Punjabi scholar, Telugu researcher chosen for Bhasha Samman

A noted Punjabi scholar and a Telugu veteran have been chosen for the 'Bhasha Samman' by the Sahitya Akademi for their contribution to the field of classical and medieval literature.

Gurudev Singh, a Punjabi scholar, was chosen for the honour from the Northern region, while Telugu researcher and critic Korlapati Sriramamurthy from the Southern region, the Akademi said in a statement.

Singh has compiled the Encyclopedia of Sufi Poetry and Thoughts and also the History of Sufi Punjabi Poetry and has also written books in Gurumukhi script and translated texts from Persian and Arabic.

The Bhasha Samman carries a cash prize of Rs1,00,000 besides an inscribed copy plaque and citation.

Five other Bhasha Sammans have been announced for eight scholars and writers in languages like Avadhi, Garhwali and Kachchhi which are not recognised by the Akademi.

The writers selected for the honour are Madhav Joshi 'Ashq' and Tejpal Darshi 'Tej' for Kachchhi, Vishwanath Pathak for Avadi, Ram Narayan Sharma and Kailash Nehari Dwivedi for Bundeli, Niranjan Chakma for Chakma language, and Sudama Prasad Premi and Prem Lal Bhatt for Garhwali.

The Sahitya Akademi has also selected the winners of Bal Sahiytya Puraskar for 2010 for 20 languages. The awardees include works in diverse languages like Bodo, Dogri, Nepali, Oriya, Santali, Sindhi, Urdu, Tamil etc ranging from short stories, travelogues and plays.

The award carries a prize money of Rs50,000 and will be given in November this year.