Siddhartha Gigoo, a Sri-Nagar based Novelist, has won the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015 for Asia region. Gigoo has packeted 2500 pounds for his novel “Umbrella Man“, a tale of surreal meditation on mental health and the environment.  The Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2015 has announced the winners in different regions – Africa, Asia, Canada & Europe, Caribbean, and the Pacific.

Gigoo will now compete with the other four regional winners for the 5000 pounds grand prize, to be announced in London on September 8. Gigoo’s prize winning story has been published in the book “A Fistful of Earth and Other Stories“.

Region Wise Winners

1. African regional winner – “Light” by Lesley Nneka Arimah of Nigeria
2. The Canada and Europe Regional Winner – “The Human Phonograph” by Jonathan Tel of UK
3. The Caribbean Regional Winner – “The King of Settlement 4” by Kevin Jared Hosein of Trinidad
4. The Pacific Regional Winner – “Famished Eels” by Mary Rokonadravu of Fiji

Siddhartha Gigoo

1. Born in Srinagar in 1974.
2. Gigoo left Kashmir in 1990 due to the political turmoil and militancy.
3. He studied English Literature at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
4. Gigoo’s first novel “The Garden of Solitude” was first published in 2011.
5. He has produced and directed a short film “The Last Day.”
6. Gigoo has also written two poetry books, “Fall and Other Poems” (1994) and “Reflections” (1995).