A Hindi book has won the International Booker Prize for the first time

A book of differing chapters resembles a life of different phases. It may sound cliche but a room without books is like a body without a soul. Books have always been the treasure trove of any language. Its recognition especially on the international front clearly demarcates the pride attached to the language. For the first time in history, India has been showered with this achievement.

Hindi book wins Booker prize

On 27 May, India attained the trophy of the “International Booker Prize” for a translated Hindi novel “Tomb of Sand” by Indian author “Geetanjali Shree”. The renowned novel became the first of its kind in any Indian language to receive this award. The book was originally published in Hindi as “Ret Samadhi”. It was translated into English by “Daisy Rockwell”.

In her acceptance speech, the author said, “There is a melancholy satisfaction in the award going to it. ‘Ret Samadhi/Tomb of Sand’ is an elegy for the world we inhabit, lasting energy that retains hope in the face of impending doom. The Booker will surely take it to many more people than it would have reached otherwise, that should do the book no harm. This is not just about me, the individual. I represent a language and culture and this recognition brings into larger purview the entire world of Hindi literature in particular and Indian literature as a whole.”

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The book is a critical hit

“Tomb of Sand” is a glorified book set in the northern part of India. It derives the adventures rooting from the life of an eighty-year-old woman who unexpectedly gains a new and highly unconventional lease of life. It talks about her deep depression after the death of her husband.

This Indian language book was the first to be even longlisted for the prestigious prize. The International Booker Prize annually awards a writer of any nationality for a work translated into English and published in the United Kingdom or Ireland.

During the event, Frank Wynne, chair of the judges said, “This is a luminous novel of India and partition, but one whose spellbinding brio and fierce compassion weaves youth and age, male and female, family and nation into a kaleidoscopic whole.”

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Proud moment for India

Many people including popular personalities were overwhelmed and shared this glorified moment on Twitter.

Varun Gandhi, Member of Parliament said, “A matter of great pride that Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand – translated from Ret Samadhi, her brilliant Hindi novel – has won the Booker Prize.”

Pema Khandu, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh said, “Congratulations to the author of Geetanjali Shree for winning 2022 The Booker Prizes for her Hindi translated novel ‘Tomb of Sand’. Originally published in Hindi as ‘Ret Samadhi’, it is the first book in any Indian language to win the prestigious award.”

The winning of “The Booker Prize” award provides ‘Hindi’ as an Indian language with an immense amount of pride. Hindi which is often pushed to the back-seated has now been recognized in the International forum. Winning a cosmopolitan award not just glorifies India but “Hindi” as a language too.