Benyamin bags first-ever JCB Prize for literature

In New Delhi, Malayalam author Benyamin has bagged the first JCB Prize for literature for his book ‘Jasmine Days’, which explores the lives of South Asians in the Middle East. The novel was originally written in Malayalam and translated by Shahnaz Habib. It tells the story of a young woman in a city where the promise of revolution turns into destruction and division. It revolves around the Jasmine Revolution that sprang up in December 2010 and was quelled by January 2011. Benyamin was awarded a cash prize of Rs 25 lakh, along with a magnificent trophy created by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra, titled ‘Mirror Melting’. Habib received an additional prize of Rs 5 lakh.