New Delhi: Amar Ujala has announced the recipients of its highest literary honour, the ‘Akashdeep’ Award, under the Amar Ujala Shabd Samman 2025. Eminent Hindi short-story writer Mamta Kalia will be honoured in the Hindi category, while renowned Manipuri author Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi will receive the award in the non-Hindi Indian languages category, recognising their lifelong contributions to Indian literature.
The conferment carries special significance as it coincides with the Golden Jubilee year of the United Nations’ International Women’s Year (1975), while 2026 has also been dedicated by the UN to women’s contributions to agriculture. Honouring two distinguished women writers in this context lends added distinction to the award.
The Akashdeep honour includes a cash prize of ₹5,00,000 each, a citation, and a Ganga sculpture as a symbol of cultural continuity.
Arambam Ongbi Memchoubi, born as Dr. Thounaojam Chanu Ibemhal on January 1, 1957, is celebrated for her prolific contribution to Manipuri literature, particularly her engagement with postcolonial thought, women’s identity, and Meitei myths. She is regarded as one of the most influential voices in contemporary Manipuri writing.
Mamta Kalia, born on November 2, 1940, is among the most respected figures in modern Hindi literature. Writing during the early waves of feminism in India, she has authored over a dozen notable works and is known for articulating the complexities of middle-class life and the struggle for women’s identity with clarity and depth.
Under the Akashdeep Award, languages such as Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Bengali, Odia, Malayalam and Gujarati have been honoured in previous years, with Manipuri being selected this year. Past recipients include Girish Karnad, Bhalchandra Nemade, Shankha Ghosh, Pratibha Ray, M.T. Vasudevan Nair and Sitanshu Yashaschandra in non-Hindi languages, and Namvar Singh, Gyanranjan, Vishwanath Tripathi, Shekhar Joshi, Vinod Kumar Shukla and Govind Mishra in Hindi.
Yashwant Vyas, Group Advisor at Amar Ujala and Convener of the Shabd Samman, stated that the Amar Ujala Foundation launched the Shabd Samman in 2018 with the collective dream of strengthening Indian languages. He noted that the supreme Akashdeep honour is conferred each year on one distinguished litterateur from Hindi and one from another Indian language, alongside awards for the best literary works of the year, including the Bhasha-Bandhu Translation Award.
In addition to the Akashdeep honours, Amar Ujala has announced the Best Work Awards for outstanding Hindi works published in 2024. In the ‘Chhap’ (Poetry) category, Savita Singh’s collection “Vaasna Ek Nadi Ka Naam Hai” has been selected. Naish Hasan’s “Mutah” has been chosen in the Non-Fiction category, while Shahadat’s short-story collection “Curfew Ki Raat” will receive the Best Work Award in Fiction.
The Bhasha-Bandhu Translation Award will be conferred on Sujata Shiven for her Hindi translation of “Charu Chivar aur Charya”, originally written in Odia by Pradeep Dash. The ‘Thaap’ Award for a debut author will be presented to Manish Yadav for “Sudhaargrih Ki Malikainen”. Each of these honours carries a cash prize of ₹1,00,000, a citation, and a Ganga sculpture.
The works were evaluated by a high-level jury comprising poet Varsha Das, noted writer Vibhuti Narayan Rai, acclaimed storyteller Dhirendra Asthana, renowned writer-translator Damodar Khadse, and well-known short-story writer Balram.
The Amar Ujala Shabd Samman 2025 will be presented at a formal ceremony to be held shortly.
