Parbat Sahitya Sangam, a group of litterateurs and literary enthusiasts in Parbat, awarded five litterateurs working in the Dhaulagiri zone, amid a ceremony held in Kusma, on Monday, Dec 26. Among the recipients of the award were poet Bhupin Sharma of Baglung, Bhakta Karki of Myagdi, and Sadhana Pratikshya, Sadhananda Jaishi and Aman Poudel of Parbat, each of whom received a cash purse of Rs 10,000. 

Speaking at the event, chairperson of Prabat Sahitya Sangam, Rajendra Pahari, informed, “We received donations from various sources for our organisation, so we decided to invest it for a cause, awarding those who deserve recognition for their contribution to literature in the region.” 

The literary figures present at the award also discussed about the limited attention the government has given to nurturing literature and art in the region. Speaking at the event, cultural expert Tirtha Shrestha said, “The government has not invested or even tried to preserve language and literature, which is really sad.” He added, “Language is a part of our identity and if we neglect language, then we will be neglecting ourselves as we know language and our common identity share a deep bond.” 

Also present at the event were litterateurs Shanti Narayan Shrestha, Prem Chota, Bhupin Khadka, and Bhakta Karki.