AutHer Awards 2021 declares its top winners

The AutHer Awards 2021 declared its top winners at a grand ceremony organized at the Taj Palace, New Delhi on March 17. The Times of India and JK Papers joined hands to celebrate women authors who have added value and creativity to the literary space. The awards ceremony was attended by many renowned authors, academicians, publishers, bureaucrats, politicians, artists and book lovers.

The awards were handed over in 4 categories – Fiction, Non-Fiction, Children’s and Debut. There was a Lifetime Achievement award and a Popular choice award too. Here is a look at the winners and what they said after receiving the award.

In the Fiction category, the award was bagged by Jahnavi Barua for ‘Undertow’ (2020) published by Penguin Random House India. There was also a runners-up prize that was won by Madhavi Mahadevan for ‘Bride of the Forest’ (2020) published by Speaking Tiger.

Jahnavi Barua, who wasn’t able to grace the occasion because of the pandemic, sent a video message for everyone in which she said, “I was honoured to be a part of the very distinguished longlist and the shortlist. I am very delighted, humbled and overwhelmed to be the winner of this year's best fiction category. This award is special because it shines a light on the women writers of the country and I am more than happy to be a part of this solidarity of women writers.”

“It’s beautiful to stand here and receive this award. It is very special because the award is exclusively for women and it celebrates their voices and perspectives,” said Madhavi Mahadevan while receiving her prize.

The Best Author Non-Fiction was bagged by Shylashri Shankar for her book ‘Turmeric Nation’ (2020) published by Speaking Tiger. There was also a special jury recommendation for Sai Paranjype, author of ‘A Patchwork Quilt’ (2020) published by HarperCollins India.

Shylashri Shankar, while receiving her award said, “I am all for equality but I am actually in favour of anonymity. Because if we had anonymous authors, we won't have the problem of men dominating the literary space and women not getting published.”

Sending a digital message, Sai Paranjype said, “My works, plays, films, serials, have got a tremendous response from the audience. For any creative person, it is awesome to get such a reception. If my book can bring a smile on the face of the readers, then I can say my mission is accomplished.”

The Best Author Debut Award was jointly shared by Lavanya Lakshminarayan for her book ‘Analog Virtual’ (2020) published by Hachette Book Publishing and Deepa Anappara for ‘Djinn Patrol in the Purple Line’ (2020) published by Penguin Random House India.

Lavanya Lakshminarayan couldn’t make it to the award ceremony and sent a digital message saying, “Thank you for creating a platform to amplify the voices of women writers from all over India. My congratulations to all the other finalists and to all the women in this gathering."

Author Rasil Ahuja won the Best Author Children’s Award for her book ‘Unfair’ (2020) published by Penguin Random House India.

She said, “I am deeply honoured that you all have appreciated this work of fiction. The more we encourage children to read today, the more readers we will have in the future.”

The Popular Choice Award was shared by Anuja Chandramouli for ‘Mohini the Enchantress’ (2020) published by Rupa Publications India and Preeti Shenoy for ‘When Love Came Calling’ (2020) published by Srishti Publishers & Distributors for garnering the maximum number of votes online.

Receiving her award, Preeti Shenoy said “I have noticed that when women talk about their work, they are a bit apologetic. Women, who are present here, please stop being apologetic for your success. Own your success and own your books. If you don't pat yourself on the back, no one else will.”

On the other hand, Anuja Chandramouli said, “Writers are very lonely and messed up people. We work in solitude and we worry that our stories and characters will vanish in a void forever. It is so lovely to know that people read our books. It took me 10 books to win an award, and I am very thankful to everyone for this.”

Legendary author and historian Romila Thapar was awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sending a video message she said, “I am delighted that these awards have been instituted particularly for women who write about contemporary issues that are very relevant. Celebration of the work of women is much overdue and they have to contend with those in our society who deny their existence and forbid them to speak. To remove the servitude of women is an arduous process, but still needs to be done.”