BHUBANESWAR: Legendary poet, lyricist and scriptwriter Javed Akhtar will be presented the SOA Sahitya Samman for 2025 for his outstanding and lifelong contribution to Indian cinema and literature.
The award will be presented to the Padma Bhushan awardee during the inaugural session of the two-day 3rd SOA Literary Festival at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) University on November 29. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 7 lakh, a citation, a silver idol of Goddess Saraswati and a shawl.
The SOA Sahitya Samman has been instituted by the SOA university to honour and celebrate the outstanding work of literature from across the country. The award seeks to recognise eminent writers, poets and thinkers whose work exemplifies excellence, creativity and intellectual depth.
Akhtar, a celebrated script writer, lyricist, poet and thinker whose words have defined the emotional and cultural landscape of modern India, has enriched Hindi cinema with depth and timeless resonance, said officials of the university.
SOA officials said the theme of this year’s festival, to be conducted by the SOA Centre for Preservation, Propagation, Restoration of Ancient Culture and Heritage of India (PPRACHIN) on November 29 and 30, will be ‘Culture, Creativity and Artificial Intelligence.
“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. It will have 30 different sessions over the two days,” said festival director and PPRACHIN head Prof Gayatribala Panda.