A retired transportation department employee has won the most lucrative Punjabi literary prize in the world. Jinder, who lives in Jalandhar City in Punjab, is this year’s recipient of the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature. His book, Safety Kit, is a collection of short stories in Gurmukhi script. The prize comes with a $25,000 cheque and a hand-crafted trophy.
“I cannot express in words the joy of winning this prestigious award,” Jinder said. “I never dreamt that I would receive it in Canada. Now I feel a greater responsibility towards my writings.”
One of the stories in Safety Kit is about a young woman who struggles with deciding whether to become a sex worker abroad to support her family in Punjab.
The announcement of Jinder’s award occurred at a gala event on November 14 at the Northview Golf and Country Club in Surrey. The two runners-up, Surinder Neer and Shahzad Aslam, each received a trophy and a $10,000 cheque.
Neer is the Kashmir-based author of Taboo, which is a collection of short stories in Gurmukhi.
“I was so thrilled to be a finalist of the Dhahan Prize that I got goosebumps,” Neer said. “It’s a big honour for me. It also recognizes the entire literature of Jammu and Kashmir at the global level.”
Aslam, a Pakistani court judge in Lahore, wrote Jungle Rakhey Jag De in Shahmukhi script. It is also a collection of short stories.
“To be acknowledged as a writer through a prestigious award is to know that the journey is worth travelling,” Aslam said. “My passion for writing has now turned into euphoria.”
Dhahan Prize launched in 2013
Gurmukhi is commonly used in India whereas Shahmukhi is more common in Pakistan. The Dhahan Prize will spend $6,000 transliterating the two Gurmukhi books into Shahmukhi and the Shahmukhi book into Gurmukhi.
Vancouver businessman Barj Dhahan and his wife Rita founded the Dhahan Prize, which was launched in 2013 by the Canada India Education Society and UBC. RBC is the presenting partner. In addition, RBC, the Dhahans, and their family and friends are the primary funders.
“Our goal is to make known the excellent works of Punjabi fiction that are released each year, to the wider public,” Dhahan said. “As an organization, 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.
“We hope that through transliteration, more of these curated books will make it into the hands of Punjabis around the world.”
Meanwhile at the November 14 event, Dhahan also announced a new $200,000 Dhahan Luminaries Award. This sum includes $50,000 in matching funds from UBC. According to Dhahan Prize organizers, these new awards will go to a minimum of 42 master’s students studying Punjabi over the next six years at five universities.
RBC Dominion Securities – Harj & Darshan Grewal, G.L. Smith Planning and Design Inc., Adrian Keenan Personal Real Estate Corporation (ReMax, Mayne-Pender), SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement, and Tim Hortons sponsored this year’s award.
For more information about the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature, visit the website. Follow Pancouver on X @PancouverMedia.
