For nurturing “life in poetry amidst experiences and through language”, Padma Shri recipient Liladhar Jaguri has been chosen for the prestigious Vyas Samman award for his poetry collection, Jitne Log Utne Prem, published in 2013.

The award, instituted in 1991 and given by the KK Birla Foundation, recognises outstanding literary work in Hindi authored by an Indian citizen and published during the last 10 years. It carries a cash prize of Rs 4 lakh.

Born on July 1, 1940, in Uttarakhand’s Tehri Garhwal, Jaguri has a master’s degree in Hindi literature. Driven by his passion for literature, he resigned from the army and took the job of a school teacher. He later sat for a public service commission examination and joined the Uttar Pradesh information service. He was also appointed the first editor of the Uttaranchal Darshan, and served as the vice-president of the Uttarakhand Culture, Literature and Arts Council. A recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Akashvani National Award and the Uttarakhand Gaurav Samman, Jaguri was picked for the 28th Vyas Samman 2018 by a jury headed by eminent littérateur Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari.

Apart from the Vyas Samman, the KK Birla Foundation every year presents the Saraswati Samman, which carries a prize of Rs 15 lakh and is given to an outstanding literary work by an Indian citizen in any of the languages mentioned in Schedule VIII of the Constitution. Also, the Bihari Puraskar, with a cash prize of Rs 2.50 lakh, is given to Hindi/Rajasthani writers from Rajasthan.

  literature, Uttrakhand