'Richly deserved' says Shashi Tharoor as Gulzar is honoured with Jnanpith Award
58th Jnanpith Award 2024: Urdu poet-lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar was honoured with the Jnanpith Award, one of the highest Indian literary awards. Shashi Tharoor extended his congratulations on social media.
FollowGulzar, a well-known Urdu poet, songwriter, and filmmaker, has received the Jnanpith honour, the highest Indian literary honour given annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution to literature." Shashi Tharoor praised the old poet on X.
Gulzar has received the prestigious Jnanpith Award. Shashi Tharoor greeted X. He wrote, "Warmest congratulations to Gulzar Sahib on winning India’s highest literary award for lifetime achievement, the Jnanpith Award, for his extraordinary services to Urdu poetry. Richly deserved! One of those rare accolades applauded both by the general public & the cognoscenti (sic)."
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Warmest congratulations to Gulzar Sahib on winning India’s highest literary award for lifetime achievement, the Jnanpith Award, for his extraordinary services to Urdu poetry. Richly deserved! One of those rare accolades applauded both by the general public & the cognoscenti 🙏 pic.twitter.com/41BXxPFRWJ
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) February 17, 2024
In a statement, the Jnanpith selection committee said, "It has been decided to give the award (for 2023) to eminent writers from two languages: Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and well known Urdu litterateur Shri Gulzar."
"Along with his long film journey, Gulzar has been setting new milestones in the field of literature. In poetry, he invented a new genre, 'Triveni', which is a non-mukaffa poem of three lines. Gulzar has always created something new through his poetry. For some time now, he has also been paying serious attention to children's poetry," Bharatiya Jnanpith said in a statement.
Previously, Gulzar got the Sahitya Akademi Urdu Award in 2002, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, and about five National Film Awards for his contributions to film.
The Jnanpith Award contains Rs 21 lakh in award money, a Vagdevi statue, and a citation.
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A selection committee lead by Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Rai decided who should get the award. The committee also included Madhav Kaushik, Damodar Mauzo, Prof Suranjan Das, Prof Purushottam Bilmale, Praful Shiledar, Prof Harish Trivedi, Prabha Verma, Dr Janaki Prasad Sharma, A Krishna Rao, and Jnanpith director Madhusudan Anand.
Aside from Gulzar, Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya has been selected the laureate of the 58th Jnanpith Award. He is the founder and leader of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot. He is a prominent Hindu spiritual leader, educator, and author of over 240 books and writings, including four epics.
Gulzar's brilliant career spans decades, and he has captivated audiences with his evocative poetry, excellent narrative, and soulful songs. His remarkable ability to flawlessly merge lyrics and music has resulted in timeless tunes that have lasted through generations. Gulzar's artistic vision has left an everlasting influence on Indian culture, from his early work in films like Kabhie Kabhie and Anand to his directorial endeavours such as Maachis and Mausam.
