IGNCA Member Secretary Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi Conferred the Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt Award
· Two day National Seminar, All India Kavi Sammelan and Award Ceremony commence on the occasion of the 140th Birth Anniversary of Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt
· Previous recipients of the award include former Union Education Minister and author Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Padma Shri Dr Gyan Chaturvedi and noted litterateur Maitreyi Pushpa
3rd July, New Delhi: On the occasion of the 140th Birth Anniversary of Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt, a two day National Seminar (Rashtriya Sangoshthi), Akhil Bharatiya Kavi Sammelan and Honour Ceremony, organised by Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, commenced on Monday at the Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium, Jhansi. Marking the occasion, the Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt Samman 2026 was conferred upon Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi, Member Secretary of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Vice Chancellor of Indian Institute of Heritage, Noida, and an eminent litterateur. The honour was presented during a grand ceremony held at the Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium on 3 August.
Expressing his happiness on receiving the honour, Dr Sachchidanand Joshi said, “I regard this honour associated with the name of Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt not as a personal achievement, but as recognition of the enduring pursuit of Indian languages, culture and national consciousness. Through his literary works, Gupt Ji gave voice to India’s civilisational self awareness. Receiving this honour on the occasion of his 140th Birth Anniversary is, for me, not only a matter of great pride but also a reminder of the cultural responsibility we share in carrying this rich legacy forward to future generations.”
Providing details on the occasion, Dr. Vaibhav Gupt, grandson of Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt, stated that the award has previously been conferred upon former Union Education Minister and author Dr Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Padma Shri Dr. Gyan Chaturvedi, Padma Shri Dr. Avadh Kishore Jadia, Maitreyi Pushpa, Prof. Surendra Dubey, Vishnu Saxena, Prof. Nand Kishore Pandey, Prof. Kanhaiya Singh and Prof. Sadanand Prasad Gupt.
The inaugural session of the programme was chaired by Prof. Mukesh Pandey, Vice Chancellor of Bundelkhand University, Jhansi. Dr. Sachchidanand Joshi attended as the Chief Guest, while Ankit Siddhant was the Guest of Honour. Following the award ceremony, an All India Kavi Sammelan was held, in which eminent poets Anamika Jain ‘Amber’, Abhiraj Pathak and Arjun Singh ‘Chand’ captivated the audience with recitations of their poetry.
The theme of the National Seminar is ‘Bharatiya Gyan Parampara mein Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt ka Pradeya.’ More than two hundred teachers, researchers, students, litterateurs and independent scholars from India and abroad participated in the seminar through both online and offline modes. Essay writing and speech competitions were also organised for students of the University and its affiliated colleges.
The first technical session was held on ‘Bharatiya Gyan Parampara ke Sanvahak ke Roop mein Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt,’ while the second technical session focused on ‘Gupt Ji ka Kavya: Sanskriti, Darshan evam Rashtriya Chetana.’ Scholars presented their research papers and shared insightful observations during these sessions.
On the second day of the programme, 4 August, the third technical session will deliberate on ‘Maithili Sharan Gupt ka Sahitya: Bharatiya Gyan Parampara ke Vividh Ayaam.’ Poetry writing and debate competitions will also be organised. It has been decided that the winning entries will be published in the commemorative volume, which will be released during the University’s 31st Convocation on 13 August by the Hon’ble Chancellor and Governor, Smt Anandiben Patel.
The fourth technical session will comprise research paper presentations and academic discussions. During the valedictory session, the seminar report will be presented, participants will share their observations, and certificates will be distributed. Prof. Puneet Bisaria, Convenor of the seminar, expressed confidence that the seminar would encourage new directions in research based on the Bharatiya Gyan Parampara and facilitate fresh scholarly assessments of the literary legacy of Rashtrakavi Maithili Sharan Gupt. Plans have also been made to publish the research papers presented during the seminar in an academic research journal.
