Pune: The Chhandashree International Diwali Magazine Awards, instituted in memory of Kamalabai Rasiklal Dharival, will be presented on Tuesday, July 1, in Pune. The awards aim to honour excellence in the publication of Diwali, Christmas, and Ramzan-themed special issues across India and abroad.
As part of the initiative, a four-day exhibition of over 300 festive publications will be held from July 1 to 4 at the Art Gallery of Balgandharva Rangmandir, from 11 am to 8 pm daily. The exhibition will be inaugurated at 11 am on July 1 by noted scholar and former Marathi Sahitya Sammelan president Dr Sadanand More, along with Prakashsheth Dharival, Managing Director of Dharival Industries.
The award ceremony itself will be held at Ganesh Sabhagruha, Tilak Road, at 5 pm on the same day. It will be attended by actress and academic Dr Nishigandha Wad, Milind Joshi, president of the All India Marathi Sahitya Mahamandal, writer Cecilia Carvalho, and former Sammelan president Bharat Sasane, according to organiser Dinkar Shiledar of Denmark Publications. Literary figure Madhav Rajguru will also be present.
Diverse entries, global participation
Now in its ninth year, the competition received 234 entries, including two from the United States. In addition to Diwali-themed magazines, this year’s entries also include special editions published on the occasion of Christmas and Ramzan. These include Pashihar and Kadaudi, magazines in the Kadaudi language published from Vasai, and Nabz, a Marathi-language publication brought out annually during Ramzan by Minaj Latkar from Pune.
Shiledar explained that the inclusion of diverse linguistic and cultural issues reflects an effort to promote literary expression across festivals. “Kadaudi, a language developed during the Portuguese presence in India 500 years ago, continues to be used among select communities. This year, we’ve extended the platform to accommodate such unique voices,” he said. Plans are underway to include Bengali-language Durga Puja editions in the next edition of the awards.
Focus on literary merit, not religious identity
Shiledar clarified that the selection process and exhibition are not based on religion but on the strength of literary content. “This is an effort to strengthen the reading culture. There is no intention to offend any faith or sentiment, but if anyone feels hurt, I apologise in advance,” he said.
He added that the exhibition has been curated with the support of Shrikant Bhutada of Poonam Agencies, and is likely to be the first of its kind in India to feature such a wide cross-section of festival-themed literature.
Award winners
This year, Sakal Media Group’s ‘Avtaran’ and ‘Agrowon’ have jointly won the top honours for Best Diwali Issue. The Lokmat Group’s ‘Deepotsav’ has been awarded for Best Cover Design, with credit given to renowned illustrator Chandramohan Kulkarni. In total, 42 awards will be presented, including first, second, and consolation prizes. Publications such as Maharashtra Times, Loksatta, and Divya Marathi have also received recognition for their contributions.
The event offers Pune’s literary audience a rare opportunity to engage with the diversity of festival-centric literature from across the country and beyond — a convergence of tradition, creativity, and contemporary commentary.
