Jammu girl among finalists awarded Dhahan Prize 2024

Srinagar, Nov 15: The world's signature prize for Punjabi fiction has announced its 11th annual winner. The writer, Jinder, from Jalandhar, Punjab has been awarded a price of $25,000 CAD award for his short story collection titled 'Safety Kit.'

Alongside him, Shahzad Aslam from Lahore, Punjab of Pakistan and Surinder Neer from Jammu were awarded $10,000 CAD each as two finalists. Aslam was recognized 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), said an official handout.

An additional $6,000 CAD was awarded for the transliteration of the three books into Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi, said the handout.

The Dhahan Prize, based in Richmond, B.C., 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.”

Awardees were presented with their awards, along with a hand-crafted trophy, during the ceremonies held November 14, 2024, at Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey, B.C., the handout read.

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.

Shahzad Aslam shared, “To be acknowledged as a writer through a prestigious award is to know that the journey is worth traveling. 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 recognizes the entire literature of Jammu and Kashmir at the global level.”

During a press conference on Sep 12, 2024 at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey Campus, Zubair Ahmad, Chair of the Dhahan Prize Advisory Board noted, “the shortlisted books encompass current issues relating to Punjabis in several countries. Themes include the environment, women’s empowerment, caste, human relationships between males and females, Punjabi diaspora and more."

“The authors have demonstrated excellent command of storytelling. We also feel we have good candidates for English translation,” he said.

Since its launch in 2013 by the Canada India Education Society (CIES) and the University of British Columbia (UBC), the Dhahan Prize has garnered critical acclaim and significant exposure for aspiring and established writers, setting the stage for their books to reach broader, multilingual audiences.

The Dhahan Prize was established in Vancouver, British Columbia, 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, the handout read.