The First Epic India Prize For Writers
Ashok Banker
13 August 2007, 21:55Publisher Ashok K. Banker has chosen the winner of the 1st Epic India Prize for Writers.
The winner is Richard Marcus, who receives a $300 Gift Certificate from a leading online bookstore.
Ashok chose Richard Marcus as the winner after considering all other eligible writers, in a solo decision at his own discretion.
Earlier, both Publisher Ashok Banker and Editor Richard Marcus were to jointly select the winner. To this end, Richard submitted three nominations that he felt were deserving of the award.
These were Tapas Sadasivan Nair for his two articles on the rebellion of 1857 The Revolt Of 1857 A Million Mutinies, Krishna Ramkumar for his piece on New Dehli Pottering Around The Eternal Capital, and Rohan for his articles Who Am I 1 & 2 Who Am I Part 1.
However, after duly reading and re-reading all the above nominations and several others, Ashok felt that while the pieces in question were all deserving of praise, Richard’s own body of work dwarfed all others in comparison. Richard’s prolificacy, consistency, originality of voice, thought, style, and relentless rationalism, as well as his doggedly liberal, anti-war, anti-jingoist and anti-fascist stance at a time when most North Americans seem to be either rabidly justifying war or equally rabidly refusing to accept any responsibility or blame for their own democratically elected government’s actions, formed a powerful and impassioned collection of writings that could not be matched by the work of any other writer on Epic India in the same period.
Perhaps the only thing more amazing than the sheer body of work Richard has accumulated in this period is the fact that he has been writing as many such articles and reviews and interviews for years now, quietly, doggedly, rationally, and yet with wit, style and always, always that originality of outlook that makes him more than just a journalist or merely another blogger regurgitating pre-digested news and views. Richard Marcus is a writer in the very best sense of the word—he writes, and he keeps writing, and most of all, he writes damn well.
Richard was at some pain to point out that he plays no part in this decision—it is entirely the work of Ashok Banker.
Ashok also added that from here on, the Epic India Prize would be awarded not periodically, or for a single article or body of work, but whenever any Writer’s work stands out for its sheer originality, style, and content. Be that a single book review, a short story, or an entire truckload’s worth of terrific blogging as in Richard’s case, the outcome shall be the same: Good writing will win out.
The prize will be in multiples of $100, awarded in the form of an online bookstore Gift Certificate to Writers who are outside India, and if they prefer, in the form of an INR (Indian National Rupee) cheque for those resident in India.
The 2nd Epic India Prize for Writers and the 3rd Epic India Prize for Writers shall also be announced shortly, once Richard Marcus recovers consciousness. Ashok is believed to be fanning him enthusiastically with that $300 Gift Certificate and Richard is showing signs of recovery.
Stand by, wait for it, and watch this space.
