Tariq khan cniMeerut, CNI NEWS: The Award Committee of the Department of Urdu, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, has announced the Dr. Manzar Kazmi National Awards 2026, which are presented annually by
the Department.Addressing a press conference in this connection, noted writer and critic Prof. Aslam Jamshedpuri announced that the 12th Dr. Manzar Kazmi National Award for Creative Writing will be conferred upon the renowned fiction writer Waheeshi Saeed, while the Dr. Manzar Kazmi National Award for Criticism will be presented to Prof. Nazeer Ahmad Malik.The awards will be conferred on September 26, 2026, in Srinagar, during a literary समारोह (ceremony).
Each awardee will receive a memento, certificate, shawl, and a cash prize of ₹11,000.It may be recalled that since 2015, the Department of Urdu, Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Meerut, has been presenting two national awards annually in the name of the renowned and popular modern Urdu short-story writer Dr. Manzar Kazmi—one for Creative Writing and the other for Criticism. These awards are presented to writers and scholars who have rendered outstanding services in the fields of fiction and fiction criticism.Among the distinguished recipients of these awards in previous years are Salaam Bin Razzaq, Noor-ul-Ain, Bashir Malir Kotlavi, Deepak Budki, Ahmad
Rasheed, Parvez Shahryar, Quddus Javed, Irteza Kareem, Sagheer Afraheem, Khursheed Hayat, Humayun Ashraf, Shahab Zafar Azmi, Naeem Anis, Ishtiaq Saeed, and Rafiq Jafar, among others.This year, the award for Creative Writing has been conferred upon the eminent fiction writer Waheeshi Saeed, who has established a strong and distinctive identity in the world of Urdu literature through his remarkable literary contributions. His novels include Pathar Phir Aaine, Ek Mausam Ka Khat, Faqat Khauf Aur
Mohabbat, Ajab Zindagi Ghazab Maut, Jaiz Najaaiz, Fitrat Mohabbat Nadamat, and Dasht-e-Mohabbat. His short-story collections include Sadak Ja Rahi Hai, Kunware Alfaaz Ka Jazeera, Khwab Haqeeqat, Maazi Aur Haal (in three volumes), Aasman Meri Mutthi Mein, Arastu Ki Wapsi, Aakhir Kab Tak, and Sheeshe Ka Samandar.The award for Criticism will be presented to the renowned and popular critic Prof. Nazeer Ahmad Malik, who has earned a distinguished place in the literary world through his significant scholarly and critical works.
His important publications include Kashmiri Sarmaya: Alfaaz ke Sarchashme, Urdu Rasm-ul-Khat: Irtiqa aur Jaiza, Adab, Adabi Theory aur Uslubiyat, Mauj-e-Rang, and Urdu aur Kashmir ke Lisaniyati Rishte aur Rabte.Among those present at the press conference were Dr. Asif Ali, Dr. Shadab Aleem, Dr. Alka Kaushik, Dr. Irshad Saniyavi, Saeed Saharanpuri, Mohammad Shamshad, Farhat Akhtar, and Irfan Arif. CNI NEWS