Kritika Pandey scoops 2020 Commonwealth Short Story grand prize
Saturday July 11 2020
Indian writer Kritika Pandey has won the overall 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her story The Great Indian Tee and Snakes. PHOTO | COURTESY
Indian writer Kritika Pandey has won the overall 2020 Commonwealth Short Story Prize for her story The Great Indian Tee and Snakes.
Ms Pandey was announced winner by the Chair of the 2020 judging panel, Ghanaian writer and editor, Nii Ayikwei Parkes during the competition’s first ever award ceremony broadcast online on June 30, because of the restrictions brought about by Covid-19. The award comes with a cash prize worth £5,000 ($6,254).
“I have experienced every possible emotion ever since I received the news. At times, I’m overwhelmed with joy, gratitude, and a sense of fulfillment or reeling with disbelief. At other times, I am devastated by the fate of my fictional characters who seem all too real to me, a feeling compounded by the tragedies presently unfolding around us. More than anything else, this prize strengthens my will to write,” she said.
Ages-old riddle
Ms Pandey’s winning story The Great Indian Tee and Snakes tells of an unlikely friendship which reaches across the religious divide, set against the background of a tea-seller’s stall. She writes of two young people trying to solve the ages-old riddle of human existence: How can love overcome the forces of hatred and prejudice?
Ms Pandey is a Pushcart-nominated Indian writer and a final year candidate for a Master of Fine Arts at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the US. She is a recipient of a 2020 grant from the Elizabeth George Foundation.
The Great Indian Tee and Snakes was the winning entry from Asia. In partnership with Commonwealth Writers, the literary magazine Granta publishes online all the regional winners of Short Story Prize.