Telugu poet Nandini Sidha Reddy bags Sahitya Akademi Award 2025
Telugu poet Nandini Sidha Reddy bags Sahitya Akademi Award 2025
Telugu poet Nandini Sidha Reddy wins the 2025 Sahitya Akademi Award for Animesha, joining 23 other authors across languages in a national celebration of literature.
The 2025 Sahitya Akademi Awards saluted 24 authors across Indian languages, recognizing a rich tapestry of voices. Nandini Sidha Reddy, a prominent Telugu poet and a strong steward of Telangana’s culture and identity, was selected for the award for his poetry collection Animesha. The honour places him among the nation’s most respected writers and poets, reflecting the Akademi’s commitment to regional literatures alongside national stories.
Born in 1955 in Bandaram village of the erstwhile Medak district, Reddy’s life and work have long intertwined with Telangana’s cultural movements. His father, a Communist leader, battled for rights during the Razakar era, a lineage that helped shape Reddy’s socially attuned poetry. He pursued higher studies at Osmania University, earning an MA and later an MPhil and a PhD in 1986, before a long teaching career as a Telugu lecturer. He retired from Siddipet Government Degree College in 2012.
Reddy has been a tireless figure in Telugu literary circles, running study groups and editing magazines such as Rose, while founding the Manjeera Rachaitala Sangam and the Telangana Rachaitala Sangam. Over seven major poetry collections, beginning with Diviti in 1974, he has built a body of work that foregrounds Telangana’s culture and the experiences of its people. The award ceremony and subsequent congratulations—from leaders of the Telangana state government’s literary circles—have been described as a moment of pride for the region.
Beyond Reddy, the Akademi recognised a diverse group of writers across languages, including Navtej Sarna for English and Mamta Kalia for Hindi, with Amaresh Nugadoni (Kannada) and S. Tamilselvan (Tamil) also receiving honours. The selections underscore the vibrant fabric of Indian literature, with critics noting that Animesha portrays the suffering of migrant workers during the COVID-19 lockdown, adding a timely social dimension to Telangana’s literary footprint.
