RENOWNED Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award, the Jnanpith selection committee announced on Saturday. Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar, is celebrated for his works in Hindi cinema and is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of this era. Rambhadracharya, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, is a renowned Hindu spiritual leader, educator and writer of more than 240 books and texts, including four epics.

 

In a statement, the Jnanpith selection committee said, “It has been decided to give the award (for 2023) to eminent writers from two languages: Sanskrit litterateur Jagadguru Rambhadracharya and well known Urdu litterateur Shri Gulzar.” Rambhadracharya is one of the present four Jagadguru Ramanandacharyas of the Ramananda sect and has been holding this position since 1982. A polyglot, who speaks 22 languages, Rambhadracharya is a poet and writer in several Indian languages including Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, and Maithili. In 2015, he received the Padma Vibhushan award. Gulzar received Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, Padma Bhushan in 2004, and at least five National Film awards for his works.

 

Some of his finest works include the song “Jai Ho” for film “Slumdog Millionaire”, which received an Oscar award in 2009 and Grammy Awardin2010,andsongs for critically acclaimed films as “Maachhis” (1996),“Omkara” (2006), “Dil Se...” (1998), and “Guru” (2007), among others.Gulzaralsodirectedsometimelessawardwinningclassics, including “Koshish” (1972), “Parichay” (1972), “Mausam” (1975), “Ijaazat” (1977), and television serial “Mirza Ghalib” (1988). “Along with his long film journey, Gulzar has been setting new milestones in the field of literature. In poetry, he invented a new genre ‘Triveni’ which is a nonmukaffa poem of three lines. Gulzar has always created something new through his poetry. For some time now he has alsobeenpaying serious attention to children’s poetry,” Bharatiya Jnanpith said in a statement.