Summary of this article
The Sahitya Akademi has announced its 2025 Awards for 24 writers across different Indian languages, including former diplomat Navtej Sarna (English, for his novel Crimson Spring) and Mamta Kalia (Hindi, for her memoir Jeete Jee Allahabad).
The winners will receive a copper plaque, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh at a formal ceremony on March 31. The announcement comes months after the Akademi canceled a scheduled press conference in December 2025.
The awards span multiple genres, including poetry, novels, short stories, and memoirs and recognize authors writing in languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, and Sanskrit.
Former diplomat and English author Navtej Sarna and acclaimed Hindi writer Mamta Kalia are among the 24 authors selected for the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award for 2025. The National Academy of Letters made the announcement on Monday, confirming the recipients across 24 Indian languages.
The declaration comes several months after the Akademi unexpectedly canceled a scheduled press conference in December 2025 that was meant to reveal the winners.
In an official statement, the Sahitya Akademi confirmed the diverse range of genres recognized this year. "Sahitya Akademi is happy to announce today its annual Sahitya Akademi Awards in 24 Indian languages recognised by it. 8 books of poetry, 4 novels, 6 books of short stories, 2 essays, 1 literary criticism, 1 autobiography and 2 memoirs have won the Sahitya Akademi Awards 2025," the statement read.
Navtej Sarna, a former diplomat and ambassador, has been awarded for his novel Crimson Spring. Hindi writer Mamta Kalia will be honored for her memoir, Jeete Jee Allahabad.
According to the academy, the awardees will be presented with a casket containing an engraved copper plaque, a shawl, and a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh at a formal ceremony scheduled for March 31.
The full list of winners spans a wide array of languages and literary forms. Other recipients include Prasun Bandyopadhyay (Bengali) for Shrestha Kabita, Yogesh Vaidya (Gujarati) for Bhattkhadaki, Amresh Nugadoni (Kannada) for Dada Seerisu Tande, N Prabhakaran (Malayalam) for Maayamanushyar, Raju Baviskar (Marathi) for Kalyanilya Resha, and Jinder (Punjabi) for Safety Kit.
The Akademi also recognized authors writing in Rajasthani, Tamil, Urdu, Telugu, Sindhi, Santali, Sanskrit, Odia, Nepali, and Manipuri. Among them are Jitender Kumar Soni for Bharkham (Rajasthani), Sa Tamilselvan for Thamiz Sirukathaiyin Thadangal (Tamil), Pritpal Singh Betab for Safar Jari Hai (Urdu), Nandini Sidha Reddy for Animesha (Telugu), and Haobam Nalini for Kanglamdriba Eephut (Manipuri).
