Ayesha Aleem, a Bangalore-based writer and journalist, has won the first prize in the fourth edition of the Sunday Herald short story competition organised by popular English daily, Deccan Herald. The young writer bagged the cash prize of Rs 30,000 for her story ‘In Search of Home’ which revolves around the character of a taxi driver of Indian origin in the United States.
The protagonist’s homecoming after 35 years is very different from what he expected and turns out to be not so comfortable after all. The entry “moved the judges with its subtle ending and original theme”. The story idea occurred to Ayesha last year. “I had started writing the story long ago but could not get a suitable climax. By the time I decided to enter the short story competition, I had finished my story,” Ayesha said.
Ayesha did MS (Journalism) at Boston University in 2010. Before that, she pursued PG Diploma in Journalism at the Indian Institute of Journalism and New Media, Bangalore in 2008. She also holds a Diploma in Creative Writing from the Writer’s Bureau, Manchester, UK. At present, she is a correspondent with India Today in Bangalore. She has worked for Elle magazine, Lowe Worldwide and publications in the United States, where she briefly reported on US Congress in Washington, DC.
K N Tilak Kumar, Editor, Deccan Herald, gave away the award to Ayesha at a function held at Bangalore Club on July 29. More than 500 short stories were received for the contest. According to judges – writer and columnist Monideepa Sahu, short story writer Srinath Perur, and poet-writer Shefali Mehta – short-listing the names was a difficult exercise.
Sunday Herald is the eight-page weekly supplement of Deccan Herald that carries regular features on consumer issues, green subjects, animal welfare, gardening, bridge, crossword, book reviews, and offbeat travelogues.
Courtesy : Karnataka Muslims. Here
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