Early Bird
Winner: BE (West)
A consistent performer, year after year. Publishing the puja souvenir before Mahalaya speaks volumes of the organisational capacity of the committee. The practice is an exception in a context where souvenirs start going to press in the calendar year after the Puja takes place.
Best Editorial
Winner: Arunava Das, president of Salt Lake City BA Block Residents' Association
Why: The account is as personal for a long-time resident of the block as it is a general commentary on the changing way of life in Salt Lake — the earliest settlers leaving home in hearses, the single or two-storeyed houses being turned into multi-storeyed apartments, shops and guesthouses mushrooming in quiet residential neighbourhoods... The young leave for greener pastures, their absence felt most keenly during the Pujas. Yet the article ends on a note of positivity and hope, drawing from the spirit of Mahalaya and the Pujas.
Special mention: Gora Ray, secretary of Salt Lake CF Block Residents Association, and Rajoshi Gupta, editor of Sanjeevani Sudha, of Sanjeeva Town the Bungalow Estate, New Town.
Best Essay
Winner: Saptarshi Chowdhury of CD Block, New Town, for Mari O Marak: Kolkatar Mahamarir Itikatha.
Why: The subject is topical, given the city, along with the rest of the world, emerged from the shadow of a pandemic last year. The account takes off from 1690 when Job Charnock came to Calcutta, explaining why he had to abandon Hijli in south Bengal where his ship had initially anchored. “Pucca fever” of 1757 to intermittent onslaughts of cholera from 1817 to 1837, and then subsequent plague and “Bombay fever” to the famine of 1943, the author traces the dips in the public health curve, placing each episode in the context of contemporary circumstances. The sources of the information are clearly mentioned. This is the second time that the author is being recognised, after 2021.
Special mention: Sakila Khatun of DL Block for Manobotar puja diye shuru hok Saradiya utsab and Niloy Baran Som of CE Block, New Town, for Tied Up.
Best Memoir
Winner: Purba Kar of CD Block, New Town, for Bini Sutor Mala (Smritir Smarani Beye)
Why: The author’s childhood days spent in a power plant colony in Asansol come alive in heart-warming detail, followed by her teenage years spent in another power plant town, Dishergarh. People, places and occasions are all milestones down that memory lane. The language is lucid and intimate.
Special mention: Dipa Mitra of CJ Block for Bidhannagarer Itihash: Ek Atmakathan and Tandra Goswami of FE Block for Bangladesher Hridoy Hotey.
Best Travelogue
Winner: Susmita Bhaduri of Sanjeeva Town the Bungalow Estate, New Town for Alo Amar Alo Ogo.
Why: The star of the piece is aurora borealis, or the northern lights, that the author had traversed half the globe to witness in Norway and Sweden. What adds glitter to the star is the description, laced with emotions, including a dash of humour.
Special mention: Atmadip Sengupta of BA Block for Balir Shohor Onek Mil Joler Pothe Rongmichhil and Susmita Mukherjee of CJ Block for Varanasir Barta.
Best Fiction
Winner: Indrani Bhattacharya of DL Block for Shoytaner Dorja: Moulakshi Debir Mandir.
Why: The trope of the sculpture coming to life and devouring the sculptor as a sacrifice is not new. It has been there in literature and in folklore. But what is praiseworthy is the finesse and the contextualisation of the trope in the author’s chosen setting.
Special mention: Krishnendu Mukhopadhyay of FE Block for Sesh Porjonto and Sujit Banerjee of CB Block for Prokhor Tapan Tapey.
Best Poetry
Winner: Sabina Yasmin of East Enclave Housing Complex for Trosto.
Why: Competent, mature and profound. Poetic expression of existential angst expressed with restraint and effectiveness. The poet makes it back to the honours list after getting a Special Mention last year.
Special mention: Asim Das of East Enclave for Upal bhromone cholo somoy sarathi and Pratima Mishra of FE Block for Bedona-bidhur Sesh Belate.