Nandini Sidha Reddy Wins Sahitya Akademi Award for ‘Animesha’

Prominent Telangana poet and writer Dr. Nandini Sidha Reddy has been selected for the prestigious Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 for his poetry collection Animesha. The award, announced by the Sahitya Akademi , recognises outstanding literary works in 24 Indian languages.

Nandini Sidha Reddy, a noted literary figure from Telangana, has made significant contributions to Telugu literature over the years. He also served as the first chairman of the Telangana Sahitya Akademi , where he played an important role in promoting literary activities and nurturing writers in the state.

Congratulating the poet, A. Revanth Reddy , Chief Minister of Telangana, said that Nandini Sidha Reddy has introduced the richness of Telangana’s culture, traditions and language to readers across the country through his poetry. He described the recognition for Animesha as a moment of pride for the state.

The Chief Minister said the honour reflects the growing national recognition for Telangana’s literary heritage and will encourage more writers and poets from the state to contribute to literature.

The Sahitya Akademi Award 2025 has been announced for 24 authors across different Indian languages. Among them are Navtej Sarna , honoured for his English novel Crimson Spring, and Mamta Kalia , who won the award for her Hindi memoir Jeete Jee Allahabad.

Other recipients include Prasun Bandyopadhyay (Bengali), Yogesh Vaidya (Gujarati), Amresh Nugadoni (Kannada), N Prabhakaran (Malayalam), Raju Baviskar (Marathi), Jinder (Punjabi), Jitender Kumar Soni (Rajasthani) and Sa Tamilselvan (Tamil).

The list also includes Pritpal Singh Betab (Urdu), Bhagwan Atlani (Sindhi), Sumitra Soren (Santali), Mahamahopadhyay Sahu Bhadreshdas (Sanskrit), Girijakumar Baliyar Singh (Odia), Prakash Bhattarai (Nepali) and Haobam Nalini (Manipuri).

The awardees will receive an engraved copper plaque, a shawl and a cash prize of ₹1 lakh at a ceremony scheduled to be held on March 31.