698261.ece|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128081958/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/punjabi-poet-surjit-patar-gets-saraswati-samman/article698261.ece|archivedate=28 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 2010 ||100px||S. L. Bhyrappa|| "Mandra" ||Kannada||<ref name="Bhyrappa" /> |- | 2011 ||{{dash}}||A. A. Manavalan || "Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalum" || Tamil ||<ref>{{Cite news|date=23 March 2012|title=Honour for Tamil writer|newspaper=The Hindu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/honour-for-tamil-writer/article3156794.ece|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128080641/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/honour-for-tamil-writer/article3156794.ece|archivedate=28 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> |- | 2012 ||100px||Sugathakumari|| "Manalezhuthu" ''(Poetry collection)''||Malayalam ||Poetry Collection |- | 2013 ||100px||Govind Mishra|| "Dhool Paudho Par" ''(Novel)''|| Hindi |Novel |- | 2014 ||100px||Veerappa Moily|| "Ramayana Mahanveshanam" ''(Poetry)''|| Kannada ||Poetry |- | 2015 ||150x150px||Padma Sachdev|| "Chitt-Chete" ''(Autobiography)''|| Dogri ||{{citation needed|date=March 2019}} |- | 2016 || 100px||Mahabaleshwar Sail|| "Hawthan" ''(Novel)''|| Konkani ||Novel |- | 2017 ||100px||Sitanshu Yashaschandra|| "Vakhar" ''(Poetry collection)''|| Gujarati ||Poetry |- |2018 |100x100px |K Siva Reddy |"Pakkaki Ottigilite" (''Poetry'') |Telugu |Poetry |- |2019 |100px |Vasdev Mohi |"Chequebook" (Short Story Series) |Sindhi |Short Stories |- |2020 | |Sharankumar Limbale |"Sanatan" (Novel) |Marathi |Novel |- | 2021

|100px||Ram Darash Mishra|| "Main to Yahan Hun" ''(Poetry)''|| Hindi ||Poetry |- |2022

| |Sivasankari |"Surya Vamsam" ''(Memoir)'' |Tamil |Memoir |- |2023 |100px |Prabha Varma |"Roudra Sathwikam" ''(Novel in verse)'' |Malayalam |Verse Novel |- |2024 |100px |Bhadreshdas Swami |"Swaminarayana Siddhanta Sudha" |Sanskrit | |- |2025 | |Dr. Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay |Hara Parbati Katha |Bengali |Novel |- |}

==Recipients by language== Saraswati Samman has been presented for works in sixteen languages. The 34 awardees from 1991 to 2024 wrote in the following languages: {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Language ! Number |- | Malayalam | 4 |- | Hindi |rowspan=5|3 |- | Marathi |- | Odia |- | Punjabi |- | Bengali |- | Tamil | rowspan="5" |2 |- | Gujarati |- | Kannada |- | Sanskrit |- | Urdu |- | Assamese | rowspan=5|1 |- | Dogri |- | Konkani |- | Sindhi |- | Telugu |- |}

==See also== * Jnanpith Award, considered India's highest literary honor that is conferred by the Bharatiya Jnanpith. * Moortidevi Award, another annual literary honor, regarded as the second highest,<ref>{{Cite web | title=Hara Parasad Das gets Moortidevi Award | url=https://www.dailypioneer.com/2013/state-editions/hara-parasad-das-gets-moortidevi-award.html | access-date=2025-08-21 | website=www.dailypioneer.com}}</ref> and also awarded by the Bharatiya Jnanpith.

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{cite web | title = Saraswati Samman webpage|work=K.K. Birla Foundation | url = http://www.kkbirlafoundation.org/saraswati.html }} * {{cite web | title = Saraswati Samman Recipients, Official listings|work=K.K. Birla Foundation| url = http://www.kkbirlafoundation.org/saraswati-r.html}}

Category:Indian literary awards Category:Recipients of the Saraswati Samman Award Category:Awards established in 1991 Category:1991 establishments in India