On September 30, Valley of Words announced the winners of all eight categories of its book awards –in both English and Hindi languages. The literary award honours fiction, non-fiction, books for young adults, and books for children. The jury received more than 400 nominations from 37 publishing houses across the country. The longlist of ten books per category was brought down to a final five in the shortlist before a winner was picked from each category.

Each member on the jury was assigned one category – Ishtiaq Ahmed (English Nonfiction), Surekha Dangwal (English Fiction), Menaka Raman (Writings for Young Adults), Rajeev Sharma (Hindi Nonfiction), Alka Saraogi (Hindi Fiction), Paro Anand (Writings for Children), Padmaja Ghorpade (Translations to Hindi), and Ranjita Biswas (Translations into English).

Here is the list of all eight winners:

English fiction

The Odd Book of Baby Names, Anees Salim

The odd book of baby names has been custom-made on palace stationery for the patriarch, an eccentric king, one of the last kings of India, who dutifully records in it the name of his every offspring. As he bitterly draws his final breaths, eight of his one hundred rumoured children trace the savage lies of their father and reckon with the burdens of their lineage.

Layered with multiple perspectives and cadences, each tale recounted in sharp, tantalising vignettes, The Odd Book of Baby Names is a rich tapestry of narratives and a kaleidoscopic journey into the dysfunctional heart of the Indian family.

English Nonfiction

Tagore & Gandhi: Walking Alone, Walking Together, Rudrangshu Mukherjee

Tagore and Gandhi were both born in the 1860s and, through their very different spheres of activity, became figures of global renown and shapers of modern India. They also shared a deep personal friendship which was robust enough to bear the strain of differences on many public issues through the 1920s and 30s. Gandhi always addressed Tagore as Gurudev and sought Tagore’s blessings at every critical juncture of his Indian public career. Tagore openly acknowledged Gandhi as the greatest Indian of his time.

In Tagore and Gandhi: Walking Alone, Walking Together, Rudrangshu Mukherjee explores their relationship through their differences expressed in their writings and letters to each other and also tries to understand the beliefs that acted as the bond between the two of them. They differed with each other without a hint of acrimony, and they looked towards building an India that was inclusive and free from hatred and bigotry.

Writings for Young Adults

Savi and the Memory Keeper, Bijal Vachharajani

If Savi were to make a list of things that were the absolute worst, moving to Shajarpur would be right on top. Well, right after the point about missing her father. And death. And her new school, with the most stuck-up of classmates. Worse, she is now part of an eco club in which they make fun of her for not having enough green gyaan. And those stuck-up classmates seem to be her new friends. Wait, what? How did that happen? But Savi is too busy figuring out why in the world she, a certified brown thumb, is suddenly able to talk to us (her plants) and to the ginormous ficus tree, whose heartwood seems full of secrets.

Writings/Picture Books for Children

Aai and I, Mamta Nainy, illustrated by Sanket Pethkar

Aadya looks just like her mother (Aai) – same little nose, same delicate ears, same big eyes and identical thick, long hair. But one day, Aai goes away to a big hospital with a promise to return before Aadya learns her next Math lesson. The long-awaited return shocks Aadya because now her mother looks completely unlike her. She wonders if Aai will ever greet her with her usual, cheery, ‘Hello! Mini-me.’ Or will Aadya have to take matters into her own hands just to hear that again?

With lyrical prose and a tender touch, Aai and I is an empowering story of the bond between a mother and a daughter, and of the little one finding her own identity as she finds herself no longer ‘looking’ the same as her mother.

Translation to English

Amader Shantiniketan, Shivani, translated from the Bengali by Ira Pande

Translated into English for the first time by Ira Pande, Amader Shantiniketan is a charming memoir and a loving homage to a grand institution and its legendary gurus. Written from the perspective of a child and young girl, it retains the freshness and innocence of an age when experimental education was still a new phenomenon.

Shivani’s vivid pictures of the Tagore’s Visva Bharati and portraits of her teachers and fellow students remain as alive as they seemed when she first wrote this memoir nearly fifty years ago. Along with this are the moving tributes she wrote when some of her beloved contemporaries passed away, this memoir captures the spirit of the schools and its students.

Hindi Fiction: Khela, Neelakshi Singh

Hindi Nonfiction: Jeete Ji Allahabad, Mamta Kalia

Translations to Hindi: Yaadon Ke Bikhre Moti: Batware ki Kahaniyan, Aanchal Malhotra, translated by Kamal Nayan Pandit