Aishe Ghosh selected for Prof. V. Aravindakshan Award 2026
Former JNU Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh has been named the 2026 recipient of the Prof. V. Aravindakshan Award, which carries ₹50,000, a plaque and a citation.
The Prof. V. Aravindakshan Foundation has named former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president and researcher Aishe Ghosh as the recipient of its 2026 Prof. V. Aravindakshan Award.
The honour carries a cash prize of ₹50,000, a plaque and a citation. It will be presented at a memorial programme at the M.T. Hall of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi in Thrissur on October 17.
The foundation was set up by students and friends of Prof. V. Aravindakshan after his death, and is marking 11 years of activity this year. A Marxist thinker on aesthetics and a cultural critic, Prof. Aravindakshan taught at Sree Kerala Varma College in Thrissur. This is the tenth edition of the award.
In a statement, the foundation said the prize recognises individuals who have shown excellence in their fields and engaged creatively with social issues.
The selection committee said Ms. Ghosh was chosen for her role in the student movement and her resistance to what it described as religious nationalism and communal fascism that it said threaten India's democratic and constitutional values.
Past recipients include Prof. Sachidanandan, T.M. Krishna, Romila Thapar, Gagandeep Kang, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Anand Teltumbde, Teesta Setalvad, R. Rajagopal and Prabhat Patnaik.