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
| Year | Recipient | Book |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Harivanshrai Bachchan | Kya Bhooloon Kya Yaad Karoon, Needa Ka Nirman Phir, Basere Se Door & Dashdwar se Sopan Tak (Autobiography, Hindi) |
| 1992 | Ramakant Rath | Sri Radha (Poetry, Odiya) |
| 1993 | Vijay Tendulkar | Kanyadaan (Play, Marathi) |
| 1994 | Harbhajan Singh | Rukh Te Rishi (Poetry, Punjabi) |
| 1995 | Balamani Amma | Nivedyam (Poetry, Malayalam) |
| 1996 | Shamsur Rahman Faruqi | She`r-e Shor-Angez (Urdu) |
| 1997 | Manubhai Pancholi | Kurukshetra (Gujarati) |
| 1998 | Shankha Ghosh | Gandharba Kabita Guccha (Poetry, Bengali) |
| 1999 | Indira Parthasarathy | Ramanujar (Play, Tamil) |
| 2000 | Manoj Das | Amruta Phala (Novel, Odiya) |
| 2001 | Dalip Kaur Tiwana | Katha Kaho Urvashi (Novel, Punjabi) |
| 2002 | Mahesh Elkunchwar | Yugant (Play, Marathi) |
| 2003 | Govind Chandra Pande | Bhagirathi (Poetry, Sanskrit) |
| 2004 | Sunil Gangopadhyay | Pratham Alo (Novel, Bengali) |
| 2005 | K. Ayyappa Panicker | Ayyappa Panikarude Kritikal (Poetry, Malayalam) |
| 2006 | Jagannath Prasad Das | Parikrama (Poetry, Oriya) |
| 2007 | Naiyer Masud | Taoos Chaman Ki Myna (Short Story, Urdu) |
| 2008 | Lakshmi Nandan Bora | Kayakalpa (Novel, Assamese) |
| 2009 | Surjit Paatar | Lafzan Di Dargah (Punjabi) |
| 2010 | S. L. Bhyrappa | Mandra (Kannada) |
| 2011 | A. A. Manavalan | Irama Kathaiyum Iramayakalum (Tamil) |
| 2012 | Sugathakumari | Manalezhuthu (Poetry, Malayalam) |
| 2013 | Govind Mishra | Dhool Paudho Par (Novel, Hindi) |
| 2014 | Veerappa Moily | Ramayana Mahanveshanam (Poetry, Kannada) |
| 2015 | Padma Sachdev | Chitt-Chete (Autobiography Dogri) |
| 2016 | Mahabaleshwar Sail | Hawthan (Novel, Konkani) |
| 2017 | Sitanshu Yashaschandra | Vakhar (Poetry, Gujarati) |
| 2018 | K. Siva Reddy | Pakkaki Ottigilite (Poetry, Telugu) |
| 2019 | Vasdev Mohi | Chequebook (Short Story, Sindhi) |
| 2020 | Dr. Sharankumar Limbale (31st) | Sanatan (Novel, Marathi) |
| 2021 | Ram Darash Mishra (32nd) | Main to Yahan Hun (Poetry, Hindi) |
| 2022 | Sivasankari (33rd) | Surya Vamsam (Memoir, Tamil) |
| 2023 | Prabha 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 –
- Vyas Samman
- Bihari Puraskar
- Shankar Puraskar
- Vachaspati Puraskar
- G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research
- Harivanshrai Bachchan – Father of Amitabh Bachchan.