Literary writer Lil Bahadur Chhetri awarded the Padma Shri of India

KATHMANDU: NOV. 9 – Literary writer Lil Bahadur Chhetri has been honored with the Padma Shri award by the Government of India. President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Monday honored Chhetri with the prestigious Padma Shri award. Chhetri, a Nepali-speaking writer from Assam, India, has been awarded Padma Shri Award for his outstanding contribution to education and literature.

Chhetri’s novel ‘Basain’ is very popular. The novel, published in 2014, is also included in the Nepali curriculum. The novel is the best-selling book after the great poet Laxmi Prasad Devkota’s ‘Muna Madan’. The novel depicts the crisis caused by the shabby class conflict and economic deprivation of the then Nepali society.

The names of 118 people, including novelist Chhetri, were announced for the Padma Shri last year. However, due to the coronavirus epidemic, the award was distributed this year. Similarly, 102 people have received this award this year. The Padma Shri award is the fourth highest honor given by the Government of India.