Kalinga Literary Festival Awards 16 Books Across 12 Genres

The 2025 Kalinga Literary Festival Book Awards, held at the India International Centre in New Delhi, celebrated excellence across 12 literary categories. Attended by Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, the event recognized outstanding contributions in fiction, non-fiction, poetry, translation, business, debut writing, and children’s literature in English and Hindi.

This year, award winners received Rs 1 lakh, a citation, a trophy and a traditional shawl. 

KLF Book Awards 2025 | List of Winners

English Language Winners

Non-Fiction:

- Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore's Interregnum (1760-1799) – Dr Vikram Sampath (Penguin)

- The Sherpa Trail: Stories from Darjeeling and Beyond – Nandini Purandare & Deepa Balsavar (Roli Books)

Fiction:

- The Girl with the Seven Lives – Vikas Swarup (Simon & Schuster)

- The Enclave: A Sharp and Hilarious Portrait of Womanhood in India – Rohit Manchanda (HarperCollins)

Poetry:

- I’ll Have It Here – Jeet Thayil (HarperCollins)

Business:

- Digital Fortunes: A Value Investor’s Guide to the New Economy – Smarak Swain (Bloomsbury India)

Translation:

- Ten Days of the Strike: Selected Stories – Sandipan Chattopadhyay, translated from Bengali by Arunava Sinha (HarperCollins)

Debut Writing:

- The Many Lives of Syeda X: The Story of an Unknown Indian – Neha Dixit (Juggernaut)

Children’s Literature:

- Laxmi Panda: The Story of Netaji's Youngest Spy – Savie Karnel (Westland)

Hindi Language Winners

Non-Fiction:

- Over the Top: OTT ka Mayajaal – Anant Vijay (Prabhat Prakashan)

Fiction:

- Vanya – Manisha Kulsherstha (Rajpal and Sons)

- Kissagram – Prabhat Ranjan (Rajpal and Sons)

Poetry:

- Dharm Wah Naav Nahin

– Shirish Kumar Maurya (Rajkamal Prakashan)

Translation:

- Charu, Chivar Aur Charya – Pradeep Das, translated by Sujata Shiven (Penguin)

Debut Writing:

- Chakka Jaam – Gautam Choubey (Rajkamal Prakashan)

Special Citation:

- Gaanv Se Bees Postcard – Shiv Balak Misra (Westland - Eka)

In addition, awards for literature in Sanskrit and Odia will be presented at the upcoming festival taking place in Bhubaneswar from 21-23 March 2025.