Eminent Konkani writer Damodar Mauzo has been conferred with the 56th Jnanpith Award.
Mauzo is the second Konkani writer to receive the Jnanpith. Ravindra Kelekar was the first Konkani writer to receive the prestigious award in 2006.
Mavzo is also a well known Konkani storyteller whose works have been published in various languages and has gained international recognition.
The Konkani novelist has a writing career extending over five decades, spanning short stories, novels, criticism, journalism and screenplays
In 2011, Mauzo's Konkani novel 'Tsunami Simon' was awarded the Vimla V. Pai Vishwa Konkani Sahitya Puraskar.
While Sahitya Akademi award winning Konkani author won Jnanpith Award for this year, Noted Assamese poet and litterateur Nilmani Phookan received the prize for last year.
The Jnanpith Award is a literary award presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organization to Indian writers every year. This was instituted in 1961 and is given only to Indian writers who write in Indian languages and English.