The renowned lyricist Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Ramabhadracharya have been nominated for the Jnanpith Award. The Jnanpith Selection Committee announced on Saturday that both will be honored with the 58th Jnanpith Award. Gulzar is well-known for his work in Hindi cinema and is also regarded as one of the finest Urdu poets of this era. Prior to this, he has received the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, the Padma Bhushan in 2004, and at least five National Film Awards.
In Chitrakoot, the founder and prominent figure of the Tulsi Peeth, Ramabhadracharya, is a renowned Sanskrit scholar, educator, and author of more than 100 books. Born in 1950 in the village of Khandikhurd in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, Ramabhadracharya is one of the current four Jagadgurus of the Ramānand Sampradaya. He has held this position since 1988. Fluent in 22 languages, he is a prolific writer in languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Avadhi, Maithili, and others. In 2015, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Vibhushan.
The Jnanpith Selection Committee stated in a statement, "The decision has been made to award this prize (for 2023) to distinguished authors in two languages. For this, Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Ramabhadracharya and renowned Urdu litterateur Gulzar have been selected."
The Jnanpith Award is the highest literary honor in Indian literature. Established in 1961, it was first awarded in 1965 to Malayalam poet G. Sankara Kurup for his work "Odakkuzhal." This award is exclusively conferred upon Indian citizens who write in any of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution. The award comprises a cash prize of 11 lakh rupees, a citation, and a bronze replica of Saraswati, the goddess of learning.