Premchand Smriti Katha Samman is given every year since 2007 by the intellectuals and art lovers of Banda for contribution in Hindi fiction.
It has been decided to give this year’s Premchand Smriti Katha Samman to the editor of the initiative and renowned Hindi writer Gyan Ranjan from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh for his lifelong contribution to storytelling and editorial.
Gyan Ranjan will be honored with a memento and an honor fund of Rs 31,000 in a program under the aegis of Prateek Foundation in Banda on 4th February next.
Senior writer Yogendra Ahuja, Sanjeev Kumar, Pranay Krishna, Sanjay Joshi, Sanjay Srivastava and Manoj Kumar Singh will address the award ceremony as keynote speakers.
Gyan Ranjan was born on November 21, 1936 in Akola district of Maharashtra.
His early life was spent in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Higher education was from Allahabad University. Honorary Doctor of Literature degree (Honorary D.Litt.) conferred by Rani Durgavati University Jabalpur in 2013.
He was a professor of Hindi in the GS Commerce and Economics College and retired in 1996 after thirty-four years of service.
Prominent story writer of the 70’s. Many story collections were published, Kabadkhana, a book of unique prose compositions, became very popular. Stories are taught in higher studies courses in many universities in India and abroad. A collection of his stories was published from Shanti Niketan was translated in Bengali. His stories are published in English, Polish, Russian, Japanese, Persian and German.
Despite the shocks of the Emergency in the country, still he edited and published the famous literary magazine ‘Pahal’ continuously for 35 years. Re-published after a gap of 2 years.
He is honoured with ‘Soviet Land Nehru Award’, Hindi Institute’s ‘Sahitya Bhushan Award’, M.P. Sahitya Parishad’s ‘Subhadra Kumari Chauhan’ and ‘Anil Kumar Award’, Madhya Pradesh Cultural Department’s ‘Shikhar Samman’ and ‘Maithili Sharan Gupt Samman’, Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad’s (Kolkatta) ‘Pratibha Samman’, ‘Shamsher Samman’ and Pakh’s ‘Shikhar Samman’, Bharatiya Jnanpith’s All India ‘Gyangarima Manad Alankaran’, Amar Ujala’s ‘Shabd Samman’.
He declined to accept the an award and Multibodh Fellowship of the Madhya Pradesh Culture Department in protest of the Emergency.
Film production on various stories in Greenwich Village (New York) in the 70’s and 80’s. A complete film on the life and works on Indian Doordarshan. ICCR Occasional memberships of many higher institutions of the country including (Ministry of External Affairs). He was the General Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Progressive Writers Association for a long time. He alongwith Harishankar Parsai were the founding members of national theater organization ‘Vivechana’.
