Wanira Foundation Honors Literary and Scientific Figures in Kathmandu

Kathmandu. Engineer Shankar Giri, Patron of the Wanira Foundation, presented the 2082 'Wanira Pragya Puraskar' to Madhav Khanal 'Bhavuk' at a ceremony held at the Wanira Hall in Kathmandu on Monday, recognizing his seven and a half decades of dedication to Nepali language and literature.

During the event, Engineer Giri also awarded the 'Wanira Shankar Puraskar' to computer scientist Muni Shakya for his contributions to the development of Nepali script on computers and his work in artificial intelligence, which has brought international recognition to Nepal.

Both awards carry a cash prize of one hundred thousand rupees each. At the same ceremony, founder Giri presented the 'Wanira Puraskar', worth fifty thousand rupees, to Dhanraj Giri of Chitwan for his significant contributions to fiction, poetry, and satire in Nepali literature.

Additionally, the 'Wanira Sewa Samman' was awarded to Saroj Dhakal for his lifelong commitment to social service and his dedicated efforts toward the development of Kathmandu Metropolitan City.

Prior to the ceremony, Indira Prasai, President of the Wanira Foundation, laid a wreath at the full-size statue of Dr. Giri located at the Wanira Museum.

The Wanira Foundation building and museum were established on 2079 Baisakh 20, in accordance with the strong desire of Engineer Shankar Giri.

The event, chaired by Foundation President Indira Prasai, featured speeches by the awardees, Vice President Prof. Dr. Rishi Ram Sharma, Program Coordinator Bhagwati Basnet, and Member Secretary Narendra Raj Prasai, who shared reflections on the life and work of Wanira Giri.