Mahadev Toppo, Peggy Mohan, Mamta Kalia Among Winners at Banaras Literature Festival

In a ceremony marked by dignity, intellectual seriousness and literary distinction, the Banaras Lit Fest on Wednesday announced the winners of the 2nd Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026 at the Hi-Tech Institute of Engineering & Technology during its Outreach event, reaffirming the festival's emergence as one of India's most credible and consequential literary honours.

Celebrated writer, Cofounder of Jaipur Literature Festival and cultural custodian Namita Gokhale was conferred the Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award, capping a year defined by a remarkable confluence of voices across languages, generations and genres.

Conceived with the scale and gravity of the world's foremost literary prizes, the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards recognise outstanding works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and translation in English, Hindi and Indian languages. The awards underline the festival's commitment to literary excellence that is deeply rooted in tradition while remaining sharply attentive to contemporary realities.

The official announcement was made at a curtain-raiser event held in Delhi NCR on January 21, 2026. All category awards carry a cash prize of Rs 51,000, along with a citation and trophy. The Lifetime Achievement Award carries a cash prize of Rs 1,00,000 and will be presented during the forthcoming Banaras Lit Fest, scheduled from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at Hotel Taj, Banaras.

A Celebration of Literary Authority and Range

This year's list of winners offers a compelling snapshot of the range and vitality of Indian writing today.

Congratulating the awardees, Deepak Madhok, President of the Banaras Lit Fest, said, 'In a short span, the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards have emerged as a serious marker of literary distinction. The winners this year exemplify courage of thought, depth of scholarship and elegance of expression. We congratulate each of them for enriching India's literary and cultural imagination, and we thank the jury for upholding the highest standards of judgment.'
He noted that the awards were envisioned not merely as annual honours, but as part of a sustained effort to strengthen serious literary evaluation in the country.

Brijesh Singh, Founder and Secretary of the Banaras Lit Fest, added, 'We warmly congratulate all the winners whose work sets new benchmarks in contemporary literature. I extend my deepest gratitude to our eminent juries for their meticulous, independent and transparent selection process. This year, we have also introduced an additional Youth Award category to actively encourage emerging voices and ensure that the next generation of writers finds recognition, confidence and visibility through this platform.'

He added that the diversity of languages and forms represented this year reflected the continuing vitality of India's multilingual literary tradition.

Winners: Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026

English Language

• Ruskin Bond Award for Fiction

Eden Abandoned: The Story of Lilith - Shinie Antony

• Sarojini Naidu Award for Poetry

The Hanuman Chalisa - Abhay K

• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award for Non-Fiction

Father Tongue, Motherland: The Birth of Language in South Asia - Peggy Mohan

• Rabindranath Tagore Award for Translation

Limited / Unlimited, by Sankar (translated from Bengali) - Arunava Sinha

Hindi Language

• Premchand Award for Fiction

दूरस्थ दाम्पत्य - ममता कालिया

• Kabir Award for Poetry

पागल गणितज्ञ की कविताएँ - उदयन वाजपेयी

• Rahul Sankrityayan Award for Non-Fiction

दुःख की दुनिया भीतर है - जे. सुशील

• Mahadevi Verma Award for Translation

1857 की क्रान्ति का अवध, by Thomas Henry Kavanagh

Translated by राजगोपाल सिंह वर्मा

Special Honours

• Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award
• Namita Gokhale
• Kalidas Award for Indian Languages
• Mahadev Toppo
• Vivekanand Award for Youth
• Parag Pawan

As the Banaras Lit Fest approaches its forthcoming edition, it continues to assert its role as a vital cultural institution, one that honours literary legacy with discernment while actively shaping the future of Indian writing through inclusivity, dialogue and excellence.

For Ashutosh Kumar Thakur, Coordinator of the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards and Literary Curator of the Banaras Lit Fest, the second edition marks a threshold moment. 'That these awards have earned national credibility so early speaks to the integrity of the process and the clarity of our vision," he said. "We imagined the awards as a space where languages converse and traditions renew themselves. The response suggests that this space is already being taken seriously.'

At a time when literary festivals across India risk becoming spectacles untethered from sustained critical judgment, the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards appear, at least for now, to be moving in a different direction: toward deliberation rather than display, and toward the slower, more exacting work of building trust.

Whether that ambition endures will be judged over time. But with its 2026 awards, the Banaras Lit Fest has made a persuasive case for itself-not merely as another date on the cultural calendar, but as a literary institution in the making.

Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026: Honouring Outstanding Contributions to Nation-Building

Under the aegis of the Banaras Literature Festival (Kashi Sahitya Kala Utsav), national awards are announced every year to recognise exceptional individuals whose work has contributed meaningfully to society and the nation.
This year, the Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 honour distinguished personalities who have made long-term, institutional and socially transformative contributions in the fields of education, literature, arts and culture, science, medicine, business, public service, sports and women's empowerment.

This award is not merely a recognition of individual achievement; it is an affirmation of the idea of nation-building where knowledge, service, ethics and leadership advance together. It is dedicated to those whose work leaves a lasting impact on society, institutions and future generations.

Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 - Awardees

1. Education, Literature, Arts & Culture (ELAC)

Prof. (Dr.) K. K. Aggarwal, President, South Asian University
Ashwin Sanghi, International Author
Ms. Tisca Chopra, Actor, Director and Creative Professional

2. Science, Technology, Engineering & Medicine (STEM)

Dr. Naveen Khatri, Tata Memorial Centre & ACTREC, Mumbai

3. Business & Entrepreneurship Development

Ms. Nupur Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, NPCI

4. Public Service & Social Work

Prof. Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, ICSSR

5. Sports, Yoga & Wellness

Pullela Gopichand

Bhaichung Bhutia

Lalit Upadhyay

6. Women's Empowerment

Ms. Kalpana Ajayan, Women's World Banking

7. Lifetime Achievement Award

Ms. Renu Sood Karnad, Chairperson, GSK India

Concluding the announcement, Dr. Aparna Singh, Coordinator of the Gomati Devi Eminence Awards, said, 'The Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 are a public affirmation of the values on which a strong nation is built - knowledge, service, ethics, inclusion and long-term vision. These awards honour those who have transformed work into a form of service, leadership into responsibility, and success into a meaningful social contribution.'
With these twin honours, the Banaras Lit Fest reaffirms its resolve to place literature and public service at the heart of India's cultural and civic imagination.