Banaras Lit Fest announces Book Awards 2026; Namita Gokhale gets Lifetime Achievement Award

Exam-focused facts from the 24 January 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Banaras Lit Fest announced winners of the second Banaras Lit Fest Book Awards 2026 in New Delhi.
Bhartendu Harishchandra Lifetime Achievement Award conferred on writer and cultural curator Namita Gokhale.
Announcement made at the outreach and curtain-raiser event at Hi-Tech Institute of Engineering & Technology, Delhi NCR.
Awards recognise excellence in fiction, poetry, non-fiction and translation across English, Hindi and Indian languages.
Each category award carries ₹51,000, citation and trophy; Lifetime Achievement Award carries ₹1 lakh.
Awards to be presented during Banaras Lit Fest from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at Hotel Taj, Banaras.
Gokhale honoured for contributions to writing, publishing and cultural dialogue across generations.
Festival President Deepak Madhok said the awards have emerged as a credible literary benchmark.
Founder Brijesh Singh announced the introduction of a Youth Award category.
Gomati Devi Eminence Awards 2026 announced for contributions to nation-building across sectors.