The Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, has announced the winners of the prestigious Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2025, recognizing outstanding contributions to children’s literature across 24 Indian languages. The annual awards ceremony will take place on Friday, 14 November 2025, at the Triveni Auditorium, Tansen Marg, New Delhi. The event will celebrate literary excellence, creativity, and the cultural diversity reflected through India’s regional languages.
Event Details and Guests of Honour
The awards will be presented by Madhav Kaushik, President of the Sahitya Akademi. Varsha Das, an eminent Gujarati writer, will be the Chief Guest for the occasion, while Kumud Sharma, Vice President of the Akademi, will deliver the vote of thanks. The welcome address will be presented by Pallavi Prashant Holkar, Secretary of the Sahitya Akademi.
Recognizing India’s Literary Diversity
The Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2025 recognizes works across various genres, including poetry, stories, novels, plays, and memoirs written for children. Each awardee will receive a cheque of ₹50,000 and a bronze plaque in honour of their creative achievements.
The list of award-winning authors and their works for 2025 includes:
-
Assamese – Mainaahantar Padya (Poetry), Surendra Mohan Das
-
Bengali – Ekhono Gaye Kanta Daye (Stories), Tridib Kumar Chattopadhyay
-
Bodo – Khanthi Bwswn Arw Akhu Danai (Stories), Binay Kumar Brahma
-
Dogri – Nanhi Tor (Poetry), P.L. Parihar ‘Shauq’
-
English – Dakshin: South Indian Myths and Fables Retold (Stories), Nitin Kushalappa M.P.
-
Gujarati – Tinchak (Poetry), Kirtida Brahmbhatt
-
Hindi – Ek Batey Barah (Non-fiction & Memoir), Susheel Shukla
-
Kannada – Notebook (Short Stories), K. Shivalingappa Handihal
-
Kashmiri – Shure Te Tchure Gyush (Short Stories), Izhar Mubashir
-
Konkani – Belabaicho Shanker Ani Heir Kanyo (Stories), Nayana Adarkar
-
Maithili – Chukka (Short Stories), Munni Kamat
-
Malayalam – Penguinukalude Vankaravil (Novel), Sreejith Moothedath
-
Manipuri – Angangshing-Gee Shannabungshida (Play), Shanto M.
-
Marathi – Abhaimaya (Poetry), Suresh Govindrao Sawant
-
Nepali – Shanti Van (Novel), Sangmu Lepcha
-
Odia – Kete Phula Phutichi (Poetry), Rajakishore Parhi
-
Punjabi – Jaddu Patta (Novel), Pali Khadim (Amrit Pal Singh)
-
Rajasthani – Pankheruv Ni Peeda (Play), Bhogilal Patidar
-
Sanskrit – Balvisvam (Poetry), Preeti R. Pujara
-
Santali – Sona Miru-ag Sandesh (Poetry), Haralal Murmu
-
Sindhi – Asmani Pari (Poetry), Heena Agnani ‘Heer’
-
Tamil – Ottrai Siragu Oviya (Novel), Vishnupuram Sarvanan
-
Telugu – Kaburla Devatha (Story), Gangisetty Sivakumar
-
Urdu – Qaumi Sitare (Articles), Ghazanfar Iqbal
Awardees’ Meet on 15 November 2025
A day after the award ceremony, on 15 November 2025, the Awardees’ Meet will take place at the Ravindra Bhawan Auditorium, Sahitya Akademi headquarters, Ferozeshah Road, New Delhi. The session will be chaired by Kumud Sharma, Vice President of the Akademi. During this interactive event, the winners will share their creative journeys, inspirations, and experiences as authors in children’s literature.
Significance of Bal Sahitya Puraskar
Instituted by the Sahitya Akademi, the Bal Sahitya Puraskar celebrates the rich and diverse tradition of writing for children in India. It recognizes authors who contribute meaningfully to nurturing imagination, values, and cultural identity through storytelling. The 2025 awards reaffirm the Akademi’s commitment to promoting literature that inspires young readers and reflects India’s multilingual literary landscape.
