<p><strong>I’m a Rahman, SPB buff </strong></p>.<p>Srinivasa Gopala P K<br />First prize winner</p>.<p>A tech writer, Srinivasa Gopala is inspired by his own experiences, and what is going on in the world.</p>.<p>“My writing is an attempt to come to sense with all the contradictions that I see around me,” he says.</p>.<p>Favourite authors: “I don’t stick to reading a particular author. R K Narayan is a favourite as he dealt with India while writing in English. Amitav Ghosh is another favourite for the way he handles the language and imagery.”</p>.<p>Favourite movies: “I would rather read a book than watch films. But movies like ‘Million Dollar Arm’ and ‘Moneyball’ are my favourites.”</p>.<p>Favourite musicians: “I’m inclined to Kannada and Tamil music. I love A R Rahman and S P Balasubrahmanyam for their magical creations.”</p>.<p>Your short story in 50 words: ‘Full Stop Over Comma’ is inspired by cabbies I meet often, pandemics and a certain attitude towards diabetes and death.</p>.<p><strong>‘I love ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’’</strong></p>.<p>Nikhil D Hegde<br />Second prize </p>.<p><br />Nikhil is a former geotechnical engineer who quit his ‘more than a decade-long career’ to pursue writing. He ‘puts down loose random thoughts’ and says he knew it was his calling.</p>.<p>Favourite books: Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ and J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. “I also read a lot of John Grisham’s works. Anton Chekhov is a favourite too,” he says.</p>.<p>Favourite movies: ‘The Gladiator’ was inspiring. ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ are also favourites.</p>.<p>Favourite music: Songs from ‘The Sound of Music.’</p>.<p>Your short story in 50 words: “’Fat Polish Mama’ is the story of an 80-year-old woman going through a divorce. It is followed by a courtroom drama that aims to be funny and entertaining.”</p>.<p><strong>Dire Straits, Coldplay and Arijit Singh</strong></p>.<p>Sanjana M Vijayshankar<br />Third prize</p>.<p>A creative supervisor at an advertising agency, Sanjana started writing when she was 11. Her writing developed over time and she is influenced by writers like Terry Pratchett and Eoin Colfer, and especially likes their sense of humour.</p>.<p>Favourite authors: “If I had to choose a favourite it would be Neil Gaiman, and R K Narayan whose writing is simple and impressive.”</p>.<p>Favourite movies: “My all-time favourite movie is ‘The Godfather’. The Tamil comedy ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’ is very clever and just right.”</p>.<p>Favourite musicians: “I like most music. I love Dire Straits, Coldplay and Arijit Singh.</p>.<p>Your short story in 50 words: ‘Under Pressure’ tells the story of Aziz Davar, an ad man who is steadfast in his belief that his job is indescribably stressful. Little does he expect a conversation with a stranger to hand him a heady dose of reality.’</p>.<p><strong>The judges</strong></p>.<p>The judges of the competition were Kannada author Vasudhendra who has won many literary awards, including the Kannada Sahitya Academy Book Prize; Bengaluru-based writer, poet and occasional columnist Nandita Bose whose works include fiction against the backdrop of dilemmas: individual, situational, cultural or patriarchal, and Madhavi Mahadevan, who has worked as a bookseller, advertising copywriter, and editor.</p>
<p><strong>I’m a Rahman, SPB buff </strong></p>.<p>Srinivasa Gopala P K<br />First prize winner</p>.<p>A tech writer, Srinivasa Gopala is inspired by his own experiences, and what is going on in the world.</p>.<p>“My writing is an attempt to come to sense with all the contradictions that I see around me,” he says.</p>.<p>Favourite authors: “I don’t stick to reading a particular author. R K Narayan is a favourite as he dealt with India while writing in English. Amitav Ghosh is another favourite for the way he handles the language and imagery.”</p>.<p>Favourite movies: “I would rather read a book than watch films. But movies like ‘Million Dollar Arm’ and ‘Moneyball’ are my favourites.”</p>.<p>Favourite musicians: “I’m inclined to Kannada and Tamil music. I love A R Rahman and S P Balasubrahmanyam for their magical creations.”</p>.<p>Your short story in 50 words: ‘Full Stop Over Comma’ is inspired by cabbies I meet often, pandemics and a certain attitude towards diabetes and death.</p>.<p><strong>‘I love ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’’</strong></p>.<p>Nikhil D Hegde<br />Second prize </p>.<p><br />Nikhil is a former geotechnical engineer who quit his ‘more than a decade-long career’ to pursue writing. He ‘puts down loose random thoughts’ and says he knew it was his calling.</p>.<p>Favourite books: Leo Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’ and J K Rowling’s Harry Potter series. “I also read a lot of John Grisham’s works. Anton Chekhov is a favourite too,” he says.</p>.<p>Favourite movies: ‘The Gladiator’ was inspiring. ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’ and ‘The Sound of Music’ are also favourites.</p>.<p>Favourite music: Songs from ‘The Sound of Music.’</p>.<p>Your short story in 50 words: “’Fat Polish Mama’ is the story of an 80-year-old woman going through a divorce. It is followed by a courtroom drama that aims to be funny and entertaining.”</p>.<p><strong>Dire Straits, Coldplay and Arijit Singh</strong></p>.<p>Sanjana M Vijayshankar<br />Third prize</p>.<p>A creative supervisor at an advertising agency, Sanjana started writing when she was 11. Her writing developed over time and she is influenced by writers like Terry Pratchett and Eoin Colfer, and especially likes their sense of humour.</p>.<p>Favourite authors: “If I had to choose a favourite it would be Neil Gaiman, and R K Narayan whose writing is simple and impressive.”</p>.<p>Favourite movies: “My all-time favourite movie is ‘The Godfather’. The Tamil comedy ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’ is very clever and just right.”</p>.<p>Favourite musicians: “I like most music. I love Dire Straits, Coldplay and Arijit Singh.</p>.<p>Your short story in 50 words: ‘Under Pressure’ tells the story of Aziz Davar, an ad man who is steadfast in his belief that his job is indescribably stressful. Little does he expect a conversation with a stranger to hand him a heady dose of reality.’</p>.<p><strong>The judges</strong></p>.<p>The judges of the competition were Kannada author Vasudhendra who has won many literary awards, including the Kannada Sahitya Academy Book Prize; Bengaluru-based writer, poet and occasional columnist Nandita Bose whose works include fiction against the backdrop of dilemmas: individual, situational, cultural or patriarchal, and Madhavi Mahadevan, who has worked as a bookseller, advertising copywriter, and editor.</p>