india

Updated: Nov 05, 2019 23:51 IST

A novel by noted Hindi author and Sahitya Akademi awardee Nasera Sharma, Kaagaz Ki Naav (Paper Boat), published in 2014 has been chosen for the 29th Vyas Samman, according to a release by the KK Birla Foundation.

The prestigious award is given annually to an outstanding literary work in Hindi authored in the last 10 years.

Born in 1948 in Allahabad, Sharma has a master’s degree in Persian language and literature; and has a command over Hindi, Urdu, English and Pashto. She is also an expert in Iranian society and politics.

Her repertoire includes short stories, novels, memoirs, translations, and criticism pieces.

Announcing the award for the novel, picked by a jury presided over by eminent littérateur Dr Vishwanath Prasad Tiwari, the foundation described the work as a “relevant and germane narrative of the present time” and said that the novel weaves a commentary about Hindu-Muslim integration and harmonious coexistence for centuries.

The foundation feted Sharma for showing “assionate concern for disappearing respect among the new generation for our old and elderly people” and for presenting the “challenges of increasing inclination towards luxuries and self-centeredness that give rise to ironies and are corroding our social structure”.

The Vyas Samman, instituted in 1991, carries a cash prize of Rs 4 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.

Apart from the Vyas Samman, the KK Birla Foundation also presents the Saraswati Samman, which carries a prize of Rs 15 lakh, and is given to outstanding literary work of an Indian citizen in any of the languages mentioned in Schedule VIII of the Constitution; and the Bihari Puraskar, with a cash purse of Rs 2.5 lakh, given to writers from Rajasthan for their works in Hindi or Rajasthani languages.