Batley author heads to India for prize

Ahmad Lunat OBE, 77, of James Street, won the Gujarat Darpan Award for short stories for his work Ajaanya – “Strangers” – picking it up at a conference in Indore.

The book focuses on the modern experiences of British Muslims, with one tale including the heartbreak of a young woman who had to fly home from her husband-to-be in India after having a visa application rejected.

Mr Lunat, whose pen name is Ahmad Gul, said: “It’s really fantastic. I’m delighted, it’s a good recognition of my writing and the contents of the book, especially the issues of Muslims in Britain.”

Mr Lunat is a member of Batley’s Gujarati Writers Forum. The group celebrates 25 years in May and out of the 14 books they have released, 10 are by Ahmad.

He has also read his poetry at Gujarati conferences in the USA, Canada and Belgium, among other places and said he was proud to represent Batley at them.

Secretary of the GWF Ismail Daji said: “We feel it’s a just and rightful recognition of Gul’s hard work, his literary ability and his deep insight into our culture.”

Mohamed Mulla, chairman of the Indian Muslim Welfare Society, added: “We would like to congratulate Mr Lunat for his achievement. Let us hope that such a glittering prize would act as a catalyst for the would-be author from our community.”