K. K. Birla Foundation

rdf:langString K. K. Birla Foundation

rdf:langString The K.K. Birla Foundation was established in 1991 by Krishna Kumar Birla in Delhi. Its mission is to promote literature (especially Hindi literature) and the arts, as well as education and social work. It regularly gets mentioned in the media for the awards it confers, including: * the Saraswati Samman ₹1,500,000 (US$19,000) for literary work in any Indian language(22), * the Vyas Samman ₹400,000 (US$5,000) for prose/poetry work in Hindi, * the Bihari Puraskar ₹100,000 (US$1,300) for prose/poetry work in Hindi/Rajasthani, only authors from Rajasthan are eligible, * the ₹150,000 (US$1,900) for a work in Hindi concerning Indian philosophy, culture and/or art, * the ₹150,000 (US$1,900) for any work in Sanskrit, * the G.D. Birla Award for Scientific Research ₹150,000 (US$1,900). Saraswati Samman a literary recognition givenannually by the KK Birla Foundation. SaraswatiSamman carries a cash award of 15 lakh rupees, acitation and a plaque. Besides the Saraswati Samman,two other awards have been instituted by the KK BirlaFoundation – the Vyas Samman (for Hindi works byIndian citizens) and Bihari Puraskar (forHindi/Rajasthani works by Rajasthani writers) —, aliterary and cultural organisation Noted Sindhi writer Vasdev Mohi will be honouredwith 29th Saraswati Samman. He has been selectedfor his short stories collection:- Chequebook,published in 2012. This short stories collection talksabout the agonies and sufferings of marginalizedsections of the society. He has authored 25 books ofpoetry, stories and translations. He has also receivedthe Sahitya Akademi Award.