Question

Who was the first woman to win the Jnanpith Award?
1. Prathibha Ray
2. Ashapoorna Devi
3. Mahasweta Devi
4. Indira Goswami 

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : Ashapoorna Devi

The correct answer is Ashapoorna Devi.

• Jnanpith Award is an Indian literary award presented annually by the Bharatiya Jnanpith to an author for their "outstanding contribution towards literature".
• Instituted in 1961, the award is bestowed only on Indian writers writing in Indian languages included in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India.
• The prize carries a cash award of Rs. 11 lakhs, a citation, and a bronze replica of Vagdevi (Saraswati), the goddess of learning.
• The first recipient of the award was the Malayalam writer G. Sankara Kurup who received the award in 1965 for his collection of poems, Odakkuzhal (The Bamboo Flute), published in 1950.
• Ashapoorna Devi was the first woman to win the Jnanpith award in the year 1976. The award was given for her literary work in the Bengali language.
• Eminent Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham, has been chosen for the 55th Jnanpith Award, according to an announcement by the Jnanpith Selection Board for the year 2020.