The 19th Crossword Book Awards celebrated the breadth and evolution of Indian writing on Tuesday evening, honouring acclaimed playwright, critic and translator Shanta Gokhale with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The ceremony, held at The LaLiT Mumbai, drew leading authors, publishers and industry voices, underscoring the awards’ growing cultural and commercial influence in India’s literary ecosystem.

Gokhale — only the fifth recipient of the honour after Ruskin Bond, Sudha Murty, Shashi Tharoor and Amitav Ghosh — received the award from journalist and long-time friend Bachi Karkaria. The recognition marks her decades-long contribution to Marathi literature, theatre criticism and translation.

This year’s Jury Awards highlighted a mix of historical depth, contemporary commentary and storytelling craft. The winners included:

* Fiction: Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi

* Non-Fiction: Gods, Guns and Missionaries: The Making of the Modern Hindu Identity by Manu S. Pillai

* Business & Management: Just a Mercenary? by Duvvuri Subbarao

* Children’s Books: The Wall Friends Club by Varsha Seshan, illustrated by Denise Antao

* Translation: The Day the Earth Bloomed by Manoj Kuroor, translated by J. Devika

The awards were selected by a 15-member jury including Vaishna Roy, Mandira Nayar, Sonu Bhasin, Poonam Saxena, Deepak Dalal and Sruthijith KK, several of whom presented honours during the ceremony.

The Popular Choice Awards — determined entirely by public voting — spotlighted widely read and culturally familiar voices. Winners included Prajakta Koli (Too Good To Be True), Sudha Murty (Grandpa’s Bag of Stories), Thomas Mathew (Ratan Tata: A Life), Sadhguru (Enlightenment), and Mohar Basu for his biography of Shah Rukh Khan.

For debut author and creator-turned-writer Prajakta Koli, the recognition was deeply personal.

“It still feels surreal,” she said moments after winning. “Tonight is something I will go back to every time I doubt myself. I hope romance — in books, films and everywhere — makes a comeback. I’ve already begun work on my next book.”

The impact of literary awards on publishing — especially at a time of rapid change driven by retail expansion and digital reading — was a recurring theme backstage.

Author Anand Neelakantan, attending with his newly released science-fiction–mythology crossover Mahishasura: The Legend of Kumarikandam, described literary awards as high-visibility but short-memory cultural markers:

“Awards make books a talking point and give relevance — at least in the short term. People may not remember a winner after 20 years, but in the moment, it attracts new readers and pushes a book into conversations.”

As artificial intelligence becomes more deeply integrated into content discovery and learning, Neelakantan believes market demand will shift.

“Knowledge will get cheaper and cheaper. What readers will seek — and pay for — are genuine human experiences. Fiction and narrative non-fiction will drive the next phase of publishing.”

Aakash Gupta, CEO of Crossword Bookstores, said the awards continue to play an essential role as a discovery engine in a competitive market.

“These titles will spark conversations, shape perspectives and inspire a generation of readers,” he said.

Crossword Director Nidhi Gupta echoed the sentiment:

“Tonight reminded us of the power of storytelling — the ability of books to open windows to worlds we may never enter.”

With the Indian publishing sector projected to grow steadily over the next decade, the Crossword Book Awards continue to evolve into a benchmark of literary relevance, credibility and aspiration — a stage where established voices meet emerging talent.

As the 2025 edition concludes, the message from winners, organisers and industry voices converges: awards may not define memory — but they shape momentum.