N M Desai, Rammurti Sharma to receive Moortidevi Award

New Delhi, Apr 18 (UNI) Eminent Gujarati writer Narayan Mahadev Desai and famed Hindi and Sanskrit scholar Rammurti Sharma have been selected for the prestigious Bharatiya Jnanpith-constituted 18th and 19th Moortidevi Awards respectively.

Mr Desai will receive the award for the year 2004 for his notable creation, entitled ''Maroon Jeewan Aj Mari Vaani'', which is based on the life, philosohy and work of Mahatma Gandhi.

The decision to confer the awards on the two eminent litterateurs was taken at a meeting of the Moortidevi Selection Board, chaired by Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi, here today.

The 83-year-old Mr Desai worked with Mahatma Gandhi, Vinoba Bhave and Jayprakash Narayan and is a recipient of several awards, including the Sahita Akademi Award, the Gujarati Sahitya Akademi Award and the Darshak Award.

Dr Sharma will get the award for the year 2005 for his famous work ''Bharatiya Darshan Ki Chintadhara'', which is considered to be the encyclopedia of Indian Philosophy from the Rig Veda to the modern times.

Dr Sharma has been bestowed upon several awards, which include Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Akademi Award (thrice), Mahavir Samiti Award and Delhi Sanskrit Academy Award.

He attended the International Sanskrit Conference at Mexico (1982), Philadelphia (1984) and Melbourne (1994).

UNI