The Sahitya Akademi, also called ‘India’s National Academy of Letters’ was founded on 12 March 1954. It was formed as a cultural collaboration of all those interested in creative and critical literature and is dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Its office is located in Rabindra Bhavan near Mandi House in Delhi.
In his inaugural address, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan noted that, “It is the purpose of this Akademi to recognize men of achievement in letters, to encourage men of promise in letters, to educate public taste and to improve standards of literature and literary criticism”.
The Council elected Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru as its president and he continued in that capacity until his death in 1964. The Council clarified that the choice of Nehru was “not because he is Prime Minister, but because he has carved out for himself a distinctive place as a writer and author.”
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