In a ceremony filled with dignity, intellectual rigor and literary prestige, Banaras Lit Fest announced the winners of the 2nd Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026 during its event on Wednesday at the High Tech Institute of Engineering and Technology, Delhi NCR. On this occasion, the awards were formally announced by Brijesh Singh, Founder of Banaras Lit Fest. This announcement once again positions the festival among the most credible and influential literary honors in the country.
Noted writer, co-founder of Jaipur Literature Festival and cultural patron Namita Gokhale will be honored with the Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor marks the culmination of an extraordinary literary year defined by the confluence of languages, generations and genres.
Conceived keeping in mind the dignity and breadth of the world’s leading literary awards, the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards honor outstanding works of fiction, poetry, non-fiction and translation in English, Hindi and Indian languages. These awards underline the literary values enshrined in tradition as well as the conscious commitment towards contemporary reality.
All categories will be awarded with awards amounting to Rs 51,000, citations and trophies. An amount of Rs 1,00,000 will be given under the Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award, which will be presented at the upcoming Banaras Lit Fest (January 30 to February 1, 2026, Hotel Taj, Banaras).
Celebration of literary authority and expansion
This year’s list of winners presents a powerful picture of the breadth and vibrancy of Indian writing. Congratulating the award winners, Banaras Lit Fest President Deepak Madhok said, ‘In a short span of time, the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards have emerged as a serious indicator of literary excellence. This year’s winners exemplify courage, scholarship and dignity of expression. We congratulate all the winners for enriching India’s literary and cultural imagination and express our gratitude to the jury who maintained the highest standards in judging.’
He also underlined that these awards are not conceived as mere annual honours, but with the aim of building a continuing tradition of serious literary appraisal in the country.
Brijesh Singh, Founder and Secretary, Banaras Lit Fest said, ‘We heartily congratulate all the winners, whose work sets new standards in contemporary literature. I express my deep gratitude to all our distinguished juries who ensured a meticulous, independent and transparent selection process. This year we have also launched an additional Youth Award category to encourage emerging voices and give the next generation of writers recognition, confidence and visibility.’
He also added that the diversity of languages and genres this year reflects the continued vibrancy of India’s multilingual literary tradition.
Winners: Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026
english language
• Ruskin Bond Award for Fiction
Eden Abandoned: The Story of Lilith — Shiny Antony
• Sarojini Naidu Award for Poetry
The Hanuman Chalisa – Abhay K
• Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award for Non-Fiction
Father Tongue, Motherland: The Birth of Language in South Asia — Peggy Mohan
• Rabindranath Tagore Award for Translation
Limited / Unlimited, by Sankar (translated from Bengali) — Arunava Sinha
Hindi Language
• Premchand Award for Fiction
Distance Marriage – Mamta Kalia
• Kabir Award for Poetry
Poems of the Mad Mathematician – Udayan Vajpayee
• Rahul Sankrityayan Award for Non-Fiction
The world of sorrow lies within – J. Sushil
• Mahadevi Verma Award for Translation
Awadh of the Revolution of 1857, by Thomas Henry Kavanagh
(Translated by Rajgopal Singh Verma)
Special Honors
• Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award
Namita Gokhale
• Kalidas Award for Indian Languages
Mahadev Toppo
• Vivekanand Award for Youth
pollen pure
As the upcoming edition of Banaras Lit Fest approaches, the festival is establishing itself as an important cultural institution that honors literary heritage with wisdom and shapes the future of Indian writing through inclusion, dialogue and excellence.
For Ashutosh Kumar Thakur, Coordinator of Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards and Literary Curator of Banaras Lit Fest, this second edition is a turning point. He said,
‘Achieving the national credibility of these awards so quickly is a testament to the integrity of our process and clarity of vision. We envisioned these awards as a platform where languages could communicate and traditions could renew themselves. The kind of response received shows that this platform is being taken seriously.
At a time when many of the literary festivals in the country are running the risk of turning into mere performances without critical discernment, the Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards appear to be moving in a different direction.
This ambition will be tested by the test of time. But with the 2026 awards, Banaras Lit Fest has made a strong claim to present itself not as just another date on the cultural calendar, but as a literary institution in the making.
Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026: Honoring outstanding contribution in nation-building
Every year, under the auspices of Banaras Literature Festival (Kashi Sahitya Kala Utsav), such personalities are honored at the national level, whose work makes a meaningful contribution to the society and the nation.
Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 honor distinguished individuals who have made long-term, institutional and socially transformative contributions in the fields of education, literature, arts and culture, science, medicine, business, public service, sports and women empowerment.
The award is not just an acknowledgment of individual achievement, but an affirmation of the concept of nation-building in which knowledge, service, ethics and leadership move forward together. It is dedicated to those whose work leaves a lasting impact on society, institutions and future generations.
Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 – Awardees
1. Education, Literature, Arts & Culture (ELAC)
• Education: Prof. (Dr.) KK Aggarwal, President, South Asian University
• Literature: Ashwin Sanghi, International Author
• Arts & Cinema: Ms. Tisca Chopra, Actor, Director and Creative Professional
2. Science, Technology, Engineering & Medicine (STEM)
• Dr. Naveen Khatri, Tata Memorial Center & ACTREC, Mumbai
3. Business & Entrepreneurship Development
•Ms. Nupur Chaturvedi, MD & CEO, NPCI
4. Public Service & Social Work
• Prof. Dhananjay Singh, Member Secretary, ICSSR
5. Sports, Yoga & Wellness
• Pullela Gopichand
• Bhaichung Bhutia
• Lalit Upadhyay
6. Women’s Empowerment
•Ms. Kalpana Ajayan, Women’s World Banking
7. Lifetime Achievement Award
•Ms. Renu Sood Karnad, Chairperson, GSK India
Concluding the announcement, Dr. Aparna Singh, Coordinator of Gomati Devi Eminence Awards said, ‘Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 is a public acknowledgment of the values on which a strong nation is built, knowledge, service, ethics, inclusion and long-term vision. These awards honor those who have transformed work into service, leadership into responsibility and success into social meaning.’
With these honours, Banaras Lit Fest reiterates its resolve to place literature and public service at the center of India’s cultural and civic imagination.
