ABOUT
The Deodar Prize is an effort to recognise new themes and voices in literary fiction in India.
The deodar cedar is indigenous to the Himalayas, where its local name Devdar translates from the original Sanskrit as "timber of the gods". But during the British Raj, the pine tree — a more eroding species with better commercial value — got extensively cultivated in regions of Uttarakhand and Himachal. Today, we need more diverse and native varieties of plants (like the deodar) to build the resilience of our mountains. This prize is a tribute to the tree that grounds our soil, gives us its seed in the deodar cedar cone, and builds our home in the mountain
This year, the Deodar-BLF 2023 prize is dedicated to the "short story" — a format that goes back 5000 years. The Epic of Gilgamesh — the oldest recorded short story — reveals the emerging consciousness of humankind, as it was stepping out of the Neolithic era. But as a larger example, it shows us how stories best capture, and fossilise, the cultural imagination of any time.
This year, the Deodar-BLF 2023 prize is dedicated to the "short story" — a format that goes back 5000 years. The Epic of Gilgamesh — the oldest recorded short story — reveals the emerging consciousness of humankind, as it was stepping out of the Neolithic era. But as a larger example, it shows us how stories best capture, and fossilise, the cultural imagination of any time.
Winner and Runners-up
Winner
Srividya
Tadepalli
For 'Funeral for a Demon'
Srividya is a writer and educator based in Chennai. Her writing has appeared in Aleph Book Company's anthology, A Case of Indian Marvels: Dazzling Stories from the Country's Finest New Writers, edited by David Davidar; and in Helter Skelter's Anthology of New Writing, Volume 5.
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Runner-up
Samruddhi
Ghodgaonkar
For 'Bats of Paradise'
Samruddhi is an aspiring novelist and short story writer. Her short stories and literary reviews have appeared in The Inklette Magazine, Usawa Literary Review, The Bombay Literary Magazine, The Chakkar and others. She also has a monthly newsletter called ‘Experiments in Fiction’ on Substack.
→Read the story
→Read the story
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Runner-up
Ratul
Ghosh
For 'Ants'
Ratul Ghosh spent most of his left-brained life in the C-Suite across boring conglomerates and clueless startups, creating presentations with no power and no point. But, he loves the poets, from Elliot to Bukowsky, Ginsberg and Leonard Cohen, to Vikram Seth; and the writers who mix the real and imaginary worlds, like Pratchett, Gaiman and Murakami.
→Read the story
→Read the story
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Special Mentions
'Lambs in September'
Sourabh Gupta
Noida
Sourabh Gupta
Noida
'The Older Woman'
Srila Roy
Johannesburg, South Africa
Srila Roy
Johannesburg, South Africa
'Appetite'
Chirag Tulsiani
Kolkata
Chirag Tulsiani
Kolkata
Shortlist 2023
'Lake Saroma'
Supreet Saini
Mumbai
'Mute'
Spandan Rana
Bengaluru
Supreet Saini
Mumbai
'Mute'
Spandan Rana
Bengaluru
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'Gestating'
Unmana
Mumbai
Unmana
Mumbai
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'Amphibians by Night'
Malcolm Carvalho
Bengaluru
Malcolm Carvalho
Bengaluru
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'Your children are not your own'
Reha Mitra
Mumbai
Reha Mitra
Mumbai
'The Jam Boy'
Praveen K
Trivandrum
Praveen K
Trivandrum
'Under Pressure'Â
Sukrit Nagaraj
Mumbai
'Roots'
Ava Arjun
Kochi
'The January Night'
Shambhobi Ghosh
Santiniketan
Ava Arjun
Kochi
'The January Night'
Shambhobi Ghosh
Santiniketan
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'The Three Unsaid Words'
Satyen K. Bordoloi
Mumbai
Satyen K. Bordoloi
Mumbai
'Ants'
Ratul Ghosh
Bengaluru
Ratul Ghosh
Bengaluru
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'Appetite'
Chirag Tulsiani
Kolkata
Chirag Tulsiani
Kolkata
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'Bats of Paradise'
Samruddhi Ghodgaonkar
Jalgaon
Samruddhi Ghodgaonkar
Jalgaon
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'Funeral for a Demon'
Srividya Tadepalli
Chennai
Srividya Tadepalli
Chennai
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'The Older Woman'
Srila Roy
Johannesburg, South Africa
Srila Roy
Johannesburg, South Africa
'Gustakh Radio'
Amit Singh
Mumbai
Amit Singh
Mumbai
'Lambs in September'
Sourabh Gupta
Noida
Sourabh Gupta
Noida
'Miss Morphine'
Ananya Mahapatra
Delhi
Ananya Mahapatra
Delhi
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'Oranges for Thangam'
Angel Kolady
Bengaluru
Angel Kolady
Bengaluru
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'One fell in my neighbours garden'Â
Kshitij Bahl
Gurgaon
Kshitij Bahl
Gurgaon
Our Jury
Ajitha G.S
Ajitha G.S. is the publisher of the Context imprint at Westland Books, an award-winning independent publisher.
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Rohan Narula
Rohan is an Adjunct Lecturer at NYU-Tisch, where he teaches Screenwriting. He has co-written three features with Vishal Bhardwaj (including Khufiya, a Netflix original releasing in 2023). Currently, he is writing feature films for Abhishek Kapoor’s Guy In The Sky Pictures, Siddharth Anand’s Marflix Films, Pritish Nandy Communications and Dharma Productions respectively.
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Devika Rege
Devika Rege was born and raised in Pune. Her first novel Quarterlife was published in June 2023 by Fourth Estate, HarperCollins. She holds an MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, and has been a fellow in residence at Yaddo and MacDowell. She currently teaches creative writing at Azim Premji University.
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Press and Media
2 Dec 2023
Chennai author Srividya Tadepalli wins inaugural Deodar Prize for her short story ‘Funeral for a Demon’
2 Dec 2023
Chennai author Srividya Tadepalli wins inaugural Deodar Prize for her short story ‘Funeral for a Demon’
Frequently Asked Questions
1What is the prize for the winning entry?
This year, we are collaborating with the Bangalore Literature Festival. The author of the winning entry will be announced at the festival, awarded a cash prize of Rs. 1 Lakh, and will receive an unconditional offer to have their story feature in The Bombay Literary Magazine's December edition. The two runners up entries will be awarded the Promising Writer award, with the authors receiving feedback on their entries from a panel of editors, a cash prize of Rs. 10,000 each and an offer for publication in the Hammock Magazine.
2What is the eligibility criteria to participate?
All persons, above the age of 18, and holding Indian citizenship (resident in India or abroad) are eligible to submit. As we are trying to provide a platform for emerging writers, authors who have previously published a novel(s) are encouraged not to apply. If you have self-published a book, that is alright.
Note: the story being submitted for consideration should NOT have been published on any platform (online or offline).
Note: the story being submitted for consideration should NOT have been published on any platform (online or offline).
3Can I submit more than one story?
No, we will accept only one submission per author.
4What is the deadline for submission?
Please send in your story by 11.59 pm, 20th October, 2023.
5Is there any theme or a word limit?
You are free to write any short fiction story in English. There is no theme this year. The maximum word limit is 2500 words (spaces not included).
6How do I submit my entry?
Please access our story submission form here
7Is there a submission format?
Yes. Kindly mention the title of your story and the number of words at the top of the page. Remember to number your pages and please do not mention your name on the story document. You may submit the document as a word doc or a PDF file.
8Who do I contact if I have any questions?
Please write to us on [email protected]