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Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Dr.Shakeel Ahmed released a commemorative postage stamp to mark the golden jubilee of Sahitya Academy here today. Shri S.Jaipal Reddy, Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Culture received the stamp along with first day cover. The stamp is in the denomination of Rs.5.
Highlighting the various initiatives taken by the Sahitya Academy in the last fifty years, Shri Jaipal Reddy said that the Academy has helped preserve and conserve our tribal literature and has been a mirror of contemporary Indian writings and literature. Sahitya Academy’s production of over 4,300 books in 22 Indian languages and by-monthly journals translating literary pieces reflects the useful role played by the Academy. Shri Reddy emphasised the need for translation of Indian literary works into other languages so that these can reach the people, nationally as well as internationally.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Shakeel Ahmed stated that “literature is an important instrument of cultural and emotional integration; the Academy has nurtured the concept of the unity of Indian literature without sacrificing the idea of diversity in creativity by bringing together writers of different origins on a common national platform. The commemorative postage stamp is an appropriate to convey the message of Sahitya Academy far and wide, he said.
Set up in 1954 by the Government of India, Sahitiya Academy is not only the premier institution in the country for literary dialogue, publication and promotion but also the only institution in the country that undertakes literary activities in 24 languages, including English. Over 50 years of its dynamic existence, it has published over 4300 books in 22 languages. It publishes two bi-monthly journals-“Indian Literature” in English and Samkaleen Bhartiya Sahitya in Hindi which carry translated literary pieces from the different languages. It also publishes a half yearly journal in Sanskrit, Samskrta Pratibha.
Sahitya Academy also conferred on a writer, the highest honour by electing him a fellow. This honour is reserved for the “immortals of literature” and limited to twenty one at any given time. So far 66 writers have been awarded the fellowship. The Academy gives awards for creative/critical writing and translation prizes in each of the recognised language every year and has given 850 awards since its inception for original books of outstanding merit and 302 translation prizes since 1989 for books of translation. Apart from these awards, the annual Bhasha Samman has also been instituted since 1996 which is given to scholars and writers for their contribution to languages not recognised by Sahitya Academy and to classical and medieval literature. So far 35 writers and scholars have been honoured with the Bhasha Samman. Over the years, Sahitya Academy has built bridges among communities, regions, and languages and has provided a meeting ground for writers of diverse attitude and ideologies.
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