Writers from 24 languages conferred Sahitya Akademi awards

New Delhi, Feb 22 (UNI) Writers from 24 regional languages in the country have been conferred the Sahitya Akademi awards for the year 2005 for works 'written' in their respective mother togues.

The writers were given the awards at the Akademi's award presentation ceremony in the capital yesterday, which was presided over by its President Gopi Chand Narang: Distingushed scholar Karan Singh was the chief guest.

The 24 awardees include Manohar Shyam Joshi (Hindi), Jabir Hussain (Urdu), Yeshe Dorji Thongchi (Aassamese), Krishna Sharma (Dogri), Suresh Dalal (Gujarati), Raghvendra Patil (Kannada), Hamidi Kashmiri (Kashmiri), N Shivdas (Konkani), Vivekananda Thakur ( Maithili), Ramchandra Behari (Oriya), Gurbachan Singh, Bhullar (Punjabi), Chetan Swami(Rajasthani), and Dholan Rahi (Sindhi), Arun Kolatkar was awarded.

The oldest among the awardees was Nepalese writer Krishna Singh Moktan, 76, while the youngest was Santhali writer Jadumani Besra, 42.

Of the awardees, only two-G Thilakavathi (Tamil) and Aburu Chaye Devi (Telegu)- were women. Expressing concern ove the development, Sahitya Akademi vice president Sunil Bandopathyaye said that over the years, the population of women writers had been dwindling.

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