In the non-fiction category, there were three other books in the shortlist — The Day I Became A Runner by Sohini Chattopadhyay, The Yellow Sparrow by Santa Khurai, and H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars by Kunal Purohit.The fiction section had two other contenders on the shortlist — Acts of God by Kanan Gill, and Western Lane by Chetna Maroo.The jury also had the difficult task of zeroing in on one among a shortlist of literary luminaries for the Lifetime Achievement Award, the top honour instituted in the name of the group’s iconic founder by Chairman and Managing Director Manoj Sonthalia. Chaired by Pavan K Varma, former Ambassador and author, the external jury consisted of former foreign secretary and writer Vikas Swarup and the popular writer on history Manu S Pillai. They were joined by an internal jury comprising Editor Santwana Bhattacharya and Consulting Editor Ravi Shankar.The first edition of the awards was announced at the Odisha Literary Festival 2023 to honour wordsmiths and their invaluable contribution to the world of literature.For a lifetime of speaking against discrimination, Perumal Murugan, the author of Madhorubagan (One Part Woman) and Pookuzhi (Pyre), was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman for Literary Excellence.Researcher and writer Anirudh Kanisetti won the award in the Best Non-Fiction category for his relentless commitment to unravelling the hidden stories of India’s past and bringing history to life in his work Lords of the Deccan.The literary star of 2023, Devika Rege, whose debut novel Quarterlife’s depth and maturity astounded one and all, won the award in the Best Fiction category.The shortlisting of literary works by authors was done by a jury headed by the late Bibek Debroy.
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