Punjabi language has been spoken in Vancouver for over one hundred years, something the organizers of the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature highlighted at their first annual awards gala. To celebrate the legacy of Punjabi in the city, Mayor Gregor Robertson and the City of Vancouver proclaimed October 25, 2014 as “Punjabi Literature Day.”
The gala took place at Museum of Anthropology at University of British Columbia.
Based in Vancouver, Canada, the Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature aims to inspire the creation of Punjabi literature across borders, bridging Punjabi communities around the world, and promoting Punjabi literature on a global scale. The Dhahan Prize is awarded by Canada India Education Society (CIES) in partnership with the Department of Asian Studies in the Faculty of Arts at University of British Columbia (UBC).
The Dhahan Prize awards $25,000 CDN annually to one best book of fiction published in either of the two Punjabi scripts, Gurmukhi or Shahmukhi. This year’s first prize winner is Avtar Singh Billing for his book, Khali Khoohaan di Katha (The Story of Empty Wells), which will be translated from Gurmukhi to English next year. Two runner-up prizes of $5,000 CDN were also awarded to Zubair Ahmad from Pakistan, and Jasbir Singh Bhullar from India. Both Avtar Singh Billing and Zubair Ahmad travelled to Vancouver to receive their awards.
Celebrated Punjabi author, Waryam Singh Sandhu, whose stories have been translated into many languages and adapted into television and radio dramas, delivered a keynote address on the state of Punjabi Literature, followed by an English translation by local author, Ajmer Rode.
For more information, visit www.dhahanprize.com.
Photo caption:
(from left) Zubair Ahmad, Stewart Beck, Avtar S Billing, Budh S Dhahan, Harinder K Dhahan, Manjit Thandi, Kashmir K Dhahan, Amrik Virk
Photo Credit: Chandra Bodalia
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