Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize


The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize is a literary honour in India conferred annually to published works of Indian authors in novel, short stories, poetry and drama, originally written in any of Indian official languages and dialects, but translated to English. It was founded in 2018 by US-based independent and non-profit publishing house Maitreya Publishing Foundation as a platform for world peace, literature, art, education and human rights. The winners receive USD 10,000 as the prize money along with a Rabindranath Tagore statuette while the shortlisted authors each receive USD 500.
The 2019 Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize in literature was awarded to Rana Dasgupta for the literary novel “Solo". Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2019 for Social Achievement was awarded to Yohei Sasakawa, for his efforts to uproot leprosy and his great contribution to world peace, and to Madame President of Taiwan, Ms. Tsai Ing-Wen and Taiwanese people, as being a Beacon of Democracy, Human Rights and Freedom.
In 2020 Rabindranath Tagore Prize for Social Achievement was conferred to His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said, the late Sultan of Oman and The People of Oman, for his lifelong efforts and legacy as a peacemaker, his Majesty’s velvety diplomatic mediation of complex domestic and world affairs resulting in successful peaceful resolutions and to the world-renowned dancer choreographer Sandip Soparrkar for his worldwide initiative 'Dance for a Cause' where he uses dance, music and drama to highlight various world social issues. Raj Kamal Jha was announced the winner of the Tagore Literary Prize for his novel – The City and the Sea. In 2020, it was announced that the prizes for 2021 and 2022 would be merged, due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Winners and shortlisted authors

The winners and shortlisted authors of Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize are.
YearAuthorTitle
2018--
2018Kabir One Hundred Poems of Kabir
2018Vinita AgrawalThe Silk of Hunger
2018Maj. Gen. G.D. BakshiDances with the Cranes
2018Tishani DoshiPleasure Seekers
2018Amitav GhoshThe Ibis Trilogy
2018Jhumpa LahiriUnaccustomed Earth
2018Anita NairThe Lilac House
2018Daya PawarKondwada
2018Kiriti SenguptaHealing Waters Floating Lamps
2018Amish TripathiShiva Trilogy
2019--
2019Rana DasguptaSolo
2019Amit ChaudhuriThe Immortals
2019K. MadavaneTo Die in Benares
2019Jayanta MahapatraHesitant Light
2019Neel MukherjeeThe Lives of Others
2019Manoj PandeyThe Legacy of Nothing
2019Kala RameshBeyond the Horizon Beyond
2019Siddharth Dhanvant ShanghviThe Lost Flamingoes of Bombay
2019Menka ShivdasaniFrazil
2019Jeet ThayilThe Book of Chocolate Saints
2020--
2020Raj Kamal JhaThe City and the Sea
2020Amitav GhoshGun Island literary
2020Nirmala GovindarajanTaboo
2020Ranjit HoskoteJonahwhale
2020Sachin Kundalkar translated from Marathi into English by Jerry PintoCobalt blue
2020Varun Thomas MathewThe Black Dwarves of the Good Little Bay
2020Sonnet MondalKarmic Chant
2020Rochelle PotkarPaper Asylum
2020Bijoya SawianShadow Men
2020Sudeep SenEroText

Tagore Prize for Social Achievements

It is awarded annually along with the literary award to recognise those who have made a positive and lasting impact on the society.
YearAwarded to
2018Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation
2019Yohei Sasakawa and Ms. Tsai Ing-Wen and Taiwanese people
2020His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said and the People of Oman and Sandip Soparrkar a renowned Indian dancer choreographer