West Bengal
Bengali Omission From Sahitya Akademi Award
- 24 Mar 2025
- 2 min read
Why in News?
The exclusion of Bengali literature from the Sahitya Akademi Award 2024 has sparked controversy in West Bengal’s literary circles.
Key Points
- Omission of Bengali Literature:
- Bengali literature, despite being granted classical language status by the Government of India in 2024, was excluded from the awards.
- This is the first time in 52 years that Bengali writers and works were left out of the prestigious award.
- The Sahitya Akademi’s Executive Board attributed the omission to "technical issues."
- The West Bengal Democratic Writers Artists Association wrote to Sahitya Akademi Secretary, seeking an explanation for the exclusion.
- RTI Application for Transparency:
- Journalist and former Sahitya Akademi council member filed a Right to Information (RTI) application seeking clarity on the omission.
- The RTI request asks for details about Bengali nominees, jury members, and documents related to the decision.
- Past Instances of Omission:
- Bengali literature was previously omitted from the Sahitya Akademi Awards in 1960, 1968, and 1973.
Sahitya Akademi Awards
- About:
- The Sahitya Akademi Awards honor exceptional literary contributions in categories like novels, poetry, essays, and plays.
- It is the 2nd-highest literary honor in India, after the Jnanpith Award.
- It was established in 1954 as an autonomous body under the Ministry of Culture.
- Eligibility:
- Award categories include works in 22 languages of the Eighth Schedule, along with English and Rajasthani (total: 24 languages), and translations of Indian literary works.
- The author must be an Indian citizen.
- Recipients:
