Author Rahul Bhattacharya’s “Railsong”, Snigdha Poonam’s “Scamlands”, Sarnath Banerjee’s “Absolute Jafar” and Neha Sinha’s “Wild Capital” feature among the 25 titles shortlisted for the ‘Jury Awards’ of the 20th edition of the “Crossword Book Awards”.
Crossword Bookstores on Tuesday announced the shortlist across five categories — fiction, non-fiction, translations, children’s books, and business & management — with five books selected in each category from the 50 titles longlisted in September. The shortlist reflects the diversity of Indian writing, bringing together a range of voices, subjects and literary traditions, while the translations category highlights regional works for a wider readership.
“This year’s shortlist is a celebration of the strength and diversity of Indian writing. Our jury has selected titles that not only elevate the conversation around Indian literature but also demonstrate why these stories matter now,” Nidhi Gupta, director of Crossword Bookstores, said in a statement. In the fiction category, the shortlisted titles are “Absolute Jafar” by Sarnath Banerjee, “Railsong” by Rahul Bhattacharya, “The Menon Investigation” by Saharu Nusaiba Kannanari, “The Remnants of Rebellion” by Ponnu Elizabeth Mathew, and “Water Days” by Sundar Sarukkai.
The non-fiction shortlist comprises “Believer’s Dilemma” by Abhishek Choudhary, “Dapaan” by Ipsita Chakravarty, “Scamlands” by Snigdha Poonam, “The Dig” by Sowmiya Ashok, and “Wild Capital” by Neha Sinha.
In translations, the shortlisted books are “On the Banks of the Pampa” by Volga, translated from Telugu by Purnima Tammireddy; “Sita’s Veil” by Anamika, translated from Hindi by Nishtha Gautam; “The Chinese Mansion” by Siddique Alam, translated from Urdu by Jaideep Pandey; “The Mapmaker” by Maitry Roy Moulik, translated from Bangla by Chandana Dutta; and “Tiger Lessons” by Sannapureddy Venkatarami Reddy, translated from Telugu by Narasimha Kumar.
The children’s books category features “Giants” by Huthuka Sumi, illustrated by Canato Jimo; “If Elephants Could Talk” by Ranjeeta Raam, “Our Rice Tastes of Spring” by Anumeha Yadav, “The White Lotus” by Aditi Krishnakumar and “The Big Book of Wild Poop” by Shweta Taneja.
The business & management shortlist includes “Family and Dhanda” by Srinath Sridharan, “Made in India” by Manish Sabharwal and Sundeep Khanna, “Running Behind Lakshmi” by Adil Rustomjee, “Tatyasaheb” by Tejaswini Apte-Rahm, and “The S.I.S Story” by Prince Mathews Thomas.
The shortlist for the ‘Popular Choice Awards’, featuring bestselling books in English by Indian authors, will be announced next. Voting for which will open on October 26, giving readers an opportunity to support their favourite titles.
Winners across the ‘Jury Awards’ and ‘Popular Choice Awards’ will be announced at the Crossword Book Awards ceremony in December 2026. (PTI)
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