Question

Who among the following was the first author writing in English to be conferred the Sahitya Akademi Award?
1. RK Narayan
2. Raja Rao
3. Anita Desai
4. Vikram Seth

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 1 : RK Narayan

The Correct Answer is "RK Narayan".

•  R. K. Narayan was an Indian writer, who has written Malgudi days.
• He becomes the main creator of early Indian literature in English in conjunction with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.
• Some of his books are Swami and Friends, Bachelor of Arts, The English Teacher.
• In 1960, he was awarded Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel The Guide.
• R K Narayan awards with the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan, India's 2nd and 3rd maximum civilian awards, and in 1994 the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship, the best honor of India's countrywide academy of letters.
• He becomes nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the higher residence of the Indian Parliament.

 

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• The Sahitya Academy Award is a literary honor in India.
• The first awards were given in 1955.
• The award amount was initially Rs 5,000, and has been gradually raised — it has been Rs 1 lakh since 2009. 
• The Sahitya Akademi is India’s premier institution of letters, with a stated commitment to “promoting Indian literature throughout the world”.
• The Akademi was established by Jawaharlal Nehru, who was also its first chairperson and inaugurated on March 12, 1954. 
• Every year, the Akademi announces awards for authors of works of outstanding literary merit in Indian languages. Awards are currently given for 24 languages; the most recent additions being Bodo and Santhali in 2005.