Winners of Gayatri Memorial Awards For Literary Excellence (2020)
Ananda Mandir has announced the following winners of this year’s contest:
Co-winners in the Bengali nominations category are Swapna Ray of Wayland, MA, and Subhankar Mukhopadhyay (Nashville,TN).
The winner in the English nominations category is Debashis Roy Chowdhury of Campbell, CA.
Each winner has received a cash award of $500 and a plaque with a citation. Congratulations to all the winners!
Swapna, a disciple of Suchitra Mitra, started Swaralipi Academy of Music in Wayland, MA, fifteen years ago to teach Rabindrasangeet to her pupils, of all ages. From music-teaching she picked up the pen to write poems and prose in Bangla. Her poems have appeared in many journals in India and in North America, particularly in venerable magazines like Krittibas,Parabaas,and Pratichi. She has also co-authored a book of verses, entitled Kobitarajokhonjhankejhnakeasey(Krittibas, 2012) with Rahul Ray. Swapna is also passionate about stage acting. She, along with Rahul founded ‘The Boston Group’, and staged numerous plays in North America and Canada. Swapna is a scientist and a teacher by profession.
Subhankar Mukhopadhyay
Subhankar Mukhopadhyay is an author and a journalist. He is currently working for the Tennessee Department of Health. But in the past in Kolkata, he was a journalist for Bartaman and was a regular contributor to TV & Radio. At present, he is a regular contributor to AnandabazarPatrika,Bartaman,Aajkaal,and Ei Samay. He has published seven books (Netaji OntordhaanRohosyo,BharotioSongbidhan:PonchaashePaa,Krishnochorit,Choitonyochintaa, ArobinderSondhaane,NogorBaaulBobDylan,and Milemishe).
Debashis Roy Chowdhury is a software engineer by profession. Debashis has a passion for reading and creative writing. He has published over 25 short stories in English in various magazines in North America including Kallol,Anandalipiand theNABCmagazine. Debashis has also written thought-provoking essays on music, musical legends and on meditation in various publications in the US and India. Debashis is a dedicated student of Indian classical music and references to Indian music often seeps into his short stories. He currently resides in the Bay area along with his family.