Ek Mantha, Ek Devta wins Rs. 200,000

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Dec. 26:‘Ek Mantha, Ek Devta,’ a short story by Shiva Raj Shahi from Jajarkot, won the Dish Home Baahrakhari Short Story Competition-2082, carrying the biggest cash prize of Rs. 200,000 in Nepal for a competition.

Baahrakhari Media announced the final results amid a grand ceremony organised in the capital on Thursday in presence of Prime Minister Sushila Karki on Thursday.

 ‘Bhuin Kuhiroko Bichma’ by Ritesh Gurung from Rasuwa and ‘Adhuro Pratilipi’ by Indraprasad Gotame (Jagatjung) were awarded second and third prizes, respectively.

Beginning this year, the Dish Home Baahrakhari Short Story Competition-2082 awarded Rs. 200,000 to the first, Rs. 100,000 to the second, and Rs. 60,000 to the third. The remaining 22 writers received Rs. 7,000 each.

Previously, the prizes were Rs. 100,000 for the first, Rs. 60,000 for second, Rs. 40,000 for third, and Rs. 5,000 for the remaining 22 writers.

A book featuring the top 25 stories was also published in an anthology titled ‘12khari Utkrista 25 Katha-2082’.

The anthology includes top stories by Chetanath Acharya, Umesh Shrestha, Shekhar Dahit, Shivraj Shahi, Krishnaraj Sarbahari, Ritesh Gurung, Pragya Niraula, Sita Pandey, Bhogendra Lingden, Haribol Kafle, Basanta Bayung Rai (Namdocha), Laxman Sitaula, Indraprasad Gotame (Jagatjung), Jamuna Bhattarai, Anita Panthi, Avinash Bhattarai, Mandira Madhushree, and Amit Ghimire.

Stories by Tikaram Pokharel, Uma Sharma, Anita Koirala, Bishnu S. Rai, Damodar Dhungel, Prakash Kumar Sharma, and Dr. Himalal Shrestha are also included in the anthology.

Prime Minister Sushila Karki handed over the prizes, trophies, and certificates to the top three winners and the 22 writers. She also launched the ‘12khari Utkrista Katha-2082’ at the event.

For the seventh edition of the Dish Home Baahrakhari Short Story Competition, submissions were opened on October 17, and 1,168 stories were received from Nepal and abroad. An internal jury panel, led by Govinda Adhikari, Baahrakhari Media's opinion editor, shortlisted 59 stories, which were then forwarded to the main jury panel. 

The main jury was coordinated by playwright, director, and litterateur Ashesh Malla, with writer Manju Kanchuli and litterateur-cum-journalist Avaya Shrestha as members. They picked the top three from 25 stories.

"It was not easy to select the top three among the 25 top stories," the jury panel noted in the preface of the anthology. "In our evaluation, we considered the theme, message, impact, and aesthetics of the stories. We believe that the top three stories may be representative of the present time."

Baahrakhari Media has been organising this competition to promote and encourage short story writing in Nepal.

At the event, jury panel coordinator Ashesh Malla expressed happiness that the stories submitted for the Baahrakhari Short Story Competition reflect a bright future for Nepali literature.

Baahrakhari Media’s Editor-in-Chief, Prateek Pradhan, explained that the increased prize amount was meant to motivate and encourage individuals engaged in the field of literature. He recalled that the Baahrakhari Story Competition was initiated to understand how ordinary people perceive and interpret the Nepali language and literature.

Literature editor of Baahrakhari Media, Rajesh Khanal, also shared background of the competition.