Amitav Ghosh becomes the first English author to win Jnanpith Award

Amitav Ghosh is a renowned English writer

Recently, eminent novelist Amitav Ghosh has been honoured with this year's Jnanpith Award, a literary award given to an author for "outstanding contribution towards literature.

About Jnanpith Award It is India’s highest literary award given to an author for outstanding contribution towards literature.The name has been taken from Sanskrit words Jnana and Pitha which means "knowledge-seat".It was instituted in 1961 by Bharatiya Jnanpith trust founded by the Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain family that owns the Times of India newspaper group.It is bestowed upon any Indian citizen who writes in any 22 official languages of India mentioned in VIII Schedule of Constitution of India and English.Prior to 1982, the award was only given for a single work by a writer. But after 1982, the award is given for lifetime contribution to Indian literature.The award carries cash prize of 11 lakh rupees, a citation plaque and a bronze replica of Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge and wisdom.

Key Points To Be Noted

In his novels, Ghosh treads through historical settings to the modern era and weaves a space where the past connects with the present in relevant ways.

Important Contributions by Ghosh

Shadow Lines
The Glass Palace
The Hungry Tide
Ibis Trilogy — "Sea of Poppies", "River of Smoke", and "Flood of Fire" — chronicling the Opium trade between India and China run by the East India Company.
His most recent book, "The Great Derangement; Climate Change and the Unthinkable, a work of non-fiction", was released in 2016.
He becomes the first author in English to win India's foremost literary prize.He is also recipient of the Padma Shri and Sahitya Akademi Award.Some of the biggest Indian writers who have been awarded with this prestigious literary recognition include literary icons Krishna Sobti, Kedarnath Singh, Shrilal Shukla, Nirmal Verma, Girish Karnad, Mahasweta Devi, Amrita Pritam and U R Ananthamurthy.