Mayanand Mishra to get Prabodh Sahitya Samman

New Delhi, Feb 3 (UNI) Eminent author and Maithili litterateur Mayanand Mishra has been selected for the Prabodh Sahitya Samman 2007 for his outstanding contributions to Maithili language and Literature.

The award carries a cash prize of Rs one lakh and a citation. It was instituted by the Swasti Foundation, a trust devoted to the cause of education and development of Mithila region, in 2004.

The award was established in the memory of Late Prabodh Narayan Singh, a doyen of the Maithili language movement its acknowledged as the most prestigious award in Maithili. It is also a way of celebrating the inclusion of Maithili in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in 2003.

Noted Hindi litterateur and Chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi International Hindi University Namwar Singh will present the award to Mr Mishra on February 18 while Udaya Narayan Singh, Director of the Central Institute of Indian Languages, will preside over the function. The conferment ceremony will be followed by a Maithili play, Nachiketa's 'Ek Chhal Raja'.

The Foundation's Previous awardees include eminent novelist Lily Ray (2004, Patna); dramatist and playwright Mahendra Malangia (2005, Patna) and scholar and noted litterateur Govind Jha (2006, Kolkata).

UNI