Ajay Kumar, a 23-year-old English Literature student from Chennai, has been awarded the prestigious Srinivas Rayaprol Poetry Prize 2024. Selected from a pool of 66 entrants by a jury comprising renowned poet Menka Shivdasani and two faculty members from the University of Hyderabad, Kumar’s work impressed with its depth and originality. The prize, instituted by the Srinivas Rayaprol Literary Trust to recognize emerging talent in English poetry, carries a cash award of â¹15,000 and a citation. Kumar, author of the e-chapbook “Balancing Acts” and a contributor to publications like the Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English and The Bombay Literary Magazine, will be formally presented with the award at the Hyderabad Literary Festival in January 2025.