Who was the recipient of the first Moortidevi Literary Award, an Indian literary honour given for outstanding works of fiction, poetry or criticism in Indian languages?

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on the Moortidevi Literary Award, an Indian literary honour presented by the Bharatiya Jnanpith organisation. It asks about the first recipient of this award. Literary awards are important topics in general knowledge because they highlight major authors and works that have shaped Indian literature in various languages.

Given Data / Assumptions:
- The award is the Moortidevi Literary Award.
- The question asks for the first person to receive this honour.
- Four names are listed as options, representing scholars and writers from different backgrounds.
- We assume that one of the options matches the historical record of the first Moortidevi awardee.

Concept / Approach:
The Moortidevi Award is conferred for contemplative and inspiring literary works in Indian languages. According to standard literary reference sources, the first Moortidevi Literary Award was given to C K Nagaraja Rao for his work in Kannada literature. The approach is to recall this fact or to match the pattern of typical exam questions that often highlight first recipients of important literary prizes.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the Moortidevi Literary Award as a national level literary recognition given by Bharatiya Jnanpith. Step 2: Recall that the first recipient of this award was C K Nagaraja Rao, honoured for his contribution to Kannada literature. Step 3: Look at the options and find C.K Nagaraja Rao listed as option C. Step 4: Recognise that Masud Hussain Khan and Ramanlal Joshi are associated with other academic or literary roles, and Swami Siva Balayogi is a spiritual figure, not the first awardee of this literary prize. Step 5: Conclude that C.K Nagaraja Rao is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
Literary award compilations and the official records of Bharatiya Jnanpith list year wise recipients of the Moortidevi Award. These clearly state that C K Nagaraja Rao was the first person to receive the award. No such references identify the other options as first recipients, which confirms that selecting C.K Nagaraja Rao is correct.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Masud Hussain Khan was an academic and linguist but is not recorded as the first Moortidevi Award recipient.
Swami Siva Balayogi is known as a spiritual leader, not as a literary awardee in this context.
Ramanlal Joshi may be associated with literature, yet he is not listed as the first recipient of the Moortidevi Literary Award in standard references.

Common Pitfalls:
Because the Moortidevi Award is less widely known than the Jnanpith Award, many candidates guess randomly or pick better known names without verifying. Another pitfall is mixing up recipients of different literary awards. Creating a small table that pairs each award with its first recipient can greatly reduce such errors in exams.

Final Answer:
The first Moortidevi Literary Award was given to C.K Nagaraja Rao.