Prof Khalid’s rare feat will warm your heart
The English translation of the novel Namat Khana by the prominent contemporary fiction writer Prof Khalid Javed from the Department of Urdu, Jamia Millia Islamia has been included in the list of ten novels selected from all the Indian languages for the prestigious literary award JCB Award for Literature 2022.
The novel has been translated into English as The Paradise of Food by Prof Bara Farooqui. The value of the award is 25 lakh rupees and the translator also gets award money of 10 lakh rupees separately.
All the 10 authors whose novels have been included in the list will get 1 lakh each.
Anchored in the space of a kitchen, the novel is the story of a typical middle-class Muslim family, revolving around hunger, violence, love, guilt, and confession.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Najma Akhtar termed this as a proud moment for the university. She expressed her good wishes and hoped that the novel will finally be selected for the award.
Javed’s three novels Maut Ki Kitab, Namat Khana and Ek Khanjar Pani Mein’ have become very popular and his fourth novel Arsalan Aur Behzad is going to be released very soon.
His novel Maut Ki Kitab was translated as the Book of Death by Dr A Naseeb Khan.
He has also been honoured with many prestigious awards by prominent literary institutions across the country.
