Noted Marathi litterateur Bhalchandra Nemade and Hindi writer Gynanranjan were conferred the 'Akashdeep Sanman' awards here on Saturday.
The award, instituted by media house Amar Ujala and comprising a cash prize of Rs 5 lakh, was given to Nemade and Gynanranjan by noted lyricist-filmmaker Gulzar.
Nemade said a lot of his Marathi works had been translated into Hindi, adding there were lots of similarities in the literature of the two languages.
He also said, in a lighter vein, that the Mumbai dialect of Hindi should be made the country's national language as it gave no scope for mistake.
Nemade said it was shameful that Adivasi schools had embraced English as their medium of instruction.
"Developing countries don't impart education in English. Knowledge is gained only through our own language," Nemade said.
Gulzar described Gynanranjan as an excellent writer, adding that "meeting and interacting with Nemade was an achievement for me".
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