PVLF 2025

2024 NIF Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Book Prize Announces 10-Book Longlist for Non-fiction

The 2024 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize longlist features diverse works on modern Indian history. Winners announced in November; shortlisted in September.
on Aug 22, 2024

The shortlist for this prize, organized by the New India Foundation, will be revealed in September, and the winner will be declared in November.

The New India Foundation has revealed the longlist for the 2024 Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay NIF Book Prize. This reputable award recognizes nonfiction books focusing on modern and contemporary Indian history. The winning author will receive a cash reward of Rs.15 lakh.

The shortlisted authors will be declared in September, and the winner will be declared in November. The winning author will participate in a discussion with an NIF Trustee at the Bangalore Literature Festival on December 14, 2024.

Political scientist Niraja Gopal Jayal leads the jury for this year and includes historian Srinath Raghavan, entrepreneur Manish Sabharwal, former diplomat and author Navtej Sarna, lawyer Rahul Matthan, and public policy researcher Yamini Aiyar.

The jury admired the longlisted books, stating, “The landscape of Indian nonfiction today is prolific, exciting, and constantly pushing boundaries. We congratulate all the nominated authors and their publishers.”

The Longlisted books for this year’s Prize are as follows:

Toward a Free Economy: Swantantra and Opposition Politics in Democratic India, by Aditya Balasubramanian, was published by Princeton University Press. This well-researched book argues that India’s free-market economic policies were native and not simply borrowed from the West. It provides an engaging account of the Swatantra Party, showcasing how economic conservatism and democracy could coexist.

From Phasi Yard: My Year with the Women of Yerewada by Sudha Bharadwaj, published by Juggernaut. This auto-biographical account captures the author’s experience within the Indian prison system- shedding light on its institutional flaws and the individuals who achieve small victories within it.

Shadows at Noon: The South Asian Twentieth Century by Joya Chatterji, published by Penguin India. This enterprising book incorporates personal perspectives and academic authority to inspire the subcontinent’s journey from anti-colonial resistance to electoral democracy.

How Prime Ministers Decide is by Neerja Chowdhury and published by Aleph Book Company. This insightful study of six Indian Prime Ministers analyses their legacies through the most critical decisions made by each, offering a valuable political history by a seasoned journalist.

A Part Apart: The Life and Thought of BR Ambedkar by Ashok Gopal, published by Navayana. Researched for over a decade and drawing broadly from Marathi and English sources, this definitive biography enriches our understanding of Dr Ambedkar’s life and ideas.

Fire on the Ganges: Life Among the Dead in Banaras by Radhika Iyengar, published by Harper Collins India. This moving account portrays the daily lives of members of the Dalit community who cremate Hindus in Varanasi, showcasing the resilience of the young as they aim to overcome caste discrimination.

No Birds of Passage: A History of Gujarati Muslim Business Communities 1800-1975 by Michael O’Sullivan, published by Harvard University Press. This remarkable book describes the story of the Khojas, Bohras, and Memons who, despite representing less than 1% of South Asia’s Muslim population, emerged as dominant figures in Muslim business in the subcontinent. The author explores how they created a unique form of Muslim capitalism by intertwining economic motivations and religious beliefs.

Swadeshi Steam: VO Chidambaram Pillai and the Battle Against the British Maritime Empire by AR Venkatachalapathy, published by Penguin India, is an impressive biography from four decades of research. It portrays a remarkable individual and chronicles the Swadeshi Steam Navigation Company he founded, which bravely challenged the British Empire politically and economically.

H-Pop: The Secretive World of Hindutva Pop Stars by Kunal Purohit, published by HarperCollins. This gripping work of investigative reporting how the ideology of Hindutva is propagated in popular culture through kavi sammelan poetry, music videos, books, and social media influencers.

Sheikh Abdullah: The Caged Lion of Kashmir, by Chitralekha Zutshi, was published by Harper Collins India. This well-researched biography provides a deep insight into the life of the legendary Kashmiri nationalist Sheikh Abdullah, one of the most controversial and charismatic political figures of 20th-century India.