Katha Prize Stories: 2

Asha Bage is a Marathi novelist. She was awarded with the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2006 for her novel Bhoomi.

Atulananda Goswami is an Assamese short story writer and novelist. His works have been met with great acclaim over his lengthy literary career. He has also been involved in the translation of many English, Bengali and Oriya texts into Assamese, and of Assamese into English. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2006 for his short story collection Seneh Jarir Ganthi, the Ambikagiri Roy Choudhury Sahitya Bota in 1991, the Kumar Kishore Sowarani Bota in 1997, the Katha Award in 1992 and the Sneha Bharati Sahitya Samman in 1998.

B Jayamohan published his first story and his first poem in 1978 when he was 16 years old. His first novel Rubber won the Akilon Memorial Prize for 1990. Tarkala Malayala Kavidaigal, a collection of poems edited by him was published in 1991.

Bhupen Khakhar (1934–2003) was a pioneering Gujarati artist and writer, best known as one of India’s most influential modern painters. Though trained as a chartered accountant, he turned to art and also wrote essays and fiction in Gujarati, marked by wit and social observation. Associated with the Baroda Group, his work explored middle‑class life, sexuality, and identity with bold honesty. Khakhar received the Padma Shri and international acclaim for his contribution to Indian contemporary culture. He passed away in 2003.

Bimal Kar (1911–2003) was a prominent Bengali novelist and short story writer known for his realistic portrayal of urban life, moral dilemmas, and social change in twentieth‑century Bengal. His writing reflects human psychology, ethical conflict, and the struggles of the middle class. Notable works include Shikto Godhuli, Dewali, and Rajar Jatra. Kar’s clear narrative style and social insight earned him a respected place in modern Bengali literature. He passed away in 2003.

Dhruva Shukla is a poet and novelist who writes for children and adults. His works include a few novels, several poems and short stories. He was the assistant editor of Poorvagraha, the literary journal in Hindi, brought out by Bharat Bhavan, Bhopal.

Geeta Dharmarajan loves writing for children. She received the Padma Shri in 2012 for her work in literature and education. She was also the joint winner of the Business Standard Award for Social Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018.

Gopinath Mohanty (1914–1994) was a prominent Odia novelist and short story writer, with a body of work that includes over twenty-two novels, eight collections of short stories, three plays, two books on tribal culture, and seven translations. As a member of the Odisha Administrative Service, Mohanty dedicated much of his career to researching the life and culture of the tribal communities in Odisha. His firsthand experiences allowed him to provide a deeply humanistic portrayal of the Kandha and Paraja tribes. He received the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel Amruta Santana in 1955 and the Jnanpith Award in 1973 for his novel Matimatala. In 1981, he was honoured with the Padma Bhushan.

Littérateur, playwright, critic, travel writer, screenwriter M T Vasudevan Nair is one of the most outstanding writers of India.

Born at Kudallur village in Palghat, Kerala in 1933, MT began contributing to periodicals very early in life. The first collection of his short stories was published before he completed his graduation from Victoria College, Palghat. He joined the Malayalam magazine Mathrubhumi in 1956, and later became its editor.

He has won the Sahitya Akademi Award for his novel, Kaalam; the President’s Gold Medal for the film Nirmalyam – written, produced and directed by him; The Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award thrice for his novel, Naalukettu; his short story collection Swargam Turakkunna Samayam and play, Gopuranatayil. He received the Vayalar Award for his novel Randamoozham and the National Award for Best Screenplay for Oru Vadakkan Veera Gatha, Sadayam and Kadavu. MT was awarded the Katha Award for Creative Fiction for the story Cheriya Cheriya Bhookambangal in 1992. He received the prestigious Jnanpith award in 1995. The Padma Bhushan Award was conferred upon him in 2005. MT lives in Calicut.

Manju Kak is a freelance journalist and writer. Among other things, she has worked for several years as a teacher and broadcaster. She also designs and paints and is interested in film production.

Milind Bokil is a sociologist with a PhD in social anthropology. He has done several socio-economic studies of development projects and voluntary agencies. An activist, he has worked in tribal and economically backward areas. His first collection of short stories was released in 1992.

Mohan Parmar is a Gujarati critic, short story writer and novelist. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2011 for his collection of short stories Anchalo.

Rentala Nageswara Rao has written several fiction and non-fiction books, many of which have received awards from leading Telugu magazines.

Rukun Advani has a PhD on E.M. Forster from Cambridge University and has served in the Editorial Department of the Oxford University Press.

Shyamal Gangopadhyay was a Bengali novelist. He won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1993 for his novel Shahjada Darasukoh.

Subrabharatimanian was born in 1956 in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu. He has published several collections of short stories.

Vaidehi is one of the most prominent Indian women writers, and is a recipient of state and national literary awards. She received the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2009 for her collection Krauncha Pakshigalu.

Vivek Shanbag is a Kannada writer, playwright and novelist. His works have also been translated into English and various Indian languages.

Zamiruddin Ahmad is considered a front-ranking short story writer in Urdu. His published works include short story collections, critical essays, plays and TV serials. A journalist by profession, he migrated from India to Pakistan in 1947 and then to England in 1971. He served as a broadcaster for the BBC, the Voice of America, Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television.