Chandigarh: Eminent poet, author and academician Dr. Naresh, former Professor of Modern Literature at Panjab University and former Chairman of the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi (Chandigarh Academy of Letters), has been selected for the Award of Recognition (Lifelong Contribution to Literature) in Urdu for 2025 by the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi. The coveted honour recognises his remarkable contribution to Urdu literature and a distinguished literary and academic career spanning more than six decades.
Expressing his gratitude, Dr. Naresh thanked the Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi for recognising his lifelong contribution to Urdu literature, describing the honour as a source of encouragement to continue his literary journey.
Dr. Naresh has made significant contributions to Urdu, Hindi, Punjabi and English literature. He has authored more than 100 books spanning poetry, fiction, literary criticism, philosophy, spirituality and other fields. More than 1,000 of his articles, poems and short stories have also appeared in journals and newspapers, besides his contributions to numerous anthologies.
Urdu has occupied a particularly important place in Dr. Naresh’s literary journey. His contribution to the language has been recognised by several leading literary institutions and governments. His honours include the Ghalib Award, Madhya Pradesh Urdu Academy’s All India Award, Punjab Government’s Shiromani Sahityakar Award, Khwaja Altaf Hussain Hali Award, Lala Jagat Narain Award and Haryana Government’s Fakhr-e-Haryana Award. He has also received awards from the Urdu academies of Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. His book Lauh-e-Hayat was honoured by the Uttar Pradesh Urdu Academy.
His wider literary contributions have earned him numerous national and international distinctions, including the Government of India Award for Chintan aur Mulyankan and the Haryana Government Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi literature.
The Chandigarh Sahitya Akademi’s Award of Recognition for 2025 adds another significant honour to Dr. Naresh’s literary journey, devoted to enriching Urdu literature and building bridges between India’s major literary languages.
