Valley of Words Book Awards announces its 2025 shortlists across eight categories
For each category, the final shortlist of five books was narrowed down from a longlist of ten. The shortlisted titles of the VoW Book Awards 2025 are:
English Nonfiction
English Fiction
Border Crossers, Bhaskar Roy
Island, Sujit Saraf
Never Never Land, Namita Gokhale
Swallowing the Sun, Lakshmi Murdeshwar Puri
Hill Songs of Love and Longing, Bijoya Sawian
English Translation
Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada, Shahu Patole, translated from the Marathi by Bhushan Kargaonkar
Lavanyadevi, Kusum Khemani, translated from the Hindi by Banibrata Mahanta
Ten Days of the Strike, Sandipan Chattopadhyay, translated from the Bengali by Arunava Sinha
A Temple of No Gods, Manav Kaul, translated from the Hindi by Sayari Debnath
White Blood, Nanak Singh, translated from the Punjabi by Dilraj Singh Suri
Hindi Nonfiction
Khaki Mein Sthitpragya, Anil Raturi
Pathik Mein Aravali Ka, Bhanwar Meghwanshi
Bidaay De Maa!, Sudhir Vidyarthi
Hampi: Utkarsh Se Apkarsh Tak, Tapas Chakraborty
Himalaya Ka Itihas, Madan Chandra Bhatt
Hindi Fiction
Atar Duniya Mein Kya Hasil, Pratyaksha
Kandho Par Ghar, Pragya
Zoya Desai Cottage, Pankaj Subir
Vanya, Manisha Kulshrestha
Suno Kabir, Soni Pandey
Hindi Translation
In Love With Death, Satish Modi, translated by Parijat
Khaulta Punjab, Baldev Singh Dhaliwal, translated by Tarsem
Uttar Bharat Mein Chamar Aur Dalit Andolan Ka Itihas, Ramnarayan S Rawat, translated by Kanwal Bharti
Bahattar Meel, Ashok Vatkar, translated by Sulabh Kore
Shiuli Ki Gandh Aur Anya Kahaniya, Taslima Nasrin, translated by Utpal Banerjee
Young Adult Literature
Children's Literature
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Anupam Kher breaks silence on Saiyaara dominating Tanvi The Great at box office: 'Agar paisa hi sab kuch hota...'
Comparisons and competition are unavoidable when two movies are released at roughly the same time. That's precisely what happened when Mohit Suri 's elegant romantic drama Saiyaara and Anupam Kher 's touching drama Tanvi The Great opened in theaters on the same day. Tanvi The Great failed to achieve the same level of commercial success as the latter, which dominated the box office with over Rs 500 crore and captured the hearts of the public with its music and youthful star cast. However, it isn't keeping Anupam Kher up at night. He believes that movies are about feelings rather than profits. When asked if he believes the Saiyaara craze is to blame for his film's poor performance, the veteran actor responded, "I don't believe that's true," in an interview with News18. 'A few years down the line, when someone will ask you what are your five favorite films are, you won't name the ones based on which of these movies made a business worth crores." The actor continued, "You'll name the ones which touched your hearts." 'Maybe Tanvi the Great didn't mint much money, but it is still priceless. I recently met a lady outside the theater who hugged me tightly and started crying, saying this was the best film she has ever watched," Kher added. Kher's remarks provided a much-needed break in a society that is fixated on numbers. 'You don't value everything based only on money. Agar paisa hi sab kuch hota, to phir log hamesha five-star hotel me hi khate na, dhaba koi kyu jata?" He revealed that he firmly supports his film in spite of the poor collections. 'My film is outstanding commercially," he stated. Tanvi The Great is subtly capturing hearts, while Saiyaara continues to rule the screen thanks to its box office power and Gen-Z appeal. Anupam Kher is the film's producer and director. He co-stars with Iain Glen. On July 18, 2025, Tanvi the Great was released in theaters.
News18
2 hours ago
- News18
Saiyaara Actor Varun Badola Takes Dig At Film's PR Team: 'They Went Overboard With IV Drips'
Saiyaara star Varun Badola reacts to viral theatre frenzy, saying PR team went overboard with IV drip stunts and bangles-breaking antics. Calls success real. Ahaan Panday's debut film Saiyaara may be breaking box office records, but not everyone is on board with how the film has been promoted. Veteran actor Varun Badola, who played Ahaan's father in the romantic drama, has taken a subtle yet scathing dig at the film's PR machinery. The Mohit Suri directorial, also starring Aneet Padda, has now crossed the Rs 500 crore mark globally, with over Rs 300 crore earned in India alone. While its box office run has been historic, Saiyaara also went viral for dramatic audience reactions — fans fainting, crying uncontrollably, tearing their shirts, and even showing up to theatres hooked to IV drips. While producer Akshaye Widhani and director Suri have maintained that the reactions were organic and not planted, Varun Badola offered a more grounded take in an interview with Screen. 'When we were working on the film, we hadn't thought it would get so big… But on the third day of the release, when the film blew up at the box office, we realized it had gone big. I still haven't watched Saiyaara," he revealed. Commenting on the viral videos, Badola didn't hold back: 'By the third or fourth day, the film was being talked about. I saw the euphoria on Instagram. Log jo chudiyaan tod rahe hai, chaatiyaan peet rahe hai (People were breaking bangles and beating their chests). I think the promotions team went a little overboard… putting IV drips. Those people must have been told to give content. Thank god, people didn't get their legs broken and go crawling to see the film." Despite his candid remarks, Badola acknowledged the film's real impact. 'It's okay. We understand promoting the film, but it's good only up to a certain level. However, the film cannot earn so much money just based on Instagram promotions. People have gone and seen the film, and they have loved it," he concluded. With Saiyaara continuing its golden run, Ahaan Panday has officially arrived in Bollywood. Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Asha Bhosle recalls backlash to bold songs like Piya Tu Ab To Aaja and Dum Maaro Dum: 'Majrooh Sultanpuri left the studio and told me, ‘Beti, maine ganda gana likha hai'
Asha Bhosle has lent her voice to some of the most iconic songs in Hindi cinema, from the sultry Piya Tu Ab To Aaja to the rebellious Dum Maaro Dum and the dreamy Yeh Hai Reshmi Zulfon Ka Andhera. But in a recent interview, the legendary playback singer revealed that many of her bold tracks didn't just raise eyebrows, they were outright banned on Indian radio. 'Why do I only get the bold songs?' Asha once asked RD Burman Speaking to Republic Bharat, Asha Bhosle recalled confronting her late husband and composer RD Burman, fondly known as Pancham Da, about his song choices. She questioned why she was repeatedly given provocative numbers, while her elder sister Lata Mangeshkar received the softer, more 'respectable' melodies. 'I once told Pancham, why do I only get these bold songs while the nice songs go to Lata Didi?' she said. But RD Burman stood firm. He had faith in Asha's ability to make such songs iconic. Regarding Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, from the 1971 film Caravan, she remembered him confidently telling her that the song would be a huge hit. 'I have written a bad song,' said Majrooh Sultanpuri and walked out Interestingly, Asha also shared an anecdote involving renowned lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, who penned Piya Tu Ab To Aaja. She recalled how embarrassed he was during the recording session. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like These Are The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo 'Majrooh Sultanpuri left the studio and told me, 'Beti, maine ganda gana likha hai. My daughters will grow up and sing this song,'' she said, laughing. Despite his hesitation, Asha went ahead with the song, staying true to her professional commitment. 'I knew the music of the song is good, but I didn't know that the song will be such a massive hit,' she added. Hindi Songs | Asha Bhosle Special Songs | Jukebox Song '3–4 of my songs were banned from Bombay radio' While these songs have since achieved cult status, Asha admitted they weren't always well received. In fact, they were censored. 'My 3–4 songs would get banned from Bombay radio,' she revealed, pointing to the conservative broadcasting environment of the time. Another of Asha's landmark tracks, Dum Maaro Dum from Dev Anand's Hare Rama Hare Krishna (1971), also stirred controversy. Despite the film's anti-drug message, the song was accused of glamorising smoking and hippie culture. As a result, All India Radio banned it, and Doordarshan edited the song out when the film was aired on television. Over the decades, however, these songs have come to define the bold, experimental era of Hindi film music, with Asha Bhosle at the forefront, unafraid to lend her voice to songs that pushed boundaries.
