Sahitya Akademi announces Bal Sahitya Puraskars

Delhi-based journalist Siddhartha Sarma's novel the Grasshopper's Run is among 19 works selected for Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar this year.

Delhi-based journalist Siddhartha Sarma's novel the Grasshopper's Run, which describes the bonhomie between a Naga boy and his Assamese friend in the backdrop of World War II, is among 19 works selected for Sahitya Akademi's Bal Sahitya Puraskar this year.

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Seven books of poetry, six novels and five short stories are among those selected for the awards, while five writers
have been named for their total contribution to children's literature.

The awards were recommended by jury members representing 24 Indian languages and approved by the executive board of the Sahitya Akademi.

"I am happy that the Akademi selected my novel for the award. The novel deals with what used to be a very deep and
enduring bond between the Naga and the Assamese people. I hope the award will highlight this history and the rest of the northeast as well for readers elsewhere in the country," Sarma, who hails from Assam, said.

The awards in the form of a casket containing an engraved copper-plaque and a cheque of Rs 50,000 will be presented at a special function to be held in November.

The winners in the poetry section are Gh. Nabi Aatash (Kashmiri), Snehalata Rai (Nepali), Darshan Singh Asht (Punjabi), Abhiraja Rajendra Mishra (Sanskrit), Nuhum Hembram (Santali), M L Thangappa (Tamil) and Aadil Aseer Dehlavi (Urdu).