Prayagraj: The selection of noted writer Mamta Kalia for the Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 has once again drawn attention to the city’s enduring literary heritage.Kalia will be honoured on March 31 for her Hindi memoir ‘Jeete Ji Allahabad’, a work that revisits the cultural soul of the city. Her recognition adds to Prayagraj’s long-standing presence on India’s literary map. In the 2023, Prof Neelam Saran Gour, former faculty of the department of English at the University of Allahabad, received the honour in the English category for her novel ‘Requiem in Raga Janaki’, a work centred on the life and persona of the legendary Janakibai, also known as Chhappanchhuri. Earlier, in 2022, the Sangam city witnessed a double achievement when two eminent personalities were conferred the prestigious award. Badri Narayan was honoured for his poetry collection ‘Tumdi Ke Shabd’, while Janardan Prasad Pandey of the Central Sanskrit University, Ganganath Jha campus, received recognition for his Sanskrit work ‘Deepmanikyam’. The city’s association with the Sahitya Akademi Award dates back several decades, reflecting a continuous tradition of literary excellence. Legendary poet Sumitranandan Pant was among the earliest recipients in 1960 for ‘Kala Aur Budha Chand’. This was followed by Amrit Rai in 1963 for ‘Premchand Kalam Ka Sipahi’ and Harivansh Rai Bachchan in 1968 for ‘Do Chattane’. Over the years, several other literary stalwarts associated with Prayagraj, including Sarveshwar Dayal Saxena, Firaq Gorakhpuri and Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, also received the award. Later recipients included Naresh Mehta for ‘Aranya’, Amar Kant for ‘Inhi Hathiyaron Se’, and Nasira Sharma, who all contributed significantly to Indian literature. In recent years, Daya Prakash Sinha was honoured in 2021 for his play ‘Ashok Samrat’. With Mamta Kalia’s latest recognition, Prayagraj continued to uphold its identity as a nurturing ground for literary brilliance.
