Staff reporter 

Sahitya Akademi, India’s National Academy of Letters, awarded the prestigious Premchand Fellowship for the year 2023 to a local author, Tshering Tashi, in Delhi yesterday. 

This is the first time that a Bhutanese has been chosen for this fellowship. Established by Sahitya Akademi in 2005, the fellowship is conferred upon individuals of eminence in the fields of culture and literature from SAARC countries.

It has been presented to distinguished scholars from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, the Maldives, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The period of fellowship is 15 days.

In his acceptance speech, Tashi Tshering said, “I feel humble to accept this prestigious fellowship and thank the Sahitya Akademi for recognising my work and for this great honour conferred on me.”

The presentation ceremony was followed by a Literary Forum program in which Tashi spoke on the topic, storytelling: ‘The repository of Culture.’ 

Tashi’s recognition underscores his significant contributions to the cultural and literary landscape, reflecting the growing acknowledgment of Bhutanese talent on the international stage. 

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