Punjab Language Department Announces Best Hindi and Urdu Book Awards for 2025
-Five Books in Each Language to Be Honored
Patiala, September 9
The Punjab Government, through its Language Department, has announced the Best Book Awards for Hindi and Urdu for the year 2025. These awards, given annually to recognize outstanding books in Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu, will be presented during the state-level closing ceremony of the Punjabi Month in November 2025 at Bhasha Bhawan, Patiala.
Director of the Language Department, Jaswant Singh Zafar, stated that the awards are for books published in 2024. The department invited nominations for the Best Hindi and Urdu Book Awards, and the submitted books were evaluated by expert scholars from various fields, leading to the selection of the best works. Each award includes a cash prize of ₹31,000, a ceremonial shawl, and a citation.
For Hindi, four awards will be given across different genres based on 26 books received. The awards are as follows:
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Giani Sant Singh (Poetry) Award: Kamal Puri for the book Chak Par Chadhe Shabd.
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Sudarshan Galp (Novel/Short Story) Award: Anant Sharma Anant for the book Ghar-Ghar Ki Kahani.
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Indernath Madan (Criticism/Editing/Knowledge/Research) Award: Dr. Neetu Rani for the book Shri Lal Shukla Ke Sahitya Mein Rajnitik Chetna Ke Swar.
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Baba Fateh Singh (Children’s Literature) Award: Sushil Kumar Phull for the book Lalkaar.
For Urdu, one award will be given based on three books received:
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Hafiz Mahmood Shirani (Criticism) Award 2025: Dr. Kahkashan Falak for the book Urdu Afsana Aur Punjab.
S. Jaswant Singh Zafar noted that the Best Book Awards for all languages—Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu—are announced annually during the Punjabi Month celebrations. He congratulated all the award winners and urged them to continue their efforts in promoting and preserving these languages.
