Author Geetanjali Shree Wins "The Booker Prize" For Her Hindi Novel 'Tomb of Sand'

Tomb Of Sand is the first Booker For Any Indian Lang.

Proud moment for India! Author Geetanjali Shree's Hindi novel 'Tomb of Sand' has become the first book in any Indian language to win the prestigious International Booker Prize.

On Thursday, at a ceremony in London, the New Delhi-based writer said she was "completely overwhelmed" with the "bolt from the blue" as she accepted her prize, worth GBP 50,000 and shared it with the book's English translator, Daisy Rockwell.

'Tomb of Sand', originally 'Ret Samadhi', is set in northern India and follows an 80-year-old woman in a tale the Booker judges dubbed a "joyous cacophony" and an "irresistible novel".

While sharing her acceptance, Ms Shree said, "I never dreamt of the Booker, I never thought I could. What a huge recognition, I'm amazed, delighted, honoured and humbled."

"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," the author added.

While highlighting the pride for India, the 64-year-old author said it feels good to be the means of that happening, as her work became the first work of fiction in Hindi to make the Booker cut.

"But behind me and this book lies a rich and flourishing literary tradition in Hindi and other South Asian languages. World literature will be richer for knowing some of the finest writers in these languages. The vocabulary of life will increase from such an interaction," Ms Shree said.

Rockwell, a painter, writer and translator living in Vermont, US, joined her on stage to receive her award for translating the novel she described as a "love letter to the Hindi language".

"Ultimately, we were captivated by the power, the poignancy and the playfulness of 'Tomb of Sand', Geetanjali Shree's polyphonic novel of identity and belonging, in Daisy Rockwell's exuberant, coruscating translation," said Frank Wynne, chair of the judging panel.

Taking notes from the event, the Booker jury was impressed that rather than respond to tragedy with seriousness, Ms Shree's playful tone and exuberant wordplay resulted in a book that is "engaging, funny, and utterly original", at the same time as being an urgent and timely protest against the destructive impact of borders and boundaries, whether between religions, countries, or genders.