Amar Kant, an eminent Hindi writer whose work focuses on poverty and hardship in life, was jointly awarded the 45th Jnanpith Award for 2009 with Shrilal Shukla, veteran Hindi novelist and satirist, whose works deal with the falling moral values of Indian society. The 2010 award was conferred on Kannada poet, novelist and playwright Chandrasekhar Kambar.
The awards were announced Tuesday by a selection board headed by Sitakant Mahapatra.
Amar Kant, 85, is known for short stories like Hatiyare, Dopahar ka Bhojan and Diptee Kalaktari, part of the syllabi of several Indian universities. Kant once made news saying he was willing to sell the Sahitya Akademi award conferred on him to escape poverty!
Shrilal Shukla, born 1925, was a Provincial Civil Service officer in Uttar Pradesh. His widely-read novel Raag Darbari is a strong critique of a corrupt society.
Chandrasekhar Kambar is a major literary figure in Karnataka who has brought modernity in Kannada literature. Kambar is known for the use of folklore in his writings.