Muslim Women Shine at Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025
By Afroz Khan, New Age Islam
4 April 2026
The Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 ceremony in New Delhi honoured young writers across India. Neha Rubab received the award for her Urdu novel on Mazharul Haque, while Saiqa Sehar was recognised for Kashmiri literary criticism, highlighting the growing contribution of Muslim women in literature.
Main Points:
· Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 held in New Delhi
· Around 700 writers and scholars participated
· Neha Rubab won for Urdu novel on Mazharul Haque
· Saiqa Sehar awarded for Kashmiri literary criticism
· Highlights rising contribution of Muslim women in literature
Recently, the grand ceremony of the country’s most prestigious and respected award, the “Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025”, was organised in New Delhi. This award ceremony, which was held from 31 March to 4 April, honours writers and literary works in various languages and genres across India.
It is considered the largest literary festival in Asia, in which around 700 eminent writers, scholars, and poets participated this year.
In this 71st edition of the Sahitya Akademi, many writers and poets were honoured for their literary contributions. Among the awardees, Muslim women Neha Rubab (Allahabad) and Saiqa Sehar (Kashmir) drew special attention and once again brought the literary capabilities and talents of Muslim women to the forefront of the nation.
Neha Rubab
Neha Rubab is a resident of Prayagraj (Allahabad), Uttar Pradesh. She has completed her PhD from Allahabad University.
Neha Rubab has been awarded the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 (in Urdu language) for her Urdu novel “Mazharul Haque: Tahreek-e-Azadi-e-Hind Ka Faramosh Kardah Qaaed.”
Neha Rubab wrote this book under the Prime Minister’s Young Authors (PM-YUVA) Mentorship Scheme. Thousands of applications were received from across the country for this scheme, out of which only 75 writers were selected, and Neha Rubab was one of them.
Her book is the result of deep research and dedication. She spent several years collecting information from libraries and archives. She closely studied the letters of Maulana Mazharul Haque, the history of the Sadaqat Ashram established by him, and newspapers of that period.
This book reflects Neha Rubab’s rigorous research and patriotic spirit, which has earned her such a prestigious honour as the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar.
Neha Rubab’s book brings the story of the largely forgotten great freedom fighter Mazharul Haque and his sacrifices to the younger generation in simple and accessible Urdu, thereby inspiring a sense of patriotism.
Maulana Mazharul Haque was a close friend and associate of Mahatma Gandhi. He played an important role in the Champaran Satyagraha and the Non-Cooperation Movement. He was also a strong advocate of Hindu-Muslim unity. He believed that, “Whether we are Hindus or Muslims, we are in the same boat; we must either swim or sink together.”
Although Neha Rubab’s novel is a research-based work, she has kept its language very simple and fluent, enabling young readers to read history like a story. This distinctive style of writing makes the novel highly impactful.
Saiqa Sehar
Saiqa Sehar is a writer from Jammu and Kashmir. She primarily belongs to the Kashmir Valley and is an emerging scholar and critic of the Kashmiri language.
The Sahitya Akademi has awarded Saiqa Sehar the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar 2025 in the category of Literary Criticism. Her awarded work “Harfas Harfas Zaag” is a critical book written in the Kashmiri language.
In Kashmiri literature, where young writers generally choose poetry or storytelling, Saiqa Sehar has chosen the complex genre of criticism, which is extremely important for the development of any language.
In this work, she has analysed various periods and writers of Kashmiri literature word by word (harfas harfas). She has attempted to evaluate both classical and modern Kashmiri writings in the contemporary context. Her book does not merely discuss literary works superficially, but reveals the deeper meanings hidden behind words and the intent of the author.
Her book emphasises that the words of the Kashmiri language are not merely a means of communication, but also preserve a deep cultural consciousness and identity.
Saiqa Sehar’s writing reflects strong logical reasoning, and she chooses her words very carefully and effectively to present her ideas. Her work clearly shows deep respect for Kashmiri language and culture, along with a concern to preserve them, which makes her literary contribution highly significant.
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Afroz Khan is a teacher by profession who writes on women, politics, communal harmony, and Islam. She holds a master’s degree in Education.
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