The Paradise of Food by Khalid Jawed translated by Baran Farooqi, and published by Juggernaut, was declared as the winner of the 25-lakh- JCB Prize for Literature, at the Oberoi, New Delhi.

The winner was announced by Lord Bamford, Chairman, JCB, virtually, during the hybrid event, where the trophy was handed over to the winning author by Sunil Khurana, Chief Operating Officer, JCB India, and AS Panneerselvan, Chair of Jury for 2022.

A man’s (and society’s) bildungsroman in which eating brings back painful memories and tragedies is what the book is all about. In The Paradise of Food, the narrator, whose life is followed from childhood to old age, strives to find a place for himself, at odds in his household and in the outside world, over the course of fifty years in a middle-class Muslim joint family.

The Paradise of Food is the first Urdu-language translation and the fourth overall to get the honor. The Prize trophy, a sculpture by Delhi-based artists Thukral and Tagra named “Mirror Melting,” was also given to Khalid Jawed.

The award ceremony commenced with a welcome note from the Literary Director of the Prize, Mita Kapur, following an address by Mr. Deepak Shetty, CEO & Managing Director, JCB India.

The evening was followed by an amalgamation of classical dance performances by Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra, leading up to the announcement.

The book was selected by a panel of five judges including AS Panneerselvan (Jury Chair), Amitabha Bagchi, Dr. J Devika, Janice Pariat, and Rakhee Balaram. The members of the esteemed jury were unanimous in their praise for the award-winning book The Paradise of Food.

For information about the prize and the book, please visit  www.thejcbprize.org.

Priyanka Dutta