Valley of Words unveils reading month in honour of PN Panicker

Dateline Dehradun: Valley of Words, Literature and Art festival will celebrate a Reading Month starting 19th June in honour of 'Father of Kerala's library movement,’ PN Panicker, by announcing its longlist for VBA 2025.

In its 9th edition this year, The Valley of Words Book Awards (VBA), supported by the REC, has become more than just your run-of-the-mill awards ceremony. It’s the cornerstone of a literary and arts festival dedicated to nurturing a thriving literary and artistic community throughout the country. Through its Book Awards, VoW celebrates exceptional works across a comprehensive range of categories, including Hindi and English Translations, English Fiction and Non-Fiction, Hindi Fiction and Non-Fiction, Children literature and Writing for Young Adults (bilingual) in the process of fostering dialogue, bridging inter-generational gaps and inspiring young readers, debutant writers, and artists.

VoW receives a number of nominations, with over 500 entries from 50 publishers across India this year alone. Its commitment to diversity is reflected in the ten longlisted works under eight categories that offer a tangible connection to India’s diverse and rich heritage.

The jurors, comprising of last year's VBA Winners, bring in their expertise of refining the Shortlist from a pool of exceptional entries. The sheer quality of the submissions present a significant challenge for the jury each year. Remarking on the exceptional quality of the submissions in all categories, Festival Director Sanjeev Chopra said, “Each year is a unique experience for us, for the range and diversity of themes, writing styles, cover pages and illustrations (for children books) makes the longlist selection process extremely demanding. It sets to rest the apprehension in some quarters that the era of reading and writing is over. On the contrary, more books are being published than ever before, and rather than being a competition, AI has been an able assistant for most writers.”

The National Reading Month (from 19 June to 19 July) serves as a benchmark for the VoW Secretariat to unveil its longlist in the honour of P.N. Panicker, the “Father of the Library Movement” which began in Kerala. Panicker dedicated his life to spreading the light of knowledge through reading. Born on March 1, 1909, in Neelamperoor, Kerala, he strongly believed that education and literacy were the keys to social progress. In 1945, he founded the Kerala Grandhasala Sangham (Library Association), which played a pivotal role in setting up thousands of libraries across the state. His tireless efforts not only boosted literacy but also encouraged a culture of lifelong learning and critical thinking among people from all walks of life. Today, his legacy lives on through the annual celebration of June 19 as “Reading Day” in India, inspiring generations to embrace the transformative power of books.

Keeping its date with tradition, the Valley of Words announces its comprehensive longlist for VoW Book Awards, 2025 under all 8 categories: English Translation, Hindi Translation, English Non-fiction, Hindi Non-fiction, English Fiction, Hindi Fiction, Young Adult, and Children’s Literature (bilingual) which can be found on their website www.valleyofwords.org.

We take a moment here to recall and celebrate the winners of the last year’s book awards, for (with the exception of Anjum Katyal, who had to recuse herself for compelling personal reasons) are also the jurors for this edition.

The winners of Book Awards 2024 were:

ENGLISH FICTION

SMRITI RAVINDRA

The Woman Who Climbed Trees

Harper Collins

ENGLISH NON-FICTION

MANOJ MITTA 

Caste Pride: Battles for Equality in Hindu India

Westland Books

HINDI FICTION

UDAY PRAKASH

Antim Nimbu

Vani Publication

HINDI NON- FICTION

DR SURESH PANT

Shabdon Ke Sath Sath

Hind Pocket Books

WRITING FOR YOUNG ADULTS

SHABNAM MINWALLA

Zen

Duckbill Books

WRITINGS/PICTURE BOOKS FOR CHILDREN

VIBHA BATRA

The Chhau Champ 

Penguin

HINDI TRANSLATION

SUBHASH NIRAV (Translator)

Ambar Pariya

Radhakrishna Paperback

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

ANJUM KATYAL (Translator)

Truth/Untruth

Seagull Books

The juror for this year’s English Translation Awards is Dr Jaywanti Dimri, an academic, a poet and a writer and translator in her own right. She has been a Fellow of the Indian Institute of Advanced Studies Shimla, and a Resource Person in the past editions of Valley of Words.