New Delhi [India], September 19: Renowned poet, critic, translator, editor, cultural figure and institution-builder Ashok Vajpeyi was conferred the “Shrikant Verma Shikhar Samman” at a literary ceremony organised by the Shrikant Verma Trust to mark the 95th birth anniversary of Shrikant Verma, the distinguished Hindi writer, journalist, two-term Member of Parliament and prominent figure in Indian public life.
The honour recognises Shri Ashok Vajpeyi’s distinguished and enduring contribution to Hindi literature and to Indian art and culture. The award comprises a seven-kilogram solid Panchdhatu statue of Shrikant Verma, crafted from gold, silver, copper, brass, iron and zinc, along with a citation and a cash prize of ₹21 lakh.
Shri Ashok Vajpeyi is one of the significant voices of contemporary Hindi literature and has played an active role in India’s literary and cultural life. His poetry explores the subtle experiences of love, memory, beauty, time, absence, and human mortality. Alongside poetry, he has made important contributions to literary criticism, translation and editing.
Through his role in building cultural institutions such as Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal, and through his work in preserving and promoting art and culture, he has helped broaden the literary and cultural landscape of Hindi. He has also played an important role in fostering dialogue between literature and the other arts and in encouraging young talent. He is currently the Managing Trustee of the Raza Foundation, New Delhi.
Shrikant Verma was born on 18 September 1931 in Bilaspur, Madhya Pradesh. He obtained an M.A. in Hindi from Nagpur University and established a national reputation across literature, journalism, and politics. He was closely associated with Dinman and also worked as a Special Correspondent for The Times of India.
He authored more than twenty books of poetry and prose. His celebrated work Magadh, published in 1984, is widely regarded as the finest expression of his literary genius.
In public life, Shrikant Verma served two terms as a Member of the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh. He was also General Secretary of the Indian National Congress and served for nearly a decade as an official spokesperson of the party. He passed away in New York on 25 May 1986 after suffering from cancer. He was 54.
The Shrikant Verma Trust was established in 1985 by his wife, Smt Veena Verma, and their only son, Dr Abhishek Verma. Its objective has been to preserve Shrikant Verma’s memory while carrying forward India’s literary and cultural traditions by encouraging new generations of writers and creative talent.
It was with this objective that the Shrikant Verma Award for Literature was instituted to recognise and encourage outstanding literary talent. The award presented to Shri Ashok Vajpeyi this year marked the 18th edition of the Shrikant Verma Award for Literature. Over the years, the award has recognised several distinguished writers, many of whom went on to become leading figures in Hindi literature, including Mangalesh Dabral, Rajesh Joshi and Arun Kamal.
In 2025, the Trust expanded the scope of its awards beyond literature by instituting a ₹5 lakh award for journalism and awards of ₹2 lakh each to recognise contributions in other important areas of India’s intellectual and cultural life, including the visual and performing arts.
The ceremony was attended by eminent writer Arun Kamal as Chief Guest and was presided over by noted artist Paramjit Singh. Distinguished writer and novelist Mamta Kalia, critic and thinker Prof. Purushottam Agrawal, and poet, fiction writer, art and film critic and journalist Vinod Bhardwaj shared their memories of Shrikant Verma and reflected on his contribution to literature.
The programme opened with acclaimed classical vocalist Vidushi Sudha Raghuraman, who presented a musical interpretation of Shrikant Verma’s celebrated work Magadh. The performance received an enthusiastic response.
A short film on Shrikant Verma’s life, literary contribution and legacy was also screened, leaving the audience deeply moved.
After receiving the award, Ashok Vajpeyi thanked the members of the jury for selecting him and observed that Shrikant Verma’s poetry had mapped not only his own times, but ours as well.
He said that poetry records truth, preserves memory and creates a space for fearlessness even in times of fear. In an age marked by breaking and tearing down, he said, the role of poetry is to connect, sustain and preserve.
He also praised the work being undertaken by the Shrikant Verma Trust in the field of literature and expressed confidence that the Shrikant Verma Shikhar Samman would, in the years ahead, establish itself among the foremost literary honours.
Dr Abhishek Verma, Managing Trustee of the Shrikant Verma Trust and the only son of Shrikant Verma, thanked all the guests and emphasised that literature and politics should always remain separate.
He said that very few people today genuinely devote themselves to the welfare of writers, and that there is a pressing need to protect, nurture and encourage both literature and literary figures. He added that, unfortunately, even sincere initiatives undertaken for the advancement of literature are sometimes viewed through the prism of criticism, politics and personal hostility, which ultimately harms literature itself.
Dr Verma said that Shrikant Verma had always attached great importance to literature and to the rights of writers, values which the Shrikant Verma Trust continues to uphold with dedication and conviction.
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