Sahitya Akademi Award Winners – Indian Writing in English

1960–1980

1960 – R. K. Narayan: The Guide – Iconic English-language novelist known for the Malgudi series.

1964 – Raja Rao: The Serpent and the Rope – Fused Indian philosophy with English fiction.

1965 – Verrier Elwin: The Tribal World of Verrier Elwin – Anthropologist and tribal rights advocate.

1967 – Bhabani Bhattacharya: Shadow From Ladakh – Addressed social themes post-independence.

1969 – Niharranjan Ray: An Artist in Life – Biography of Rabindranath Tagore.

1971 – Mulk Raj Anand: Morning Face – Caste and social issues chronicler.

1975 – Nirad C. Chaudhuri: Scholar Extraordinary – Noted essayist and intellectual.

1976 – Sarvepalli Gopal: Jawaharlal Nehru – Comprehensive biography of Nehru.

1977 – Chaman Nahal: Azadi – Focused on India’s Partition trauma.

1978 – Anita Desai: Fire on the Mountain – Explored psychological realism and alienation.

1979 – Rama Mehta: Inside the Haveli – Examined gender roles and tradition.

1980 – K. R. Srinivasa Iyengar: On the Mother – Spiritual biography and literary critic.

1981–2000

1981 – Jayanta Mahapatra: Relationship – First English-language poet recipient.

1982 – Arun Joshi: The Last Labyrinth – Philosophical fiction.

1983 – Nissim Ezekiel: Latter-Day Psalms – Pioneer of modern Indian English poetry.

1984 – Keki N. Daruwalla: The Keeper of the Dead – Dark, political poetry.

1985 – Kamala Das: Collected Poems – Confessional and feminist poetry.

1986 – Nayantara Sahgal: Rich Like Us – Political fiction set during the Emergency.

1987 – Shiv K. Kumar: Trapfalls in the Sky – Lyrical poems of human dilemma.

1988 – Vikram Seth: The Golden Gate – Novel in verse form.

1989 – Amitav Ghosh: The Shadow Lines – Themes of nationalism and partition.

1990 – Shashi Deshpande: That Long Silence – Voices of middle-class women in India.

1991 – Allan Sealy: The Trotter-Nama – Anglo-Indian epic fiction.

1992 – Ruskin Bond: Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra – Heartfelt stories of childhood and nature.

1993 – G. N. Devy: After Amnesia – Critical writing on marginal literatures.

1994 – Dom Moraes: Serendip – International poetic voice.

1996 – Sunetra Gupta: Memories of Rain – Poetic, experimental prose.

1998 – Mahesh Dattani: Final Solutions and Other Plays – Indian English drama pioneer.

1999 – A. K. Ramanujan: Collected Poems – Poet-translator with folkloric depth.

2000 – Kiran Nagarkar: Cuckold – Fictional retelling of Indian history.

2001–2024

2001 – Rajmohan Gandhi: Rajaji: A Life – Biography of C. Rajagopalachari.

2002 – Amit Chaudhuri: A New World – Displacement and return narratives.

2003 – Meenakshi Mukherjee: The Perishable Empire – Critical work on Indian English fiction.

2004 – Upamanyu Chatterjee: The Mammaries of the Welfare State – Bureaucratic satire.

2005 – Arundhati Roy: The Algebra of Infinite Justice – Political and environmental essays.

2006 – Rupa Bajwa: The Sari Shop – Class and urban realities.

2007 – Malathi Rao: Disorderly Women – Female experience in South India.

2009 – Chaturvedi Badrinath: Mahabharata: An Inquiry into the Human Condition.

2010 – Esther David: The Book of Rachel – Jewish identity in India.

2011 – Ramachandra Guha: India after Gandhi – Post-independence Indian history.

2012 – Jeet Thayil: These Errors are Correct – Poetic urban anguish.

2013 – Temsula Ao: Laburnum For My Head – Stories from Northeast India.

2014 – Adil Jussawalla: Trying to Say Goodbye – Urban existential poetry.

2015 – Cyrus Mistry: Chronicle of a Corpse Bearer – Marginalised lives in Parsi community.

2016 – Jerry Pinto: Em and the Big Hoom – Mental health and family dynamics.

2017 – Mamang Dai: The Black Hill – Cultural identity in Arunachal Pradesh.

2018 – Anees Salim: The Blind Lady’s Descendants – Satirical Muslim family saga.

2019 – Shashi Tharoor: An Era of Darkness – Colonial critique.

2020 – Arundhati Subramaniam: When God is a Traveller – Spiritual and contemporary poems.

2021 – Namita Gokhale: Things to Leave Behind – Colonialism and hill cultures.

2022 – Anuradha Roy: All the Lives We Never Lived – Intergenerational and global tale.

2023 – Neelam Saran Gour: Requiem in Raga Janaki – Classical music and female legacy.

2024 – Easterine Kire: Spirit Nights – Tribal stories and cultural memory from Nagaland.