Dehradun: Six litterateurs of the state received Uttarakhand Long Term Literature Servant Award. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami honored these litterateurs in a function organized by Uttarakhand Bhasha Sansthan in IRDT auditorium. Litterateurs Shailesh Matiyani, Girish Tiwari, Sherda Anpadh, Heera Singh Rana, Somwari Lal Uniyal and Atul Sharma received this honor.
At the function, the Chief Minister said that the state government is doing concrete work to preserve, compile and restore the scattered literature of the state through Uttarakhand Bhasha Sansthan. Continuous efforts are also being made to preserve local languages and dialects so that future generations remain connected with their rich linguistic heritage. The Chief Minister said that the literary and cultural heritage handed over by our ancestors is not only the heritage of our past, but is the foundation of our identity and civilization, so it is the moral responsibility of all of us to preserve them. The Chief Minister honored litterateurs Shailesh Matiyani, Girish Tiwari, Sherda Anpadh, Hira Singh Rana with this award posthumously. Along with this, Somwari Lal Uniyal and Atul Sharma were also honored with Uttarakhand Long Term Literature Servant Award. Referring to the rich literary tradition of Uttarakhand, the Chief Minister revered writers like Sumitranandan Pant, Mahadevi Verma, Shivani, Shailesh Matiyani, Girda, Sher Da ‘Anpadh’, and ‘Hirda’, who brought alive the life, struggle and culture of Uttarakhand in their works. He said, among contemporary writers, litterateurs like Atul Sharma, Prasoon Joshi, and Uniyal are carrying forward this tradition.
Two Sahitya Grams to be established in the state
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said, two Sahitya Grams will be established in the state. In which one will be in Garhwal and one in Kumaon division. In which residential facilities, seminar rooms and modern facilities will be provided for litterateurs. This will help in moving forward towards developing Uttarakhand as a literary tourism centre. He informed that under the Long Term Sahitya Seva Samman, a prize money of Rs. 5 lakhs is being given to litterateurs who have made outstanding contributions in the field of literature. Language Minister Subodh Uniyal, MLA Khajan Das, Secretary Neeraj Khairwal, Director of Bhasha Sansthan Jaswinder Kaur, Vice Chancellor of Doon University Surekha Dangwal etc. were present at the function. The function was conducted by Principal Dr. Sushil Upadhyay.
