The prestigious Sahitya Akademi Awards 2021 were announced Thursday in recognition of authors and poets in 20 languages. It is supported by the Sahitya Akademi organization of the Ministry of Culture of the center which, since 1954, has been involved in the promotion of literature in India. Authors Namita Gokhale, Ambai and other women are at the forefront of the awards this year.

For the 2021 awards, two novels, five short stories, seven poetry collections, two plays, an autobiography, a biography, a book on criticism and a poem have been selected. The winners will receive a cash prize of Rs 1,000,000. More here.

Here are the women authors recognized this year:

Sahitya Akademi Prize 2021:

Writer and director of the Jaipur Literary Festival, Namita Gokhale is the recipient of the 2021 Sahitya Akademi Prize for her novel in English Things to leave behind. The novel is set in Gokhale’s hometown of Kumaon Hill in the 19th and 20th centuries, and tackles colonial history with the women of the state at the center of it.

Anuradha Sarma Pujari won the same award for her work in Assamese, Iyat Ekhon Aranya Asil. Tamil feminist writer Ambai won Sivappu kazhuthudan oru pachai paravai (which translates to A green bird with a red neck).

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Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2021:

Author Megha Majumdar, meanwhile, won the 2021 Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for A burning one, which is her debut novel and straddles multi-layered themes of contemporary disasters explored through the lives of three key characters.

Drashti Soni won the award for his book in Gujarati A-Manas; Konkani writer Sharddha Garad won for his book of poetry Kavya Parmal; Swetapadma Satapathy received the award for her Sanskrit short stories, Kathakalpalata.

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Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2021:

Anita Vachharajani received the Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2021 for her children’s book in English, Amrita Sher-Gil: rebel with a brush which traces the journey of the iconic Hungarian-Indian painter in easy-to-understand historical contexts.

Sumedha Kamat Desai won the Bal Sahitya award for her new Konkani Sumiche Cottangrée; Rajasthani writer Kirti Sharma Paani Ra Rukhalaa was also recognized in the category; Sanskrit writer Asha Agarwal was also honored.