Jnanpith Award — Set 5

Correct Answer: B. G. Sankara Kurup

• **G. Sankara Kurup** = He was the first recipient of the Jnanpith Award. • **1965** — He won the first Jnanpith Award in this year for his Malayalam poetry collection 'Odakkuzhal'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Tarashankar Bandyopadhyay]: A Bengali writer, awarded in 1966, not the first overall; [K.V. Puttappa]: A Kannada writer, awarded in 1967, not the first overall; [Umashankar Joshi]: A Gujarati writer, awarded in 1967, not the first overall.

Correct Answer: C. Malayalam

• **Malayalam** = The first Jnanpith Award winning book was written in this language. • **Eighth Schedule** — The Jnanpith Award is open to all Indian languages mentioned in this part of the Constitution. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Bengali]: While Bengali literature has many Jnanpith winners, it was not the language of the first award; [Hindi]: Hindi has the highest number of Jnanpith awards, but the first award was not for Hindi; [Kannada]: Kannada is among the languages with many Jnanpith laureates, but not the language of the first award.

Correct Answer: C. Ashapoorna Devi

• **Ashapoorna Devi** = She was the first woman to be honored with the Jnanpith Award. • **1976** — She became the first woman recipient of the Jnanpith Award in this year for her Bengali novel 'Pratham Pratishruti'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Mahadevi Varma]: A Hindi poetess and Jnanpith laureate, but not the first woman; [Amrita Pritam]: A Punjabi writer and Jnanpith laureate, but not the first woman; [Mahasweta Devi]: A Bengali writer and Jnanpith laureate, but Ashapoorna Devi was the first woman to receive it.

Correct Answer: A. Hindi

• **Hindi** = This language has received the highest number of Jnanpith Awards. • **Second position** — Kannada follows closely in this position for the number of Jnanpith laureates. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Kannada]: It ranks second in the number of Jnanpith awards, not the highest; [Bengali]: A language with a significant number of Jnanpith awards, but not the highest; [Malayalam]: A language that was home to the first Jnanpith winner and has multiple laureates, but not the highest overall.

Correct Answer: B. Sumitranandan Pant

• **Sumitranandan Pant** = He was the first Hindi writer to receive the Jnanpith Award. • **1968** — He won the Jnanpith Award in this year for his work 'Chidambara'. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Ramdhari Singh Dinkar]: A prominent Hindi poet and Jnanpith laureate, but awarded after Sumitranandan Pant; [Sachchidananda Vatsyayan 'Agyeya']: A celebrated Hindi writer and Jnanpith laureate, but not the first; [Mahadevi Varma]: A famous Hindi poetess and Jnanpith laureate, but awarded later.

Correct Answer: B. Vagdevi

• **Vagdevi** = Jnanpith Award winners receive a bronze replica of Vagdevi, which is a representation of the Goddess Saraswati. • **11th-century** — The Vagdevi statue is based on an ancient icon from this period, symbolizing the divine power of speech and wisdom. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Nataraja]: represents Lord Shiva as the cosmic dancer; [Vishnu]: a principal Hindu deity, not associated with this award statue; [Ganesha]: widely revered Hindu deity, not the specific statue given.

Correct Answer: C. Literature

• **Literature** = The Jnanpith Award is India's highest and most prestigious literary honor, recognizing contributions to literature. • **Bharatiya Jnanpith foundation** — This organization presents the Jnanpith Award, and only Indian citizens are eligible for this honor. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Science]: recognized by awards like Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize; [Social Service]: recognized by awards like the Gandhi Peace Prize; [Classical Dance]: recognized by awards like the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award.

Correct Answer: C. Amitav Ghosh

• **Amitav Ghosh** = He was the first English-language writer to receive the Jnanpith Award. • **2018** — Amitav Ghosh received the award in this year, marking a significant moment as the first English writer to be honored. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [R.K. Narayan]: a celebrated Indian English writer, but not the first Jnanpith recipient; [Vikram Seth]: a prominent Indian English author, known for 'A Suitable Boy'; [Kiran Desai]: won the Booker Prize for 'The Inheritance of Loss'.

Correct Answer: A. Gulzar and Rambhadracharya

• **Gulzar and Rambhadracharya** = They jointly received the 58th Jnanpith Award in 2023 for their contributions to Urdu and Sanskrit literature, respectively. • **2023** — This year saw the 58th Jnanpith Award being jointly conferred, marking the second time Sanskrit literature received this honor. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [Damodar Mauzo and Nilmani Phookan]: recipients of the 57th and 56th Jnanpith Awards respectively, not 58th; [Akkitham and Amitabh Ghosh]: Akkitham received the 55th, Amitabh Ghosh the 54th; [Krishna Sobti and Shankha Ghosh]: Krishna Sobti received the 53rd, Shankha Ghosh the 52nd.

Correct Answer: B. Overall contribution to literature

• **Overall contribution to literature** = Since 1982, the Jnanpith Award has been given for a writer's entire body of work and lifetime contribution. • **1982** — In this year, the award criteria changed from recognizing a specific book to honoring a writer's overall contribution to literature. • 💡 Wrong-option analysis: [A specific literary work]: this was the initial criterion before 1982; [Translation of classics]: not the primary focus of the Jnanpith Award; [Journalistic excellence]: recognized by other specific awards, not Jnanpith.