Patiala: The Punjab languages department has announced the Best Hindi and Urdu Book Awards for 2025. These awards are part of the annual Best Book Awards presented by the Punjab govt to books in Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu languages.Jaswant Singh Zafar, director, language department, said the awards would be presented during a state-level function in November at Bhasha Bhawan, Patiala.Zafar mentioned that books published in the previous year were considered for the Best Hindi and Urdu Book Awards. The submissions were evaluated by scholars from various fields, and the best books were selected. Each award will include a plaque, a shawl, and prize money of Rs 31,000. The awards will be given to four best Hindi books across different genres published in 2024, he said. A total of 26 books had been submitted.Additionally, three books were received for the Urdu award, the director added.In the Hindi category, Kamal Puri’s ‘Chaak Par Chadhe Shabad’ has been shortlisted for Giani Sant Singh (Poetry) Award, while Anant Sharma Anant’s ‘Ghar-Ghar ki Kahani’ will receive Sudarshan Galp (Novel/Story) Award. ‘Shri Lal Shukl ke Sahitya Mai Rajneetik Chetna ke Swar’ by Dr Nitu Rani has been picked for Indernath Mdaan (Criticism/Editing/Knowledge/Search) Award and Sushil Kumar Phull’s ‘Lalkaar’ will receive Baba Fateh Singh (Children’s Literature) Award.In the Urdu category, Dr Kahkshan Falak’s ‘Urdu Afsana Aur Punjab’ has been shortlisted for Hafiz Mehmood Shirani (Criticism) Award.Zafar congratulated the award winners and appealed for continued efforts in promoting different languages. He highlighted that the best book awards for Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu had been announced by the department and would be presented during the ‘Punjabi Month’ celebrations.
