The Ananda Puraskar () is an award for

Bengali literature Bengali literature () denotes the body of writings in the Bengali language and which covers Old Bengali, Middle Bengali and Modern Bengali with the changes through the passage of time and dynastic patronization or non-patronization. Bengali h ...

awarded annually by the

ABP Group ABP Group (Ananda Bazar Patrika) is an Indian media conglomerate headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. It was established in 1922. History The company in recent years did mass layoff at various times. Current assets Newspapers * ''Ananda ...

to writers using

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

, usually from

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

History

The award can be traced to a comment by

Annada Shankar Ray Annada Shankar Ray (15 March 1904 – 28 October 2002) was an Indian poet and essayist in Bengali. He also wrote some Odia poetry. He wrote several Bengali poems criticising the Partition of India. Most notable is "''Teler shishi bhaanglo bole ...

ruing the absence of literary awards in Bengal. It was started on 20 April 1958 and has been given in the same month since. Initially, there were two awards, in memory of Prafulla Kumar Sarkar and Suresh Chandra Majumdar, the founders of ''

Anandabazar Patrika ''Anandabazar Patrika'' is an Indian Bengali-language daily newspaper owned by the ABP Group. Its main competitors are ''Bartaman'', '' Ei Samay'', '' Sangbad Pratidin'', " Aajkal", " Jago Bangla", " ganashakti" and " dainik Statesman". Histo ...

''. Another award was started in 1984 in memory of

Ashok Kumar Sarkar Ashok Kumar Sarkar (7 October 1912 – 17 February 1983) was the editor-in-chief and owner of ''Anandabazar Patrika'' and ABP Group from 1958 to 1983 after death of Prafulla Kumar Sarkar the inaugural editor of Anandabazar Patrika. Early lif ...

to commemorate the golden jubilee of '' Desh''. All three awards were merged in 2000.

Awardees

*1958 – Bibhutibhushan Mukhopadhyay (Prafulla Kumar Sarkar Memorial) *.......

Samaresh Basu Samaresh Basu (; 11 December 1924 – 12 March 1988) was an Indian writer in modern Bengali literature, known for his versatility and vast range of themes. He wrote under the pen name Kalkut. Basu was awarded the 1980 Sahitya Akademi Award in B ...

(Suresh Chandra Majumdar Memorial) *1960 – Pramathanath Bishi – ''Kerry Saheber Munshi'' (novel) (Prafulla Kumar Sarkar Memorial) *1961 –

Syed Mujtaba Ali Syed Mujtaba Ali (, ; 13 September 1904 – 11 February 1974) was a Bengali writer, journalist, travel enthusiast, academic, scholar and linguist. He lived in Bangladesh, India, Germany, Afghanistan and Egypt. Early life and education Syed Mujt ...

*1963 - Kalidas Roy *1964 -

Narayan Gangopadhyay Narayan Gangopadhyay (born Taraknath Gangopadhyay; 4 February 1918 – 8 November 1970) was an Indian writer and academic, noted for his contributions to modern Bengali literature. He wrote novels, short stories, essays, plays, and children's l ...

*1966 – Sukumar Sen *1967 – Bimal Kar *1968 – Gopal Chandra Bhattacharya *1970 –

Gour Kishore Ghosh Gour Kishore Ghosh (20 June 1923 – 15 December 2000) was an Indian writer and journalist in Bengali language, Bengali. Associated with ''Anandabazar Patrika'' for decades, Ghosh was known for his novels ''Desh Mati Manush'' and ''Prem Nei''. ...

*1971 –

Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...

Santosh Kumar Ghosh Santosh Kumar Ghosh (9 September 1920 – 26 February 1985) was an Indian Bengali litterateur and a journalist of repute. Early life Born in Faridpur district of what is now in Bangladesh, Santosh Kumar had his ancestral house in Barisal distri ...

*1972 –

Sunil Gangopadhyay Sunil Gangopadhyay or Sunil Ganguly (September 7, 1934 – October 23, 2012) was an Indian poet, novelist, short story writer, and critic. He played a key role in modernizing Bengali poetry and co-founded the 1953 Avant-garde, avant-gra ...

– for general work *1973 –

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay (; born 2 November 1935) is a Bengali author from India. He has written stories for both adults and children. He is known for creating the relatively new fictional sleuths Barodacharan and Shabor Dasgupta. Life Shi ...

– ''Manabjomin'' (novel) *1974 – Moti Nandy *1975 –

Shakti Chattopadhyay Shakti Chattopadhyay (25 November 1933 – 23 March 1995) was an Indian poet and writer who wrote in Bengali. He is known for his realistic depictions of rural life. He was a green poet, many of his poems raised the issue of nature in crisis. ...

*1976 –

Buddhadeb Guha Buddhadeb Guha (29 June 1936 – 29 August 2021) was an Indian Bengali language fiction writer, singer and painter. Career Born in Calcutta, Guha studied at St. Xavier's College of the University of Calcutta. He spent his early years in vari ...

– ''Halud Basanta'' (novel) *1978 –

Nikhil Sarkar Nikhil Sarkar (1 May 1932 – 17 August 2004) popularly known as ''Sripantha'' was a Bengali social historian, writer and journalist. Early life Sarkar was born at Gouripur village of Mymensingh district in 1932 in British India. After compete ...

*1979 –

Syed Mustafa Siraj Syed Mustafa Siraj (; 14 October 1930 – 4 September 2012) was an Indian author. In 1994, he received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel '' Aleek Manush'' (''Mythical Man''), considered his most lauded work. In 2005, his short story "Ran ...

*1980 – Probodh Kumar Sanyal *1981 – Sanjib Chattopadhyay *1982 –

Samaresh Majumdar Samaresh Majumdar (10 March 1944 – 8 May 2023) was an Indian Bengali language writer from West Bengal. Early life and education Majumdar was born on 10 March 1944 in Gairkata, Jalpaiguri district in the then British India. He spent his ch ...

*1983 –

*1984 –

Subhas Bhattacharya Subhash may refer to: People * Subhash Agarwal, Indian professional player and coach of English billiards and snooker * Subhash Awchat (born 1960), Indian artist and author based in Mumbai * Subhash Bapurao Wankhede (born 1963), Indian politicia ...

– Adhunik Bangla Prayog Abhidhan (A Dictionary of Modern Bengali Usage), *.......

Dibyendu Palit Dibyendu Palit (; 5 March 1939 – 3 January 2019) was a Bengali novelist, poet, and short-story writer. His oeuvre consists of some forty novels, twenty-five short-story collections, ten poetry collections and several essays. He was senior ass ...

– ''Sahajoddha'' (novel), *....... Sukumar Sen, Sagarmoy Ghosh, Bimal Mitra (Ashok Kumar Sarkar Memorial) *1985 – Alokranjan Dasgupta *1986 – Ketaki Kushari Dyson – ''Rabindranath o Victoria Ocampor Sandhane'' (historical novel) (Prafulla Kumar Sarkar Memorial) *1987 - Amalesh Tripathi - ''Itihas o Oitihashik '' *1988 –

Abul Bashar Abul Bashar () is a popular Indian Bengali writer from the state of West Bengal in India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest ...

*1989 –

– ''Purbo-Paschim'' (novel) *.......

Amitav Ghosh Amitav Ghosh (born 11 July 1956)Ghosh, Amitav
, ''

– ''The Shadow Lines'' (novel) *....... Nirad C. Chaudhuri – Thy Hand, Great Anarch! (autobiography) *1990 –

– ''Doorbeen'' (novel) *....... Jay Goswami – ''Ghumiechho, Jhaupata?'' (poetry) *1991 – Subhash Mukhopadhyay, Jaya Mitra *1992 –

Taslima Nasrin Taslima Nasrin (born 25 August 1962) is a Bangladeshi- Swedish writer, physician, feminist, secular humanist, and activist. She is known for her writings on the oppression of women and criticism of Islam; some of her books are banned in Bangl ...

– ''Nirbachito Column'' (articles) *1993 –

Bangla Academy The Bangla Academy (, ) is the official regulatory body of the Bengali language in Bangladesh. It is an autonomous institution funded by the Government of Bangladesh that fosters the Bengali language, literature and culture, works to develop an ...

(refused) *....... Clinton B. Seely (Ashok Kumar Sarkar memorial) *1994 –

, *....... Shamsur Rahman, *....... Anisuzzaman (Ashok Kumar Sarkar Memorial), *....... Naren Biswas – ''Aitihyer Angikar'' (Audio cassettes, 13 Nos.) *1995 –

Dr. Nazrul Islam Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

– ''Bakul'' (novel), *....... Debarati Mitra - Bhutera O Khuki *1996 –

Akhtaruzzaman Elias Akhteruzzaman Elias (; 12 February 1943 – 4 January 1997) distinguished himself as a Bangladeshi novelist and short story writer. Despite his relatively limited output of two novels, critical evaluation positions Elias prominently "in the panth ...

– ''Khwabnama'' (novel) *1997 – Bani Basu – ''Maitreya Jatak'' (novel) (Prafulla Kumar Sarkar Memorial) *........ Ketaki Kushari Dyson & Sushobhan Adhikari – ''Ranger Rabindranath'' (on Tagore's colour vision) (Suresh Chandra Majumdar Memorial) *1998 – Jay Goswami – ''Jara Brishtite Bhijechhilo'' (novel in verse) *1999 –

Mandakranta Sen Mandakranta Sen (born 15 September 1972) is an Indian poet of Bengali language. She became the youngest ever winner of Ananda Puraskar in 1999 for her very first poetry book. In 2004, she was awarded Sahitya Akademi Golden Jubilee Award for poe ...

– ''Hriday Abadhya Meye'' (poetry) *2000 –

– ''Amar Meyebela'' (memoirs) *2001 – Gauriprasad Ghosh – ''Everyman's Dictionary'' *2002 – Sudhir Chakraborty – ''Baul Fakir Katha'' (folk culture) *2003 – Tilottama Majumdar – ''Basudhara'' (novel) *2004 –

Srijato Srijato Bandyopadhyay is an Indian poet of the Bengali language. He won the Ananda Puroskar in 2004 for his book ''Udanta Sawb Joker: All Those Flying Jokers''. In 2014, he won the Filmfare Awards East 2014, Filmfare Awards East for Best Lyrici ...

– ''Uranto Sab Joker'' (poetry) *2005 – Mihir Sengupta – ''Bishad Briksha'' (autobiography) *2006 – Utpal Kumar Basu – ''Sukh-Duhkher Sathi'' (poetry) *2007 – Dhritikanta Lahiri Choudhury – ''Hatir Boi'' (on elephants) *2008 –

Hasan Azizul Huq Hasan Azizul Huq (2 February 1939 – 15 November 2021) was a Bangladeshi short-story writer and novelist. He was awarded Ekushey Padak in 1999, Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1970 and Independence Award in 2019. Early life and education Azi ...

– ''

Agunpakhi ''Agunpakhi'' (English: The Phoenix) is a novel by Bangladeshi writer Hasan Azizul Huq. First published in 2006, the novel was awarded Prothom Alo book of the year prize in 2007 and Ananda Purashkar in 2008. Plot summary ''Agunpakhi'' is set in ...

'' (novel) *2009 –

Ranajit Guha Ranajit Guha (23 May 1923 – 28 April 2023) emerged as a prominent Indian historian and a seminal figure among the early architects of the Subaltern Studies collective. This methodological approach within South Asian Studies is dedicated to t ...

– ''Kabir Naam O Sarbanaam'' *2010 – Sunanda Sikdar – ''Dayamayir Katha'' *2011 – Gautam Bhadra – ''Nyara Bot-tolaye Jai Ko-bar?'' *2012 – Pinaki Thakur – ''Chumbaner Kshata'' (poetry) *2013 – Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay – ''Dhanapatir Singhalyatra'' (novel) *2014 – Arindam Chakrabarti – ''Bhaatkaporer Bhabna Ebong Koyekti Aatpoure Darshanik Prayas'' (philosophy) *2015 –

Swapnamoy Chakraborty Swapnamoy Chakraborty (born 24 August 1951) is a Bengalis, Bengali novelist and essayist. Career Chakraborty was born in Kolkata. He worked in the Land Department under the Government of West Bengal and All India Radio, Akashvani Kolkata as an ...

– ''Holde Golap'' *2016 – Sudhir Dutta – ''Tabu Moi o Srestho Kobitaguccho'' *2017 – Anisuzzaman – ''Bipula Prithibi'' (The Vast World) *2018 –

Santosh Rana Santosh Rana (1942 – 29 June 2019) was an Indian politician. In the 1960s, he was a prominent figure in the armed struggle of the Naxalites led by Charu Majumdar. Rana received Ananda Puraskar for his book ''Rajnitir Ek Jibon'' in 2018. Agr ...

– ''Rajniti Ek Jibon'' *2019 – Nalini Bera – ''Subarnarenu Subarnarekha'' *2023 – Dr. Purnendu Bikas Sarkar – ''Gitabitan Tathyobhandar''

References

External links

Contributors to the Rabindranath Section of Parabaas
Biographical data in website of Parabaas Bookstore {{ABP Group Bengali-language literature Indian literary awards Bengali literary awards ABP Group Civil awards and decorations of West Bengal 1958 establishments in West Bengal Awards established in 1958

History

Awardees

See also

References

External links