SOURCE: HINDUSTAN TIMES
Grewal took top prize of $25,000 for his short story collection Dubolia, while Javed Boota and Arvinder Kaur were the other finalists honoured for their respective works Cholan Di Burki and Jhanjraan Wale Paer and won $10,000 CDN each
Balwinder Singh Grewal’s short story collection Dubolia won him the The Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature, 2022, while writers Javed Boota and Arvinder Kaur were the other finalists honoured for their respective works Cholan Di Burki and Jhanjraan Wale Paer at a ceremony in Surrey, British Columbia, on Thursday night.
The Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature was founded almost a decade ago in Metro Vancouver and awards a total of $45,000 CDN to three writers: The winner takes home $25,000 CDN and two additional finalists get $10,000 CDN each.
Tap on the shoulder: Grewal
“The Dhahan Prize is a huge tap on my shoulder,” Grewal said of his short story collection Dubolia (the Diver). “I am happy and inspired to continue my creative journey with a greater sense of gratitude and responsibility,” he said in a release.
Grewal and Arvinder Kaur hail from India, while Boota lives at Chantilly, Virginia, USA.
Speaking at the gathering about his short story collection, Cholan Di Burki (A Mouth Full of Rice), written in Shahmukhi script, Boota said, “From an early age I have been influenced by Punjabi culture and language. This led me to explore my interests and curiosity in Punjabi literature. With this prize, I will have more desire to write and promote Punjabi.”