The Hindu Lit for Life 2025 has awarded ten winners for writing the best short stories, in a contest that received over 1,200 entries from across the country, exploring a wide variety of themes such as friendship, motherhood, sacrifice, crime, betrayal, romance, and societal issues.
The entries to the contest, organised to encourage and nurture young talent, also delved into contemporary and sensitive issues such as depression, loneliness, gender identity, dependence, and substance abuse, showcasing the depth and range of young voices.
Uma Vangal, filmmaker and professor at the International Institute of Film and Culture, who served as the judge for the competition, remarked, “The diversity of treatments was amazing — sarcastic parody, nonlinear narratives, poetic styles, magical realism, quasi-comedy, tragic romanticism, and more.”
The top 10 entries were: ‘Amma’ by Krishna Menon, ‘In My Head’ by Inshirah Rizwan Khan, ‘End of Survival’ by Tessa Jose, ‘The Black Dot’ by Maithili Jha, ‘Thaimaiyin Irakkam’ by Sudha Thirunarayanan, ‘The Last Memory’ by Sowmiya S., ‘A Tribute’ by Anuradha Sriram, ‘The Last Monsoon Dance’ by Chinmay Khare, ‘Onam Shopping’ by Veena Narayan, and ‘Touchable’ by Jayashree Gopal.
Several stories earned special mentions for their creativity, including ‘The Tragedy of the Shells’ by Rijutha S., ‘If Only You Could Trust Him’ by Afreen Shanavas, ‘Handiya’ by Sucharita Dutta, ‘Rainmail’ by Vrindha N.M., and ‘How the Spider Found Her Home’ by Agnibarathi.
The Hindu Lit for Life event is presented by KIA India and is in association with Christ University. Associate Partners: LIC, RR Donnelley, Blue Star, Brigade Group, NITTE Deemed-to-be University, PROchure, Singer, Chennai Port Authority & Kamarajar Port Ltd, Uttarakhand Tourism, Vajiram and Ravi, Indian Bank, Akshayakalpa and ICFAI Group. Realty Partner: Casagrand. Bookstore Partner: Crossword. Food Partner: Wow Momo, Beverage Partner: Beachville, Radio Partner: Big FM, TV Partner: Puthiya Thalaimurai Gift Partner: Anand Prakash. Supported by: US Consulate, Chennai, Water Partner: Repute
Published - January 17, 2025 06:23 pm IST
