Perumal Murugan’s Fire Bird wins the 6th JCB Prize for Literature
New Delhi : Fire Bird by Perumal Murugan, translated from the Tamil by Janani Kannan published by Penguin Random House India, has been announced as the winner of the 2023 JCB Prize for Literature, and awarded the 25-lakh Rupee Prize. The translator has received an additional 10-lakh Rupee Prize. In an event held at the Taj Mahal, New Delhi, the prestigious literary award was announced by Lord Bamford, Chairman of JCB Group, virtually. The coveted trophy, which is a sculpture by Delhi artist duo, Thukral and Tagra, titled ‘Mirror Melting,’ was awarded by Deepak Shetty, CEO and Managing Director, JCB India Limited on behalf of Lord Bamford, Chairman JCB, to Sundaram Kannan, and Manasi Subramaniam, the Tamil publisher and the Editor of the English translation as author Perumal Murugan and Translator Janani Kannan were unable to join the event.
Talking about the award, Deepak Shetty said:
“The JCB Prize for Literature was institutionalised by Lord Bamford as a symbol of the Bamford family’s commitment and affection for India. In a period of just six years, it has made a place for itself because of its unique structure, which awards and celebrates writing in Indian languages, representing different cultures.”
He added: “The Indian-ness of this award is reflective of the diversity of our Country. We are privileged to meet Authors and Translators from different parts of India every year and this year has been no different. We are delighted that the Indian and Global audiences, especially the youth, are now getting an opportunity to experience Indian writing through this award. We hope to make this community of readers around us, stronger each year with the best of contemporary Indian fiction”.
In this transcendental novel, Perumal Murugan draws from his own life experiences of displacement and movement and explores the fragility of our fundamental attraction to permanence and our ultimately futile efforts to attain it. Translated from Aalandapatchi, which alludes to a mystical bird in Tamil, the titular fire bird perfectly encapsulates the illusory and migratory nature of this pursuit. Fire Bird is a thought-provoking and beautifully written exploration of the human desire for stability in an ever-changing world.
The event was graced by distinguished members of the literary and cultural community of the city. To set the tone of the evening, the ceremony started with a Dastangoi performance ‘Dastaan-e-Attila’, conceptualized from R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi Days by Dr. Bakul Dev, written by Vineeta Dixit and Sayeed Alam, performed and directed by Fouzia Dastango, before Literary Director, Mita Kapur took the stage.
Fire Bird by Perumal Murugan was selected from the JCB Prize’s diverse shortlist by a panel of five judges, including Srinath Perur (Jury Chair), Mahesh Dattani, Somak Ghoshal, Kavery Nambisan, and Swati Thiyagarajan.