Nepali linguist, literary critic and essayist Prof. Dr. Madhav Prasad Pokharel has received thw 2082 Bs Sahitya Sandhya-Govind Bhatt Memorial Award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000.
Literary critic and writer Prof. Dr. Abhi Subedi presented the award at a program at the Nepal Academy in Kathmandu on Saturday, October 10. It recognizes Pokharel's contributions to essays, literary criticism, research and linguistics. The award year refers to the Nepali calendar, not the year of the ceremony.
The award was established in memory of Govind Bhatt, a left-wing intellectual and literary critic. Senior writer and former Nepal Academy chancellor Ganga Prasad Upreti set up its revolving fund.
Sahitya sandhya, chaired by Ram Binay, decided to confer the honor on Pokharel. The selection committee was coordinated by Prof. Dr. Jivendra Dev Giri, with Gopal Kumar Mainali and Jayanti Satyal "Spandan" as members. Literary critic Prof. Dr. Basudev Tripathi received the same award for 2081 BS.
The ceremony was part of the 481st special series of Sahitya Sandhya. Prof. Dr. Hemanath Paudel discussed Bhatt's life, personality and literary contributions and writer Shanta Manavi also took part. Subedi praised Sahitya Sandhya for its continuous activity over more than four decades and described Pokharel as a scholar engaged in the sustained research. Pokharel thanked the organization for recognizing him.
Pokharel was born on September 24,1948 in Bijaypur, Dharan, in Sunsari district.
