60th Jnanpith Award | 17 Mar 2026

Source: TH 

Eminent Tamil lyricist and author R. Vairamuthu has been selected for the 60th Jnanpith Award, becoming only the 3rd Tamil writer to receive the prize and the 1st to be recognised for Tamil poetry. 

• He also won the Sahitya Akademi Award (2003) for his novel Kallikattu Ithikasam. He was also awarded the Padma Shri in 2003 and the Padma Bhushan in 2014. 
• The award had previously been conferred on Tamil writers Akilan (1975) and Jayakanthan (2002). 

Jnanpith Award 

• About: The Jnanpith Award, instituted in 1961 by the Bharatiya Jnanpith, is India's highest literary honour recognising exceptional lifetime contributions by authors.  
  • Often regarded as the "Nobel Prize of Indian literature," it highlights India's linguistic diversity and literary integrity.  
• Institutional Background: The award was established by industrialist Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain and his wife Rama Jain via the Bharatiya Jnanpith, a cultural organization set up in 1944. The first award was conferred in 1965 to G. Sankara Kurup (Malayalam).  
  • The 1st woman recipient was Ashapurna Devi (Bengali) in 1976, and the 1st English-language winner was Amitav Ghosh in 2018. 
• Eligibility and Scope: It is presented annually only to an Indian author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature." From 1965 to 1981, the award was given for a specific book/work. Since 1982, it has been awarded for an author’s lifetime contribution to Indian literature.  
  • It covers all 22 Eighth Schedule languages as well as English (included in 2013). No posthumous awards are given. 
• Prize and Symbolism: The recipient receives a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, a citation, and a bronze statuette of Vagdevi (Saraswati), the goddess of knowledge. The award is often presented by the President of India. 
• Selection Process: A high-level committee (Pravara Parishad) of eminent scholars and litterateurs evaluates nominations based on creativity, vision, and impact on Indian literature.