An evening for the literati

At a special evening held at India Habitat Centre, the century-old bookshop chain Oxford bookshop revealed the winners of the First Edition of Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize and the Eighth Edition of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize.

The winner of the first edition of the Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize was announced as “Scenography: An Indian Perspective” written by noted scenographer and director of contemporary Indian theatre Satyabrata Rout and published by Niyogi Books. This award is the only one in India that recognises the value of art in all genres under the umbrella of an art publication. It was established in collaboration with Visual Arts Gallery.

In addition to the winning title, the jurors also appreciated “Inspired by India: How India Transformed Global Design” by Phyllida Jayand published by Roli Books. Satyabrata Rout, the author of the winning title and the publisher, Niyogi Books were felicitated with the trophy, certificate and 1 Lakh Indian Rupees cash prize by the Chair of Jury Dr. Alka Pande and Martine Aamdal Bottheim, Minister Counsellor & Deputy Head of Mission at Norwegian Embassy in New Delhi.

Speaking at the ceremony, the winner Satyabrata Rout said, “The Oxford Bookstore Art Book Award brings a sense of confidence in me. Being a teacher and practitioner of theatre, I always felt a scarcity of books that help share these experiences with young minds. ‘Scenography: An Indian Perspective’ is the congregation of these experiences of working in theatre for more than forty years. I am thankful to Niyogi Books for bringing my writings to light and the Oxford Bookstore for considering this rare subject— ‘Scenography’ —for this prestigious award.”

This evening also witnessed the winner announcement of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize, a first of its kind award for brilliance in book design, an attempt by the iconic bookstore to recognize and encourage the extraordinary work of illustrators, designers and publishers throughout India announced Kolkata based designer, Paramita Brahmacharias the Winner of the eighth edition of the prestigious prize. Paramita won the coveted award for the book jacket of ‘Pebble Monkey’ by Manindra Gupta, translated by Arunava Sinha and published by Jadavpur University Press.

Celebrated author and translator of Pebble Monkey, Arunava Sinha and Dr. Devalina Mookerjee, Development Editor at Jadavpur University Press accepted the award on behalf of Paramita Brahmachari, who could not attend the ceremony. Dr. Alka Pande, the jury chair and Swagat Sengupta, CEO of Apeejay Oxford Bookstores, presented Arunava Sinha andDr.DevalinaMookerjeewith the trophy, certificate and a cash prize of 1 Lakh Indian Rupees as recognition.

Winner of the 8th edition of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize, Paramita Brahmachari in her video message said“I’m immensely thankful to Oxford Bookstore for having created and sustained this platform which focuses attention on the book as a tactile, visual object and especially for the visibility it has brought to a small press like the Jadavpur University Press, which works with very limited resources. I am delighted and very honoured to receive this award and to have been considered by such a distinguished panel of juries.”

In addition to the winning jacket, three more designers were acknowledged by the jurors in appreciation of their remarkable command of graphics and visual narrative. These designers are Leeza John for “The Memory Police” published by DC Books; Bena Sareen for “Birdwatching: A Novel” published by Aleph Book Company and AhlawatGunjan for “Invisible Empire” published by Viking.

Announcing the winners for the prizes the Chair of Jury, Dr. Alka Pande said,“Oxford Bookstore has been a fore runner in instituting two significant awards. One for the book cover design and now the art book prize. The book cover design has come of age and is now encouraging the creative process behind the making of the book and now the art book prize is another first”.

Celebrating the announcement of the winner of the 8th edition of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize and the first Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize, Priti Paul, Director Apeejay Surrendra Group, said “We at Oxford Bookstore are delighted by the very appreciative and heart-warming response to our new initiative - the first Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize. Coming on the heels of the well-established 8th edition of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize, it reiterates our commitment to explore and contribute innovatively to various aspects of the Book Trade and Bool Retail. We have instituted over a dozen festivals across several languages, seminars, conferences etc. over the years, and it will be our continuing endeavour to contribute further”.

The Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize is a first-of-its-kind honour for splendour in book design, and an endeavour by an iconic bookstore to perceive and empower the phenomenal work of artists, designers and distributors crosswise over India. The prize acknowledges the significance of the adjust of illustrations and story, especially in our undeniably visual age, and trusts that a book cover translates and interprets the resulting content in critical ways that add to its definitive achievement. Under the guidance of. Priti Paul, Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group, Oxford Bookstores has been pushing all boundaries to encourage the publishing industry and celebrate the business of books. Standout cover design is an integral part of the success of a book, designers and illustrators play a vital role in helping a book become emblematic and create recall. The jury for the eighth edition of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize comprises of prominent author, Indian columnist and novelist, Shobhaa De, well known author, politician and Member of Parliament, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, renowned author and academic, Dr.Kunal Basu, Director, Apeejay Surrendra Group and the creative force behind Oxford Bookstores, Priti Paul and Museum Curator and Jury Chair, Dr. Alka Pande.

Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is India’s only prize that recognises the value of art in all genres under the umbrella of the art publication. Significantly, the Art Book Prize actively recognizes the contribution the book has made to the large discourse on art and culture. The Oxford Bookstore Art Book Prize is an innovative collaboration between Oxford Bookstores and the Visual Arts Gallery, celebrating the best in art publications published in English language.