Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2024: Top Books for Kids
Great news for young bookworms! India's top literary awards for children's books honoured 24 brilliant authors across 24 Indian languages in Lucknow.
Get ready to add exciting new adventures to your bookshelf! On 11 November 2024, Sahitya Akademi Secretary K. Srinivasarao announced the celebration programme for the prestigious Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2024. The major national literary honour celebrates twenty-four talented writers from across India for their outstanding contributions to children’s books in twenty-four different Indian languages.
For the very first time since the awards began in 2010, the grand ceremony moved to the historic city of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. The special presentation was organised for Children’s Day, 14 November 2024, at 5:00 PM inside the Bhagidari Bhawan Auditorium in Gomti Nagar.
What happened?
Every year, the Sahitya Akademi honours authors who dedicate their creativity to young readers. At the event in Lucknow, Sahitya Akademi President Madhav Kaushik presided over the evening, while distinguished scholar Prof. Surya Prasad Dixit attended as the chief guest. Each winning writer received an engraved copper plaque and a cash prize of ₹50,000.
The winning books offer wonderful tales across many languages. Author Nandini Sengupta won the English language award for her historical fiction work titled The Blue Horse and Other Amazing Animals from Indian History. For Hindi readers, writer Devendra Kumar won the honour for his lively story collection titled 51 Baal Kahaniyan.
Exciting regional stories were also celebrated. Dipanwita Roy was honoured for her Bengali novel Mahidadur Antidote, and Ranju Hazarika won for his thrilling Assamese adventure book Biponna Bismoi Khel. In Kannada, Krishnamurthy Biligere received the award for his fun story collection Choomantrayyana Kathegalu.
The literary festival in Lucknow did not stop at the award ceremony. It also included a ‘Lekhak Sammelan’ where writers gathered to meet one another. Furthermore, a special symposium titled ‘Bal Lekhan: Atit, Vartaman aur Bhavishya’, which means ‘Children’s Writing: Past, Present, and Future’, was held at the Hindi Sansthan in Hazratganj.
Why does it matter to you?
Reading takes you on thrilling journeys through time and distant worlds without ever leaving your room. When books win a national award like this, it means they are among the best and most creative stories written especially for children your age.
India is a land of many wonderful tongues, and each language has its own unique flavour, jokes, and folklore. This list of honoured authors gives you and your teachers a fantastic guide to discover brand-new storybooks in English, Hindi, Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, and many other regional languages.
Words to know
- Plaque: an engraved, flat piece of metal or wood given to someone to honour an important achievement.
- Inception: the very start or beginning of an event, prize, or organisation.
- Symposium: a friendly formal meeting where people gather to discuss a chosen topic.
- Historical fiction: an imaginative story made up by an author that takes place during real moments from the past.
Did you know?
This was the first time in fourteen years that the Bal Sahitya Puraskar presentation was held in the city of Lucknow!
Think about it
If you were asked to write a fun story for children across India, which language would you write in, and what exciting mystery would your characters explore?
Quick quiz
Which author won the Bal Sahitya Puraskar 2024 for an English book about animals from Indian history?
- Nandini Sengupta
- Devendra Kumar
- Dipanwita Roy
See the answer
Nandini Sengupta
Sources
This story was prepared by the Kids Gazette news desk with the help of AI research and writing tools, using the sources listed above.
