Shivangi & Aanika – Winners of May 2022; Keekli’s Fiction Treasure Trove

Shivangi Sharma, a class 9 students of Auckland House School, Shimla; and Ms Aanika Gajendragad, a class 10 student of Homeshool, Bengaluru; as they awed the judges with their amazing stories to win the monthly cash award and an assured place in Keekli’s Fiction Treasure Trove — 2022 top 31 stories.

The cash award for our monthly winners has been sponsored by Nanak Chand Roshni Sood Charitable Trust, Shimla. We also appreciate and acknowledge our associates — SJVN Foundation; Information & Public Relations Department, Himachal Pradesh; Department of Language Art & Culture, Himachal Pradesh; Media Partner HimachalTonite; Radio Partner BigFM95; and all the anonymous donors who believe in us and support us unconditionally.

The Judges were quite impressed reading these stories, and shared their views:

Gunjan Batra, “What a fabulous collection of stories… each better than the other. Was so difficult to choose which was better. These children are not just creative in thinking and writing, they are also amazingly empathetic for their age. The issues they have highlighted are so real-world and absolutely hit the right chords. When teenagers raise issues like self-confidence, conflict between humans and wildlife and lesser known psychological disorders, it makes me optimistic about the future. I’m overwhelmed by their ideas, creativity, and expression.”

Aastha Chadha, “Lavanya Muni’s Vartika and the Four Gems — Let’s start with the title. Try to avoid a name of character when you are writing a short story ( if that is already an established character, it’s ok) For 11 years old, your vocabulary is good enough. One thing which I really liked is, your writing is descriptive. Story idea was unique and fresh. All the best. Keep creating magic with your writing.”

“Shivangi Sharma’s Spirit of the Heart — Sentence formation is very good and clear. I loved the way you introduced the characters. You have a good command on vocabulary, keep reading a lot. Story idea was good. Your writing is very straight, which is very important. Good control on words. All the best, waiting for a day, your book will get published.”

“Aanika Gajendragad’s The Rose — Writing a story on any physical or mental disorder is not an easy thing. Creating an awareness of different neurological disorders is something very close to my heart. Whenever we do that, we have to be extremely careful about the story idea and the words we use. You nailed the vocabulary, gave the fair idea about the condition in a very precise manner so plus one for your creativity. Society needs more and more writers like you. All the best for your journey as a writer.”

Jael shares, “Unimaginable creativity for children of their age.”