Bhubaneswar: Legendary poet, lyricist, scriptwriter and social thinker Javed Akhtar will be presented the SOA Sahitya Samman for 2025 for his outstanding contribution to Indian cinema and literature.
Padma Bhushan Akhtar will be presented the award during the inaugural session of the two-day 3rd SOA Literary Festival to be held at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) Deemed to be University campus here on November 29.
The award carries a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh along with a citation, a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati and a shawl.
Instituted by the SOA Deemed to be University, the SOA Sahitya Samman honours and celebrates outstanding work of literature from across the country every year.
Akhtar is a celebrated script writer, lyricist, poet and thinker whose words have defined the emotional and cultural landscape of modern India. A master lyricist, his creative genius has enriched Hindi cinema with depth and timeless resonance.
Conferred with the Padma Shri (1999), Padma Bhushan (2007) and Sahitya Akademi Award (2014), Akhtar has also won 5 National Film Awards and 15 Filmfare Awards among several other accolades.
His poetry collections ‘Tarkash’ and ‘Lava’ are among the best-selling works of modern Hindi literature, which have been translated into several Indian and foreign languages.
Akhtar, considered to be a voice of reason and progress, has addressed leading global universities, including Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge.
The third SOA Literary Festival, to be held on November 29 and 30, is being conducted by the SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation, Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN).
The theme of this year’s festival will be ‘Culture, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence’, informed Prof. Gayatribala Panda, PPRACHIN Head and festival director.
“This year’s literary festival is expected to bring together 100 eminent writers, poets, artists, novelists, translators, publishers, thinkers, theatre and media personalities from across India,” Prof. Panda said, adding that 30 different sessions will be held over the two days.
