This year’s Poet Bimal Gurung Literary Award was jointly awarded to Chandra Gurung and Vijay Bantawa Kailashi. The award ceremony took place at the Poet Bimal Gurung Memorial Library in Dharan on Sunday, marking poet Gurung’s 52nd birth anniversary and the 32nd National Poetry Festival.

In total, the two recipients received a cash prize of Rs200,000. Additionally, poet Vishal Nalbo, from Kalimpong, India, was honoured with this year’s Youth Talent Award, along with a cash prize of Rs10,000.

During the event, Chandra Gurung’s poetry collection ‘Jaba Euta Manchhe Harauchha’ and the essay collection ‘Mityangsa’ by Bantawa Kailashi were showcased. Bimal Gurung’s poetry collections ‘Saharko Pragad Maunata’ and ‘Shabda Chitrama Kavi Bimal Gurung’ were also unveiled at the ceremony.

In the 32nd National Poetry Festival dedicated to the memory of poet Bimal Gurung, Bhim Virhi Rai from Sunsari clinched the first position. Rai, who is a retired Indian Army officer, secured the top spot with ‘Ma Pahila Maraun Ki Mero Desh’. He received a cash prize of Rs21,000. Elissa Eklas of Kathmandu was second, receiving a cash prize of Rs18,000, while Sandhya Singjango Subba from Sikkim, India, came in third, earning a cash prize of Rs 15,000.

The prizes and certificates were presented to the winners by the chief guest, poet Jasraj Kirati, along with Purna Bahadur Gurung, the programme chairman and the library management committee.