Author Zara Chowdhary has been named the winner of the 2025 Shakti Bhatt Prize for her debut memoir The Lucky Ones, a deeply personal account set against the backdrop of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

This year marks the final edition of the prestigious literary award, which will be discontinued after a 17-year run.

Set in Chowdhary’s hometown of Ahmedabad, the memoir delves into generational trauma and the searing impact of three months of sectarian violence.

The award citation described the book as “a brave and striking account,” capturing not only the horrors of the riots, which occurred when the author was just 16 years old, but also the suffocating dynamics of a dysfunctional family grappling with the tides of Indian history.

The Shakti Bhatt Prize, originally launched in 2008 as The Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize, returned to its roots this year by once again recognizing a debut author.

Over the years, the prize evolved to honour a writer’s body of work, celebrating literary contributions from across the South Asian subcontinent, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.

Unlike many literary awards, the Shakti Bhatt Prize was independently run—curated, judged, and funded entirely by writers without corporate sponsorship.

The Shakti Bhatt Foundation, which established the prize, received support from prominent figures such as journalist Sheela Bhatt, academic Thomas Kailath, and author TJS George.

With this final award, the foundation brings to a close a significant chapter in South Asian literary recognition.