Tshering Tashi, a Bhutanese novelist, has been awarded the Premchand Fellowship by the Sahitya Akademi

Explore Bhutanese novelist Tshering Tashi's impact with the prestigious Premchand Fellowship. Delve into cultural narratives and literary contributions.

on Dec 11, 2023

Tshering Tashi, a Bhutanese novelist, has been awarded the Premchand Fellowship by the Sahitya Akademi | Frontlist

The Sahitya Akademi established the 'Premchand Fellowship' in 2005 to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of famed Hindi writer Munshi Premchand.

Noted Tshering Tashi, a Bhutanese author, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi's 'Premchand Fellowship' on December 8.

Mr. Tashi is a writer based in Bhutan's capital Thimphu who specialises in creative nonfiction. He has published a number of books about Bhutan and has made his country more accessible, engaging, and attractive to young people. He is also one of the co-founders of the Bhutan Echoes Literary Festival.

Mr. Tashi is the co-author of The Bodhisattva King, Bold Bhutan Beckons, and Symbols of Bhutan, as well as the author of Mysteries of the Raven Crown, Legacy of Gongzim Ugyen Dori, and Myth and Memory - Untold Stories of Bhutan.

He writes for national media and international magazines, and he is frequently invited to speak about Bhutan at institutions throughout the world. He is also one of the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival's Festival Directors.

Mr. Tashi delivered a presentation on 'Storytelling: The Repository of Culture' following the awarding of the fellowship, in which he explored the deep cultural and historical relationship between India and Bhutan, as well as the contributions of both countries to the development of Buddhism.

The Sahitya Akademi established the 'Premchand Fellowship' in 2005 to commemorate the 125th birth anniversary of famed Hindi writer Munshi Premchand.

It is granted to "a person of eminence in the field of culture and literature" who is conducting study on Indian literature or to innovative writers from countries other than India that are members of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

The duration of the study spans from one to three months. The visiting fellow must provide a full report on their visit to the executive board and is required to deliver lectures on the topic of their specialty in universities and institutions dealing with the field.

Mr. Tashi is the fellowship's 12th recipient. Intizar Hussain, a Pakistani Urdu writer, was the inaugural winner of the scholarship.

The Sahitya Akademi is an organisation in India that promotes literature and languages. It was established in March 1954 as an autonomous organisation within the Ministry of Culture.