Kashmiri writer and scholar Prof Shafi Shauq conferred Padma Shri

Ziraat Times Team Report

New Delhi, May 25: Eminent Kashmiri writer, scholar and translator Shafi Shauq was conferred the Padma Shri award by President Droupadi Murmu during the Civil Investiture Ceremony-I held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi on Monday.

The Padma Awards for 2026, including Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri honours, were presented in the presence of Vice President of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Born on March 18, 1950, in Kaprin village of Shopian district in Kashmir, Prof Shauq is regarded as one of the leading literary figures of Jammu and Kashmir. A prolific creative writer, he has authored, edited and translated more than 106 books in Kashmiri, English, Hindi and Urdu.

Prof Shauq completed his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Kashmir in 1970 and later pursued his MA, MPhil and PhD in English from the same university. He served the institution for 33 years and retired as Head of the Department, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Dean of the Faculty of Oriental Learning.

During his academic career, he contributed to several major national literary projects, including Medieval Indian Literature, Encyclopedia of Indian Literature and Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre.

Apart from poetry and fiction writing, Prof Shauq has translated numerous works of Indian literature into Kashmiri and also translated Kashmiri literary works into English and Hindi. As a representative of Indian writers’ forums and committees, he visited countries including China, Germany, the United Kingdom and Brazil.

Among his notable literary works are Kaeshur Lughat, a monolingual Kashmiri dictionary, Yaad Aasmaanan Hinz (Remembering the Skies), Zabaan ti Adab, Kaeshri Adabuk Tawaariekh, a history of Kashmiri language and literature, and Kaeshur Grammar. His translation projects include the acclaimed series The Best of Kashmiri Literature. He has also written scripts for television serials and films.

Prof Shauq has earlier received several prestigious literary honours, including the Best Book Award from the Jammu and Kashmir Academy of Art, Culture and Languages in 1995, the Sahitya Akademi Award for poetry in 2006, the Sahitya Akademi Award for translation in 2007 and the Bhasha Samman Award from the Central Institute of Indian Languages, Mysore.