The annual Khemlal-Harikala Lamichhane Samaaj Kalyan Pratisthan, a social welfare foundation on Tuesday announced the winner of this year’s Padmashree Sahitya Puraskar to political activist Keshab Dahal's novel ‘Mokshabhumi’ and Padmashree Sadhana Samman to singer and musician Bhaktaraj Acharya fondly known as ‘Bhajan Shiromani’.

Mokshabhumi is Dahal’s debut novel, and it delves into the hardships slaves of the Khas-Sinja empire faced as they try to fight the society’s oppression. While 79-year-old Acharya, who started his career in 1973, is a revered artist and well-known for his bhajans in the Nepali language.

The foundation is led by the founding member of the Non-Resident Nepali Association Jiba Lamichhane. And every year, before Dashain, the foundation venerates writers and personalities to promote literature and recognise their contributions to the fields of art and culture of Nepal. The awards, which were started in 2006, are one of the country’s most prestigious awards.

Both the awardees will also be presented with the prize money of Rs 300,000.