16th Annual Convocation Celebrates First Recipients of the Ramprasad Shukla Award for Sanskrit Learning

At the 16th Convocation of Ahmedabad University, the University announced the inaugural recipients of the Ramprasad Shukla Award for Sanskrit Learning, instituted to recognise exceptional academic performance in Sanskrit courses and a sustained commitment to the study of Sanskrit.

The first recipients of the award are Manan Rathod from the Integrated MS programme and Moksh Shah from the BA (Hons) Class of 2026, who were recognised during the School of Arts and Sciences degree distribution ceremony. Both students pursued minors in Sanskrit Studies alongside their majors in Life Sciences and Economics respectively, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of Ahmedabad University’s curriculum that encourages students to explore diverse fields of learning while excelling across disciplines.

Instituted in memory of Professor Ramprasad Mohanlal Shukla, the award has been made possible through the generous support of Professor Darshini Mahadevia and Professor P R Shukla in honour of their father’s enduring literary and scholarly legacy.

Professor Ramprasad Shukla was an eminent Gujarati poet, critic, and scholar whose contributions spanned poetry, literary criticism, travel writing, and Sanskrit literature. A graduate in Sanskrit and later Gujarati literature, he taught at institutions including C. N. Vidyalaya and L. D. Arts College, where he served as Professor and Chair of the Gujarati Department.

His literary works include the acclaimed sonnet collection Bindu (1943), the poetry anthology Samaya Najarayo Samay Thi, and Saritaona Sanidhyama, a celebrated collection of essays based on his journeys along the rivers of Gujarat, for which he received the Gujarat Sahitya Akademi’s first prize. He also contributed significantly to literary criticism and scholarship through writings on Gujarati and Sanskrit literature.

Speaking about the recognition, Moksh Shah said, “I am deeply honoured to receive the Award. I am also grateful to Professor Darshini Mahadevia and Professor PR Shukla for making this award possible in memory of Professor Ramprasad Shukla. It is very special to be among the first students to receive it.”

Through this award, Ahmedabad University seeks to encourage deeper engagement with Sanskrit learning while honouring the legacy of a scholar whose work enriched Gujarati and Indian literary traditions.