Vancouver-based global Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature announces 2022 finalists
The annual honour is the largest international literary award for fiction in the Punjabi language
Arvinder Kaur Dhaliwal.
THE DHAHAN PRIZE for Punjabi Literature has announced its 2022 nominees.
The awards aim to bridge Punjabi communities and promote Punjabi literature on a global scale by awarding $25,000 annually to the best book of fiction published in either the Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi script, along with two finalist prizes of $10,000 each.
This year’s Dhahan Prize finalists are: Jhanjaran Wale Paer (‘Feet with Tinkling Bells’), Short Stories by India’s Arvinder Kaur Dhaliwal; Dubolia (‘The Diver’), Short Stories by Balwinder Singh Grewal, who’s also based in India; and Chaulan Di Burki (‘A Mouthful of Rice’), Short Stories by U.S.-based writer Javed Boota.
The winner will be announced at a ceremony on November 17 at the Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel.
Established in Vancouver in 2013, the Dhahan Prize is the largest international literary award for fiction books in the Punjabi language. The award sets the stage for aspiring and established writers to reach broader multilingual audiences and aims to “cross borders” in “recognizing the best in Punjabi fiction, from Amritsar to Abbotsford, and London to Lahore”. Punjabi is the third most spoken language in Canada.
“Each language carries its own knowledge, its own spirituality, and its own cultural and intellectual richness,” says Canada India Education Society co-founder Barj S. Dhahan. “I’ve seen how the loss of language can be devastating to a person, family and community. I am committed to preserving our mother tongue and the wealth of history and stories embedded in Punjabi.”
The prize is awarded by the Canada India Education Society and was created in partnership with UBC’s department of Asian studies, home to one of the longest standing and most extensive Punjabi language and literature programs in North America. It is funded by Barj and Rita Dhahan along with some of their family members and friends.
“Punjabi literature expresses the unique cultural ethos of this global community, describing the social, cultural, and political lives of Punjabis in South Asia and around the world,” the Dhahan Prize states on its website. “It is modern – with a commitment to social engagement and critique – but also draws on a rich, centuries-old literary reservoir that includes Sheikh Farid, Guru Nanak, Waris Shah, Damodar, Amrita Pritam, Shiv Kumar, and Ustad Damman.”
More information is at https://dhahanprize.com/about/.
Javed Boota.
Balwinder Singh Grewal.
