Bangalore, October 3rd, 2024: The New India Foundation has unveiled the Shortlist for the 7th annual Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize in recognition of the finest non-fiction writing about the history of Independent India. From a longlist of 10 which pointed to the complex dynamics of post-Independence India as shaping India today, 5 books have been chosen for their thoughtful synthesis of history and contemporary relevance.

One of the most prestigious literary awards in the country, the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Book Prize celebrates excellence in non-fiction about India published in the previous calendar year by writers of all nationalities. Established in 2018, the Book Prize carries a cash award of INR 15 lakhs and a citation.

The 2024 KCBP Shortlist was selected by an eminent Jury, including political scientist Niraja Gopal Jayal (Chair of the Book Prize), historian Srinath Raghavan, entrepreneur Manish Sabharwal, former diplomat and author Navtej Sarna, lawyer Rahul Matthan, and public policy researcher Yamini Aiyar.

The Jury said, “The 2024 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize Shortlist highlights the rich and varied stories that shape India's modern identity. From the critical decisions made by Prime Ministers and state political leaders, to the life and legacy of B.R. Ambedkar, from the cultural and social dimensions of Hindutva pop music to the complex tapestry of life and death in Banaras—these books offer a compelling exploration of the nation’s evolving history. Together, they deepen our understanding of India’s past and present by illuminating histories that continue to influence the country's future.”

The Shortlist for the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize 2024 is:

• Neerja Choudhry: How Prime Ministers Decide (Aleph Book Company)  

• Ashok Gopal: A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of B.R. Ambedkar (Navayana)

• Radhika Iyengar: Fire on the Ganges: Life Among the Dead in Banaras (HarperCollins)

• Kunal Purohit: H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars (HarperCollins)

• Chitralekha Zutshi: Sheikh Abdullah: The Caged Lion of Kashmir (HarperCollins)

The Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize builds on the New India Foundation’s mission of sponsoring research and writing on all aspects of the world’s largest democracy. Works written originally in English or translated into English are eligible across a range of genres. The Prize was named to honour the legacy of Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay: great patriot and institution-builder who contributed significantly to the freedom struggle, to the women’s movement, to refugee rehabilitation and to the renewal of Indian theatre and handicrafts.

Akshaya Mukul was last year’s winner of the KCBP for his book Writer, Rebel, Soldier, Lover: The Many Lives of Agyeya (Penguin Random House). Shekhar Pathak won in 2023 for his environmental history The Chipko Movement: A People’s History, translated from Hindi by Manisha Chaudhry (Permanent Black). Dinyar Patel won the 4th edition of the Prize for his definitive biography Naroji: Pioneer of Indian Nationalism (Harvard University Press). In 2020, the KCBP was jointly awarded to Amit Ahuja for his debut Mobilizing the Marginalized: Ethnic Parties without Ethnic Movements (Oxford University Press) and Jairam Ramesh for his biography A Chequered Brilliance: The Many Lives of V.K. Krishna Menon (Penguin Random House). Ornit Shani was recognised for her scholarly work How India Became Democratic: Citizenship and the Making of the Universal Franchise (Penguin Random House) in 2019 and Milan Vaishnav for his remarkable debut When Crime Pays: Money and Muscle in Indian Politics (HarperCollins Publishers) won the inaugural edition of the KCBP in 2018

About the New India Foundation

Based in Bengaluru, the core activity of the New India Foundation is the NIF Book Fellowships (currently accepting applications) which have been awarded to scholars and writers for two decades to enable the highest standard of research and writing about India after Independence, resulting in the publication of 33 books covering an extraordinary range of topics. The NIF Translation Fellowships were instituted in 2021 and expand upon the core idea of fostering non-fiction by translating knowledge texts from 10 Indian languages to English.

The NIF Book and Translation Fellowships are awarded in alternate years. The 12th round of the NIF Book Fellowships is currently open for applications; please visit the website for further details.

Ramachandra Guha, Nandan Nilekani, Niraja Gopal Jayal, Manish Sabharwal and Srinath Raghavan are the Trustees of the New India Foundation.

The Winner of the Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize will be announced in November.

The Winner will be in conversation with the Jury at the Bangalore Literature Festival on December 14th.