Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Indian writer wins Commonwealth Short Story Prize

The Commonwealth Foundation announced Sanjana Thakur as the overall winner at an online ceremony presented by New Zealand's former poet laureate Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh

Indian writer wins Commonwealth Short Story Prize

Sanjana Thakur's short story Aishwarya Rai has been declared the overall winner of the 2024 Commonwealth Short Story Prize.

The 26-year-old writer from Mumbai was earlier declared the Asia region winner. The other regional winners included Julie Bouchard from Canada, Pip Robertson from New Zealand, Reena Usha Rungoo from Mauritius, and Portia Subran from Trinidad and Tobago.


The Commonwealth Foundation announced Sanjana's win at an online ceremony, presented by New Zealand’s former poet laureate Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh. Sanjana and the other four regional winners spoke about their writing and read short extracts from their stories.

Titled after famous Bollywood actress, Aishwarya Rai reimagines the traditional adoption story in reverse, in which a young woman seeks to hire an ideal mother.

The main character, Avni, chooses between possible mothers living in a local shelter.

The first one is too clean and the second looks like the real-life Aishwarya Rai. In her small Mumbai apartment with too-thin walls and a too-small balcony, Avni dreams of stepping into white limousines, and tries out different mothers from the shelter for the correct fit.

Chair of the judges, Ugandan-British novelist Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi said, "In Aishwarya Rai, Sanjana Thakur employs brutal irony, sarcasm, cynicism and wry humour packaged in tight prose and stanza-like paragraphs to confront us with the fracturing of family and the self as a result of modern urban existence. No matter which city you live in, you’ll recognise the stress-induced conditions like insomnia, restless leg, panic attacks and an obsession with a celebrity kind of beauty, in this this case, Bollywood."

Rarely do we see satire pulled off so effortlessly, Makumbi added.

Singaporean short story writer O Thiam Chin, one of the judges, said Aishwarya Rai is "a provocative and mesmerising story from start to end".

He said the story with its hypnotic prose and lyrical magic realism, pulls readers into the compelling story of a young woman’s earnest but fumbling search for an ideal mother.

"The power of Sanjana Thakur’s story reminds us that the best of fiction peels back the hard skin of life and grants us the privilege of feeling every flutter and pulse of its raw, quivering heart," he added.

Sanjana, who currently lives in the US, described her story as ‘a Mumbai story’. She will bag a prize money of £5,000 and a two-year London Library membership.

"I've spent ten out of twenty-six years living in countries not my own. India, where I'm from, is simultaneously strange and familiar, accepting and rejecting. Writing stories is a way for me to accept that Mumbai is a city I will long for even when I am in it; it is a way to remake 'place' in my mind. I feel that the Commonwealth Short Story Prize offers that chance up to all of us: to be a writer who is from 'somewhere', to write from inside a legacy of colonialism and migration. I am so incredibly grateful to the prize for recognising that stories are not written in a vacuum," she said.

Sanjana observed that writing is so often thought of as a solitary act. "And yet, the truth is, the thing that has made the biggest difference to my work is community. It is my community — my teachers, family, and friends — whose support, belief, and love carries me through what is a deeply fulfilling but also frustrating and challenging practice.

"Now, the Commonwealth Foundation has given me this opportunity to be a part of their community, their lineage of incredible artists and people, and I could not be more grateful... I cannot express how wholly honoured I am to be the recipient of this incredible prize. I hope I continue writing stories that people want to read. Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Sanjana has a degree in English and Anthropology from Wellesley College and is currently pursuing an MFA in Fiction at UT Austin's New Writers Project. Her short story ‘Backstroke’ was published in The Southampton Review.

The last time an Indian writer won this prize was Kritika Pandey in 2020.

There were 7,359 entrants worldwide and entries were submitted in many languages other than English. They include Bengali, Chinese, Creole, French, Greek, Malay, Portuguese, Samoan, Swahili, Tamil and Turkish.

The literary magazine Granta has already published the prize-winning stories of the 2024 Commonwealth Short Story regional winners, including Aishwarya Rai.

More For You

11th UK Gatka Championship

All winners received medals and trophies

UK Parliament

11th UK Gatka Championship ends with Welsh debut and £1,000 support for Gatka Akharas

Highlights:

  • The 11th UK National Gatka Championship was hosted near Cardiff, marking the first time in Wales.
  • Winners included Roop Kaur (girls), Navjot Singh (boys), and Gurdeep Singh (men’s).
  • Gatka Federation UK awarded £1,000 to each participating Akhara to support martial arts promotion.
  • Chief guests included MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation.

Gatka Championship marks Welsh debut

The 11th UK National Gatka Championship concluded on a high note near Cardiff, Wales, showcasing the traditional Sikh martial art with flair. Seven leading Gatka Akharas participated, thrilling spectators with their lightning-fast strikes, precision moves and elegant techniques.

Inauguration by global leaders

The tournament was inaugurated by Harjeet Singh Grewal, President of the World Gatka Federation (WGF) and the National Gatka Association of India (NGAI). He was joined by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi MP, President of Gatka Federation UK, alongside other dignitaries including Jagbir Singh Jagga Chakar, President of Wales Kabaddi Club, and community leaders from the Haveli Hotel Pontyclun.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vantara

The site, located in Gujarat, houses hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards, and 900 crocodiles. (Photo: Instagram/Vantara)

India court probe clears Ambani family’s animal centre

AN INDIAN Supreme Court-ordered investigation has cleared a large private animal facility run by the son of Asia’s richest man, rejecting allegations of wildlife violations.

Vantara, described as the “world’s biggest wild animal rescue centre,” is operated by Anant Ambani, son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer

Starmer, who has faced negative coverage since taking office in July 2024, defended the appointment process.

Reuters

Starmer: I would not have appointed Mandelson if aware of Epstein ties

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer said on Monday he would not have appointed Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to Washington had he known the extent of his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

This was Starmer’s first public statement since dismissing Mandelson last week. The prime minister is facing questions over his judgement, including from Labour MPs, after initially standing by Mandelson before removing him from the post.

Keep ReadingShow less
Trump

Trump said the suspect had been arrested earlier for 'terrible crimes,' including child sex abuse, grand theft auto and false imprisonment, but was released under the Biden administration because Cuba refused to take him back.

Getty Images

Trump says accused in Dallas motel beheading will face first-degree murder charge

US PRESIDENT Donald Trump has described Chandra Mouli “Bob” Nagamallaiah, the Indian-origin motel manager killed in Dallas, as a “well-respected person” and said the accused will face a first-degree murder charge.

Nagamallaiah, 50, was killed last week at the Downtown Suites motel by co-worker Yordanis Cobos-Martinez, a 37-year-old undocumented Cuban immigrant with a criminal history.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer Mandelson

Starmer talks with Mandelson during a welcome reception at the ambassador's residence on February 26, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty

Starmer under pressure from party MPs after Mandelson dismissal

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is facing questions within the Labour party after the sacking of US ambassador Peter Mandelson.

Mandelson was removed last week after Bloomberg published emails showing messages of support he sent following Jeffrey Epstein’s conviction for sex offences. The dismissal comes just ahead of US president Donald Trump’s state visit.

Keep ReadingShow less