AMN /
Eminent Gujarati litterateur Raghuveer Chaudhary has been selected for Jnanpith Award. The Jnanpith Selection Board today announced that 51st Jnanpith Award will go to Raghuveer Chaudhary.
The decision was taken in a meeting of Jnanpith Selection Board chaired by noted scholar, writer and critic Prof. Namwar Singh. Other eminent persons of the selection board are Prof. Shamim Hanfi, Harish Trivedi, Prof. Suranjan Das, Ramakant Rath, Chandrakant Patil, Prof. Alok Rai, Dinesh Misra and Leeladhar Mandloi.
Raghuveer’s literary works have received numerous accolades that include Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Trilogy Uparvaas. Apart from that he won numerous honors including Kumar Chandrak for poetry, Uma-Sneharashmi Prize and Ranjitram Gold Medal for creative writing, Sauhard Samman from Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthaan.
Born in 1938, Raghuveer Chaudhary occupies a unique place in Gujarati literature. A novelist, poet, critic, a prominent figure on contemporary Gujarati literary scene and a Gandhian, his talent has been influenced by works of Govardhanram Tripathi, Kaka Kalelkar, Suresh Joshi, Prof. Ramdarash Mishra and Prof. G. N. Dickey.
Raghuveer’s poetry is particularly remarkable for its profundity of thought and the meaningful use of images and symbols. Though ‘poetry’ remains his first love, the form he has consistently explored, is ‘novel’. His faith in the functional aspect of human life has progressively strengthened. It is voiced through his novels Amrita, Venu Vatsala and Uparvas trilogy. Rudra Mahalaya is a landmark in Gujarati historical novel writing.
His essays contain a combination of microscopic observations concerning the art of creative writing and a vivid presentation of thought. His style of writing tinged with his unique sense of humour adds to the readability of his essays.