Renowned Urdu poet Gulzar and Sanskrit scholar Jagadguru Rambhadracharya have been named the recipients of the 58th Jnanpith Award, the Jnanpith selection committee said. Sampooran Singh Kalra, popularly known as Gulzar, is celebrated for his works in Hindi cinema and is considered one of the finest Urdu poets of this era.
Rambhadracharya, the founder and head of Tulsi Peeth in Chitrakoot, is a renowned Hindu spiritual leader, educator and writer of more than 240 books and texts, including four epics.
Gulzar received the Sahitya Akademi Award for Urdu in 2002, the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013, Padma Bhushan in 2004, and at least five National Film awards for his works.
Some of his finest works include the song "Jai Ho" for the film "Slumdog Millionaire", which received an Oscar award in 2009 and a Grammy Award in 2010, and songs for critically acclaimed films such as "Maachhis" (1996), "Omkara" (2006), "Dil Se..." (1998), and "Guru" (2007), among others.
Gulzar also directed some timeless award-winning classics, including "Koshish" (1972), "Parichay" (1972), "Mausam" (1975), "Ijaazat" (1977), and the television serial "Mirza Ghalib" (1988).
Rambhadracharya is one of the four Jagadguru Ramanandacharyas of the Ramananda sect and has been holding this position since 1982.
A polyglot who speaks 22 languages, Rambhadracharya is a poet and writer in several Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Hindi, Awadhi, and Maithili. In 2015, he received the Padma Vibhushan award. Jnanpith Award is given annually for outstanding contributions to Indian literature. This is the second time the award is being given for Sanskrit language and the fifth time for Urdu language.