Mohsin Khan, the author of the original novel Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana in Urdu, and Saeed Ahmad, translator of the Hindi novel Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana were conferred with the award and a cash prize of ₹21 Lakh and ₹15 Lakh respectively
DELHI: Bank of Baroda (Bank), one of India’s leading public sector banks, today announced the winner of the first edition of the ‘Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman 2023. Mohsin Khan, the author of the Urdu novel, and Saeed Ahmad, the translator of the book in Hindi, won the award for the novel Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana. The winning author and the translator were announced at the awards ceremony that took place in Delhi today.
Further, five novels – Abhipreta Kaala, Cheeni Kothi, Ghar Palano Chhele, Nadeesht, and Nemat Khana received the runners-up prize at this year’s edition.
The winning author Mohsin Khan of the novel Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana in Urdu and the translator Saeed Ahmad of the Hindi novel Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana were conferred with the Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman and a cash prize of Rs. 21.00 lakh and Rs. 15.00 lakh respectively. The other five runner-up authors and the respective Hindi translators were awarded Rs. 3.00 lakh and Rs. 2.00 lakh each respectively.
The five-member awards jury was chaired by renowned author and International Booker Prize winner Ms. Geetanjali Shree along with the other four jury members Mr. Arun Kamal, an Indian poet; Mr. Pushpesh Pant, an academic and food critic; Ms. Anamika, a contemporary Indian poet, and novelist; and Mr. Prabhat Ranjan, a Hindi fiction writer selected the winner from the below mentioned 6 nominated books for the award
| Original Novel Name | Original Language | Author Name | Translated Novel Name | Translator name |
| Abhipreta Kaala | Odia | Paramita Sathapathy | Abhipret Kaal | Ajoy Kumar Patnaik |
| Allah Miyan ka Karkhana | Urdu | Mohsin Khan | Allah Miyan Ka Karkhana | Saeed Ahmad |
| Cheeni Kothi | Urdu | Siddique Alam | Cheeni Kothi | Arjumand Ara |
| Ghar Palano Chhele | Bengali | Manoranjan Byapari | Bhaga hua ladka | Amrita Bera |
| Nadeesht | Marathi | Manoj Borgaokar | Nadeesht | Gorakh Thorat |
| Nemat Khana | Urdu | Khalid Jawed | Nemat Khana | Zaman Tariq |
The ‘Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman’ has been established to acknowledge and celebrate acclaimed novels published in different Indian languages and their translated and published Hindi versions. The initiative by the Bank will help enrich Indian languages further and widen the readership of these outstanding works by making them more accessible.
Speaking about the award, Shri Sanjiv Chadha, Managing Director & CEO, of Bank of Baroda said, “My heartiest congratulations to the winners of the first edition of the ‘Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman’ 2023 – Mohsin Khan and Saeed Ahmad and to the other shortlisted nominees as well. Bank of Baroda’s heritage comes from Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad who is considered a reformer as well as a connoisseur of literature and art. Taking this legacy forward, the Bank of Baroda has instituted the “Bank of Baroda Rashtrabhasha Samman” to provide a national platform for talented writers from different parts of the country. India is a multilingual country and the different languages spoken add to its diversity and rich heritage. Through this initiative, the Bank aims to enrich the literary and cultural inheritance of the country.”
Commencement of the award was formally announced in the month of January at the Jaipur Literature Festival. The Bank had initiated the process of inviting nominations for the Awards during the period March-April 2023. In the first phase, the Bank announced the long list of 12 books in May, which was further narrowed down to six finalists, and the winner was chosen from among the six shortlisted books. The awards night at Delhi today concluded with a musical performance by Wadali Brothers., Sufi singers and musicians from Guru Ki Wadali in the Amritsar District in Punjab, India.
