Saraswati Samman

The Saraswati Samman is the most prestigious and highest literary award in India, presented annually by the K.K. Birla Foundation since 1991. It is conferred for outstanding prose/poetry work in any Indian language published in the last 10 years.

The first recipient of Saraswati Samman was Harivanshrai Bachchan, for his autobiography, Kya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon, Needa Ka Nirman Phir, Basere Se Door & Dashdwar se Sopan Tak (4 Volumes) and the last recipient (2020) is Marathi writer, Dr. Sharankumar Limbale for his work "Sanatan."

The first Malayali to receive Saraswati Samman was Balamani Amma (1995) for her poetry collection, "Nivedyam."

The award carries a cash prize of Rs. 15 lakh along with a plaque and a citation. Saraswati Samman is the highest-prized literary award in the country.

The recipient of Saraswati Samman in 2023 is Prabha Varma for Malayalam novel "Roudra Sathwikam."


List of Recipients

YearRecipientBook
1991Harivanshrai BachchanKya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon,
Needa Ka Nirman Phir,
Basere Se Door
& Dashdwar se Sopan Tak

(Autobiography, Hindi)
1992Ramakant RathSri Radha
(Poetry, Odiya)
1993Vijay TendulkarKanyadaan
(Play, Marathi)
1994Harbhajan SinghRukh Te Rishi
(Poetry, Punjabi)
1995Balamani AmmaNivedyam
(Poetry, Malayalam)
1996Shamsur Rahman FaruqiShe`r-e Shor-Angez
(Urdu)
1997Manubhai PancholiKurukshetra
(Gujarati)
1998Shankha GhoshGandharba Kabita Guccha
(Poetry, Bengali)
1999Indira ParthasarathyRamanujar
(Play, Tamil)
2000Manoj DasAmruta Phala
(Novel, Odiya)
2001Dalip Kaur TiwanaKatha Kaho Urvashi
(Novel, Punjabi)
2002Mahesh ElkunchwarYugant
(Play, Marathi)
2003Govind Chandra PandeBhagirathi
(Poetry, Sanskrit)
2004Sunil GangopadhyayPratham Alo
(Novel, Bengali)
2005K. Ayyappa PanickerAyyappa Panikarude Kritikal
(Poetry, Malayalam)
2006Jagannath Prasad Das Parikrama
(Poetry, Oriya)
2007 Naiyer Masud Taoos Chaman Ki Myna
(Short Story, Urdu)
2008Lakshmi Nandan BoraKayakalpa
(Novel, Assamese)
2009Surjit PaatarLafzan Di Dargah
(Punjabi)
2010S. L. BhyrappaMandra
(Kannada)
2011A. A. ManavalanIrama Kathaiyum Iramayakalum
(Tamil)
2012SugathakumariManalezhuthu
(Poetry, Malayalam)
2013Govind MishraDhool Paudho Par
(Novel, Hindi)
2014Veerappa MoilyRamayana Mahanveshanam
(Poetry, Kannada)
2015Padma SachdevChitt-Chete
(Autobiography Dogri)
2016Mahabaleshwar SailHawthan
(Novel, Konkani)
2017Sitanshu YashaschandraVakhar
(Poetry, Gujarati)
2018K. Siva ReddyPakkaki Ottigilite
(Poetry, Telugu)
2019Vasdev MohiChequebook
(Short Story, Sindhi)
2020Dr. Sharankumar Limbale (31st)Sanatan
(Novel, Marathi)
2021Ram Darash Mishra (32nd)Main to Yahan Hun
(Poetry, Hindi)
2022Sivasankari (33rd)Surya Vamsam
(Memoir, Tamil)
2023Prabha Varma (34th)Roudra Sathwikam
(Novel, Malayalam)


📝SideNotes:

  • K.K. Birla Foundation
    • Established in – 1991.
    • By – Krishna Kumar Birla.
    • Headquarters – New Delhi.
  • Other Awards provided by K.K. Birla Foundation –
    1. Vyas Samman
    2. Bihari Puraskar
    3. Shankar Puraskar
    4. Vachaspati Puraskar
    5. G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research
  • Harivanshrai Bachchan – Father of Amitabh Bachchan.