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Arts & Culture Last Updated: Feb 13, 2017 - 1:45:37 AM


Indian Author Parashar Kulkarni Wins the 2016 Commonwealth Short Story Prize
By Commonwealth Writers
Jun 5, 2016 - 2:02:46 PM

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Prize promotes strong new voices from across the Commonwealth


Parashar Kulkarni is the first Indian writer to win the prestigious Commonwealth Short Story Prize for his story ‘Cow and Company’. Set in colonial India in the early 1900s, it is a story about four men in search of a cow as part of an advertising campaign for chewing gum. Gillian Slovo, Chair of the Judging Panel, said, “In 'Cow and Company' Parashar has conjured up a large cast and their way of life, and at the same time he has succeeded in exploring serious issues in a way that can make us laugh – and all of this in a few thousand words.”

The award was presented at the Calabash International Literary Festival in Jamaica on 5 June by Man Booker Prize Winner and former judge of the Commonwealth Short Story Prize Marlon James.

Parashar Kulkarni is an Assistant Professor in Social Sciences at Yale NUS College Singapore, working at the intersection of religion and political economy. He won the British Academy Brian Barry Prize in Political Science (2015) for his research on religion, property rights and violence against women in colonial India. "I am very happy to receive the Commonwealth Short Story Prize which provides an inclusive, accessible and international platform for participation which is particularly helpful for new writers,” said Parashar.

In its fifth year, the Prize is for the best piece of unpublished short fiction in English. It is judged by an international panel of writers, representing each of the five regions of the Commonwealth. The 2016 judges are Helon Habila (Africa), Firdous Azim (Asia), Pierre Mejlak (Canada and Europe), Olive Senior (Caribbean) and Patrick Holland (Pacific).

The other regional winners are ‘The Pigeon’ by Faraaz Mahomed (South Africa), ‘Eel’ by Stefanie Seddon (United Kingdom), ‘Ethelbert and the Free Cheese’ by Lance Dowrich (Trinidad and Tobago), and ‘Black Milk’ by Tina Makereti (New Zealand).

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