Akkitham Namboodiri to be awarded the 55th Jnanpith Award

30 November 2019 Current Affairs: Malayalam poet Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri has been chosen as the recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award. The 93-year old considered to have brought modernism in Malayalam poetry.
Akkitham is the 6th Malayalam writer to be conferred with the award after G Sankara Kurup, Thakazhi, SK Pottekatt, MT Vasudevan Nair and ONV Kurup.

Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri:
Akkitham has more than 43 literary works in Malayalam. His work includes Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam (The legend of the 20th century). He was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017. The poet has also received several other awards, including the Kerala Sahitya Academy Award in 1971, the Sahitya Academy Award in 1973, and the Vayalar Award in 2012.

Jnanpith Award:
Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1961. It is sponsored by Bharatiya Jnanpith. It is India's highest literary honour. The award recognizes the outstanding contribution of the authors towards literature. 
The award is presented only on the writing of the Indian writers in Indian languages that are included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution and English, with no posthumous conferral. Jnanpith Award was awarded for the first time in 1965. The first awardee is G. Sankara Kurup.