Thaindian News

New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) South Asian literature is trying to position itself globally with a new award from India being announced Tuesday for the best fiction on the region.
The first winner of the award known as the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, which carries a purse of $50,000, will be announced in January 2011.

The DSC Ltd, which sponsors the Jaipur Literature Festival, Tuesday announced the advisory committee comprising stalwarts like David Godwin, publisher and literary agent from UK, Lord Meghnad Desai, eminent writer and professor emeritus of the London School of Economics, Michael Worton, vice-provost, University College of London, editor-author M.J. Akbar, author Nayantara Sahgal, businesswoman and fund-raiser Surina Narula, Senath Walter Perera, specialist on Sri Lankan writing in English, Tina Brown, editor of Daily Beast, Urvashi Butalia, publisher and co-founder of Kali For Women and William Dalrymple, the British writer.

“This prize is different from the others. It does not take into account the author’s ethnicity and nationality. An author based in Europe or US can write about India and can meet the jury’s expectation to win the prize. The book has to be in English - and it could also be an English translation of a book in a vernacular Indian language,” Manhad Narula, director of DSC and member of the DSC Prize Steering Committee said.

The prize was expected to enrich the literary heritage of South Asia and “encourage new and emerging writers”.

The long list of authors for the awards will be announced by DSC in September followed by the list of winners in October. The panel of judges will comprise persons of eminence in literature, arts and culture.

“The submissions have just started coming in and will continue to do so till April,” Narula said.

Explaining the nature of the prize, writer and advisory board member Namita Gokhale said the books had to be about “South Asia, its people, its diaspora and the Indian community, written in English”.

“It is meant to turn the literary gaze to South Asia,” Gokhale said.

She is the co-director of the Jaipur Literature Festival.

The definition of South Asia, said publisher Urvashi Butalia, was “not permanently fixed”.

“The whole world is changing and the boundaries are blurring. It is a prize that rejects the idea of nationality,” she said.

Butalia cited the example a Slovenian nun Maria Sjres who wrote about tribal life and myths in Madhya Pradesh. “We at Zubaan (Butalia’s publishing house) published her book,” she said.

“Let’s not treat the award as a visa restriction. The focus is South Asia,” Gokhale said.