Jalandhar’s Jinder wins Dhahan Prize for Punjabi literature
Takes home $25K award for his short story collection, Safety Kit; two other finalists, Shahzad Aslam of Lahore and Surinder Neer of Jammu, win $10K each for Jungle Rakhey Jag De and Taboo.
Jalandhar-based writer Jinder has won the $25,000 (CAD) 11th annual Dhahan Prize for his short story collection, Safety Kit.
Alongside him, Shahzad Aslam of Lahore and Surinder Neer of Jammu were awarded $10,000 CAD each as two finalists. Aslam was recognised for his short story collection, Jungle Rakhey Jag De, and Neer, for her short story collection, Taboo.
Safety Kit and Taboo were written in the Gurmukhi script (commonly used in India), while Jungle Rakhey Jag De was written in the Shahmukhi script (commonly used in Pakistan).
An additional $6,000 CAD was awarded for the transliteration of the three books into Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi.
The Dhahan Prize, based in Richmond, BC, is the largest international literary award for fiction books in the Punjabi language.
“I cannot express in words the joy of winning this prestigious award,” said Jinder. “I never dreamt that I would receive it in Canada. Now I feel a greater responsibility towards my writings,” he said in a release.
Shahzad Aslam said, “To be acknowledged as a writer through a prestigious award is to know that the journey is worth travelling. My passion for writing has now turned into euphoria.”
Surinder Neer noted, “I was so thrilled to be a finalist of the Dhahan Prize that I got goosebumps. It’s a big honour for me. It also recognises the entire literature of Jammu and Kashmir at the global level.”
The awardees were presented a hand-crafted trophy during the ceremony held at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey, BC, on Thursday.
Part of the ceremony included MLA Raj Chouhan presenting the proclamation of Punjabi Literature Week by the Province of British Columbia. Carole Richardson, executive assistant to Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, also gave the city’s proclamation of the same. The City of Vancouver gave its proclamation a day earlier.
During a press conference on September 12, Zubair Ahmad, the Chair of the Dhahan Prize advisory board, said: “The shortlisted books encompass current issues relating to Punjabis in several countries. Themes include the environment, women’s empowerment, caste, human relationships and Punjabi diaspora.
Prize founder Barj S Dhahan added: “Our goal is to make known the excelling works of Punjabi fiction that are released each year, to the wider public. As an organisation, we have always strived for the bridging of the two Punjabs with the diaspora Punjab. Transliteration is one of the most effective ways to do that.”
The Dhahan Prize was established in Vancouver, where Punjabi people, language, and culture have a rich history. Punjabi is now the 3rd most spoken language in Canada, and is a strong thread in the multicultural fabric of the nation.