Longlisted Titles for 4th Annual Kalinga Literary Festival Book Awards

Bhubaneswar: The Kalinga Literary Festival (KLF) has announced the longlisted titles in English and Hindi for its prestigious annual KLF Book Awards, celebrating outstanding literary works across diverse genres, in-cluding fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s literature, business, translations, and debut works.

The longlist is a testament to Kalinga Literary Festival’s mission of honoring the best in contemporary literature. The shortlist will be revealed on January 30, 2025, and the winners will be announced on February 15, 2025 at IIC, New Delhi in a glittering ceremony. Additionally, the longlisted titles in Odia will be announced on February first week.

KLF Book Awards will be conferred in 6 Hindi Categories, 7 English Categories, Award winner will get Rs 1 lakh in each categories. The KLF Book Awards will be held onFebruary 15, 2025 at IIC, New Delhi.

This year’s longlist English includes notable works such as VikasSwarup’s ‘The Girl with the Seven Lives’ Upamanyu Chatterjee’s book “Lorenzo Searches for the Meaning of Life”, Dr. VikramSampath’s “Tipu Sultan: The Saga of Mysore’s Interregnum (1760-1799)”, Manu S. Pillai’s “Gods, Guns, and Missionaries:The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity,’SomnathBatabyal’s ‘Red River’, Tania James’s ‘Loot’, Dilip Sinha’s ‘Imperial Games in Tibet’ ,TridipSuhrud’s ‘The Dairy of Manu Gandhi (1946-1948)’ ,Smarak Swain’s ‘Digital Fortunes: A Value Investor’s Guide to the New Economy’, Ravi Chaudhry’s “Capitalism to Peopleism” and others . These selections exempl-ify the rich tapestry of narratives that the KLF Book Awards aim to honor.The KLF Book Awards are not just accolades but a celebration of the enduring power of literature to connect, inspire, and transform.

This year’s longlist Hindi includes notable works such as acclaimed writers Anant Vijay’s ‘Over The Top: OTT kaMayajaal’,Vimal Chandra Pandey’s ‘Dasasmedh’, Garima Srivastava’s ‘Hindi Navjagran : Itihas, GalpAur-Stree-Prashn’ , NeeleshMisra’s ‘Gaanv Se Bees Postcard’, Kabeer Sanjay’s ‘Godavan : More Angana Ki Son Chi-raiya’, Yatish Kumar’s ‘BorsiBharAanch | AteetKaSair-been’, Manisha Kulsherstha’s ‘Vanya’. PrabhatRanjan’s ‘Kissagram’, BhagwandasMorwal’s ‘Kans’, Sarvesh Tiwari ‘Shreemukh’;s ‘Poornahuti’, Devi Prasad Mishra’s ‘Koi Hai Jo’ are among the titles selected for the longlist of the KLF Book Awards (Hindi).

Quotes from KLF Leadership
Mr. RashmiRanjanParida, Founder and Director of Kalinga Literary Festival, shared, “The KLF Book Awards’ Vision is to strengthen the power of literature to shape the future. With each longlist, we aim to spotlight works that pave the way for transformative ideas and dialogues, setting the stage for a more thoughtful and connected world.”

Mr. Ashok Kumar Bal, CEO of KLF, remarked, “Our mission with the KLF Book Awards is to provide a credi-ble platform for recognizing exceptional literary talent, bridging gaps between languages and cultures, and nurturing a deeper appreciation for the written word among readers and writers alike.”

This prestigious event will honor 15 outstanding books across English, Hindi, and Sanskrit languages, cele-brating literary excellence and promoting India’s rich cultural heritage. Additionally, 4 exceptional books in the Odia language will be recognized during the annual Kalinga Literary Festival in Bhubaneswar from March 21-23, 2025.

This year, KLF received an overwhelming response from publishers, writers, and readers, with over 2000 nominations submitted for the awards.