Chamarajanagar: Youth writer from Chamarajanagar, R. Dileep Kumar and Ballari district writer, Shivalingappa Handihalu, have bagged the prestigious Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award this year (2025).

Dileep Kumar, a resident of Chamarajanagar, has won the Akademi’s ‘Yuva Puraskar’ for his work ‘Pachheya Jaguli’, a collection of literary criticism articles.

Born on March 16, 1991, Dileep Kumar is a poet, critic and researcher. A postgraduate in Kannada, he has authored a series of reviews on both the Mahakavyas of Pampa and written articles on Vachana Sahitya under the title ‘Shabdha Sopana’.

He also has a poetry collection titled ‘Haaruva Hamsa’ to his credit. Having been mentored by Prof. G.H. Nayak and Prof. Maheshwari, he has received numerous other accolades, including the Second Prize of Kerala Central Akademi, Channaveera Kanavi Poetry Award, Mangala Muddumadappa Endowment Award, and Janamitra Award.

K. Shivalingappa Handihalu has received the Akademi’s ‘Bal Sahitya Puraskar’ for his work ‘Notebook’, a collection of children’s stories. Hailing from Handihalu village in Ballari district, Shivalingappa serves as a teacher at the Government Higher Primary School in his native village and has authored several other works.