Golden Point Award 2023

GOLDEN POINT AWARD 2023

ABOUT ARTS HOUSE LIMITED

ABOUT SINGAPORE BOOK COUNCIL

Arts House Limited (AHL) is a notfor-profit organisation committed to enriching lives through the arts.

Established in 1968, the Singapore Book Council (SBC) has for over 50 years remained committed to developing and promoting a multicultural literary arts sector in Singapore. Our programmes focus on creative writing, reading, translation, storytelling and illustration.

Our festivals, awards, workshops and school programmes have reached out to the various language and ethnic communities, boosting creativity, imagination, and empathy. SBC is a nonprofit and charity with IPC status.

AHL manages six arts spaces that aim to support our arts sector and bring communities together. These include two national monuments - The Arts House, multidisciplinary arts centre, and Victoria Theatre & Victoria Concert Hall, a heritage building that is home to the Singapore Symphony Orchestra.

It also runs the performing arts space Drama Centre as well as three enclaves for arts groups and creative businesses - the Goodman Arts Centre, Aliwal Arts Centre and Stamford Arts Centre. It is the cultural place manager of Singapore’s Civic District.

AHL organises two national pinnacle festivals – the Singapore International Festival of Arts focused on the performing arts, and the Singapore Writers Festival - a multi-lingual festival presenting the world’s leading literary talents. In addition, it manages Our Cultural Medallion Story – the showcase on Singapore’s Cultural Medallion recipients at The Arts House.

Arts House Limited is a public company limited by guarantee under the National Arts Council. First set up as The Old Parliament House Limited in 2002, it was renamed Arts House Limited in 2014. For more information, visit artshouselimited.sg 2

Vision: The power of words, connecting peoples and cultures.

Mission: To champion Singapore’s role in enhancing multicultural literary arts.

Our programmes run year-round, reaching out to many audiences. They include the annual Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC), a premier festival for children’s books; the prestigious biennial Singapore Literature Prize, the top literary prize in the country; the Singapore Translation Symposium, which promotes literary translation; SBC Campus and Little Campus, our school outreach programmes; as well as our training and mentorship programmes that support and nurture new talents.

For more information, please visit bookcouncil.sg

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S WELCOME MESSAGE Our warmest congratulations to the talented winners of the Golden Point Award (GPA) 2023, Singapore’s biennial premier creative writing competition, celebrating excellence in the nation’s four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil.

Organised by Arts House Limited (AHL), in partnership with Singapore Book Council, the 16th edition of GPA received over 900 entries across the categories of Short Story and Poetry.

This year, we also introduced the Short Story Translation category, which serves as a tribute to the art of translation and the skilled translators who made possible the increased reach and widen accessibility of local Chinese, Malay and Tamil works.

AHL is committed to enriching lives and bringing communities together through the arts. As a key supporter of Singapore’s arts community, AHL organises festivals and events within its art spaces to promote multidisciplinary art. Programmes such as GPA, dedicated to the literary arts, offer audiences an opportunity to immerse themselves in the art of storytelling. It is also a platform for expression through the written word, sharing unique reflections and experiences while fostering meaningful discussions on a diverse range of topics.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who had participated in the

GPA 2023. We are greatly encouraged by the creativity and quality of submissions from talented writers who showcased their literary prowess. We hope that GPA will continue to uncover fresh writing talents, promote literary expression in Singapore and compel publishers to recognise the literary gems within these works.

Once again, congratulations to all winners on your well-deserved recognition, and welcome to this vibrant, multilingual literary family. We eagerly anticipate the remarkable stories and poems that the future holds for each of you.

To endless creativity, Sharon Tan Executive Director, Arts House Limited

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Golden Point Award

金笔奖

ABOUT GOLDEN POINT AWARD The Golden Point Award is Singapore’s premier creative writing competition for Short Story and Poetry in the nation’s four official languages: English, Chinese, Malay and Tamil. Established by the National Arts Council in 1993, the national literary writing competition is a significant platform for discovering new writers whose works exhibit literary merit and encourage literary expression in Singapore.

This year, Arts House Limited partnered with Singapore Book Council to introduce a new category – Translation: Short Story (English) to allow local Chinese, Malay and Tamil works to reach new audiences and increase their accessibility, in turn cultivating greater cross-cultural understanding.

The competition is open only to Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents who, at time of application, have yet to publish a solo work in the specific genre they are competing in. Writers whose works have been published in journals or anthologies (whether online or in print) are eligible to enter.

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Anugerah Pena Emas தங்​்க முனை விருது PROGRAMME

Saturday, 2 December 2023

2.00pm

Welcome/Speech by Guest of Honour

2.15pm

Prize Presentation Honourable Mention – Poetry, Short Story, and Translation: Short Story (English) 1st, 2nd & 3rd Prize – Poetry, Short Story, and Translation: Short Story (English)

3.00pm

Recital performance of top entries

3.30pm

Reception

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RECOGNISING EXCELLENCE: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GOLDEN POINT AWARD RECIPIENTS!

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WINNERS POETRY ENGLISH POETRY

CHINESE POETRY

FIRST PRIZE Soh Yong Xiang SECOND PRIZE Regina De Rozario THIRD PRIZE Cheryl Teh

FIRST PRIZE Chng Tsu Pang FIRST PRIZE Wong Ying Tyng THIRD PRIZE Liu Xiaoyi

HONOURABLE MENTION Ho Kin Yunn Tricia Tan Hui Ling Wong Cheng Him Dustin

HONOURABLE MENTION Phoon Jing Ying Tan Ying Hong

MALAY POETRY

TAMIL POETRY

FIRST PRIZE Mohamed Naguib Bin Ngadnan SECOND PRIZE Suryadi Bin Mohamed Bajuri THIRD PRIZE Djohan Bin Abdul Rahman

FIRST PRIZE Baskaran Ganga SECOND PRIZE Chandrasekaran Mohanapriya THIRD PRIZE Ashokkumar Thenmozhi

HONOURABLE MENTION Saiful Amri Bin Ahmad Elahi

HONOURABLE MENTION Thanigaivel Chithra

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WINNERS SHORT STORY ENGLISH SHORT STORY

CHINESE SHORT STORY

FIRST PRIZE Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray SECOND PRIZE Tan Soon Teck Joseph THIRD PRIZE Ho Ching Yee

FIRST PRIZE Liu Xiaoyi SECOND PRIZE Chan Keen Mun THIRD PRIZE Lin Yijun

HONOURABLE MENTION Ho Khai Han Aaron Sarah Soh Yap Xin Yi

HONOURABLE MENTION Chan Kok Peng Chen Zhuo Kelvin Tan Thong Boon

MALAY SHORT STORY

TAMIL SHORT STORY

FIRST PRIZE Fadhli Rusydi Bin Fadzil FIRST PRIZE Muhammad Khairool Haque Bin Abdul Kadir THIRD PRIZE Fadhli Rusydi Bin Fadzil

FIRST PRIZE Priyadharshini Gajendran SECOND PRIZE Chandrasekaran Mohanapriya THIRD PRIZE Gopalakrishnan Venkatalakshmi

HONOURABLE MENTION Amanah Bte Mustafi Sitti Nurbayah

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HONOURABLE MENTION M.Selvarani Pitchaiappan Mathialagan

WINNERS TRANSLATION: SHORT STORY (ENGLISH) FIRST PRIZE Tan Xiang Yeow SECOND PRIZE Jazel Koh THIRD PRIZE Nor Djannah Binti Djohan

HONOURABLE MENTION Fathiah Fatimah Binte Jamal Nur-El-Hudaa Bte Jaffar Rajendram S/O M Ramasamy

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FIRST PRIZE

ENGLISH POETRY

Birds

by Soh Yong Xiang

Into the living room I unwind and encounter my mother. In her hands plain biscuits, the newspaper complete a picture: a woman in middle age.

Once, her sameness disappointed me; now I am grateful. Softly, she begins: Did you know, there is a clinic for birds who in old age too can suffer, the way we do. Arthritis, atrophy, a loss of vision and hearing. I slip through the tender light, to the table.

Outside, the indistinct voices of crickets, and the night treading on. The kettle is empty.

The clock threatens twelve. Must everything turn soft, in the end? And my mother, softly replacing the papers.

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FIRST PRIZE

CHINESE POETRY

否认

by 庄祖邦 Chng Tsu Pang

疫后五日 神谕未达的下午，阳光明媚，暗色的 飞虫降落在房里的暗处，像归根落叶 没有名字，没有被清除的理由 正如前一个下午，降落在肺部的病毒 没有症状，没有向谁证明的负担 一切平稳如故，如湖光山色 自然而然的向外，徐徐散开 我们的沉默也是。剩下回忆，大片地交谈 像一张网，什么也没有筛住，只是无处可逃的 夏夜里，我用湿纸巾捡起一地陌生的掉发 捡起虫子遗留在这人间的最后躯壳，不忍再捏 没有人知道它什么时候开始解悟，开始蜷缩 什么时候开始无视来时的存有，无视温度 什么时候，什么时候，从仰望变成了俯视我 可惜我的房里没有花园，不能搭建最宏大的天堂 也无法构想，最卑微的坟墓

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TRANSLATION Denial

translated by Lim Woan Wen

five days after the pandemic the oracle wasn’t yet decreed then the sun shone brightly, a dark-coloured insect landed in the shadows of the room like a fallen leaf returning to its roots nameless, bearing no cause to be purged just as the virus had landed on the lungs the previous afternoon symptomless, bearing no responsibility to prove itself all was as calm as before resembling a scene of mountains and lakes extending its presence gently, unaffectedly like our silence. only memories were left to converse in broad strokes like a net that had caught nothing, only the inescapable summer night, with a wet tissue I picked up strange, scattered hair picked up the final body left by the insect with no heart to crush it further no one knew when its enlightenment had begun

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when it had started to curl up when it had come to disregard its original being and lose sight of its warmth or when it had gone from looking up at me to staring down a pity there was no garden in my room to build the grandest of heavens nor to conceive the humblest of tombs

FIRST PRIZE

CHINESE POETRY

《以后》

by 王颖婷 Wong Ying Tyng

2023年4月5日

清明

雨

他教我折过的元宝 现在烧给他 烟，他 和背后低低飘过的人 在景深之间模糊，皆是梦幻 是泡影 又到清明 彩色的纸已不再覆盖 无人晨起，也无人行山 生者生不逢时， 死了，也是死不逢时

总是游到死角 鱼就是鱼，明知是死角却还在游 是笨鱼，变成木鱼 变成缺口之羽殇，黄汤 喝下，被我自己喝下去 的是我自己 以后我会是怎样的一杯骨灰 不要再葬我 于无法分解的琉璃罈 让我随风，雨时重新淋湿你，淋湿世界 雨后 世界是否就会变得更加 清 明

你说，以后我会是怎样的一杯骨灰 有没有人在等香烧完时想我 曲水、流觞， 写不出诗 但见自己变成一条游鱼

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TRANSLATION Hereafter

translated by Lim Woan Wen

5 April 2023

a rainy Qingming

the paper ingots he taught me to fold are now being burnt for him smoke, he and the people drifting low and beyond are blurred within the depths of field all but a dream an illusion it is Qingming again the Festival of Pure Brightness the coloured papers, scattered no more nobody rises early no one walks the hills he who lived was born ahead of his time his death too came at an unfitting time what kind of ashes am I going to be will anyone miss me while waiting for the incense to burn out meandering stream floating cups of wine I can’t come up with a poem but I see myself turn into a drunken fish forever drifting into dead ends a fish is a fish knowing the end is dead it goes on no matter 14

the wooden-headed fish turns into a wooden fish into a chipped wine cup—wine drank what I myself have drunk my self what kind of ashes am I going to be bury me no more in a non-degradable coloured glazed urn let me go with the wind so that when it rains, I can fall on you again fall on the world and when the rain stops would the world become purer

brighter

FIRST PRIZE

MALAY POETRY

Butang

by Mohamed Naguib Bin Ngadnan

perlukah wujudnya? disiat-siatkan lubang dibuat-buatkan jurang pada fabrik cukup sempurna lalu disatukannya semula

“mujurlah ada adiwira!” ujar kain dirobek dua, “dia rajin gigih usaha tekun pulihkan suasana jadi seperti sediakala.” untuk apa?

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TRANSLATION Button

translated by Annaliza Bakri

should it exist? slits made, gaps created on the fabric, once perfect stitched together again “thankfully, we have superheroes!” the ripped fabric exclaimed, “he tried to restore the situation to what it used to be.” for what?

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FIRST PRIZE

TAMIL POETRY

சலனமா​ாகும் தே�நீர் by பா​ா.கங்கா​ா Baskaran Ganga

ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீரை​ை என் டே�பிளில் வை​ைத்து செ​ென்றவன் கண்களில் தெ​ெரிந்த வினா​ாக்குறியில் ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் முன்பொ�ொருநா​ாள் இருவரின் சுவை​ையை​ை அறிந்ததை​ை எங்கிருந்தோ�ோ பா​ார்த்திருப்பா​ான் என்பதை​ை உணர்த்துகிறது ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் ஆவி பறக்கப் பறக்க பரிமா​ாறிய சொ�ொற்களை​ை உதிர்த்துச் செ​ெல்கிறது ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் கொ�ொண்டு வந்த வே�கத்தில் மெ​ெல்ல உட்புறமா​ாய் மனத்திற்குள் நினை​ைவு சலனங்களை​ை வட்டமிட்டு அதிர்வலை​ைகளை​ைப் பரப்புகிறது ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் இரவின் இடை​ைவிடா​ாத உரை​ையா​ாடல்களை​ை விழிக்க வை​ைத்த தருணங்களை​ை மீட்டெ​ெடுக்கிறது ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் இதுவரை​ை ஒளித்து வை​ைத்த உறவின் அந்திம கா​ாலத்தை​ை கடை​ைவிரிக்கிறது ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் மறக்க முடியா​ாத மறுக்க முடியா​ாத திரவமா​ா . . . ஒரு குவளை​ை தே�நீர் எப்போ�ோதும் தே�நீரா�க மட்டுமே​ே இருந்ததில்லை​ை 17

TRANSLATION Whirl Tea

translated by Priya S.

A cup of tea, On my table, he places, then leaves His inquiring gaze lingers, a silent plea, Searching for the familiar taste Once shared, now a memory of a day past.

A cup of tea, From which steam rises, carrying words unsaid Leaving silent thoughts instead.

A cup of tea, Brought with haste, stirring restlessly, As uneasy thoughts whirl, echoing in the mind.

A cup of tea, Evokes moments past, sparks dialogue An endless nocturnal symphony.

A cup of tea, Reveals the final chapter of our relationship, Veiled until this hour.

A cup of tea, Is it merely a brew, or something more?

Unforgettable, undeniable in its pour.

A cup of tea, Has never been just a simple tea.

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FIRST PRIZE

ENGLISH SHORT STORY

An excerpt from Kiaoah (怕活)

by Juliette Yu-Ming Lizeray

In the mall adjacent to my office, I step into a parallel universe. Disco lights speckle the black walls with red and green dots that stretch into lines and become dots again. Speakers blast “Right Here Right Now” by Fatboy Slim, which makes me realize, right there and right then, how much I’ve not missed hearing it all these years. This is how I imagine a teenager would have curated a basement party in the late ’90s, and I almost expect us to suddenly slow dance or play spin the bottle.

This is no basement. There will be no slow dancing. I am in a boutique gym, where for the next hour, I shall bounce on a trampoline.

I signed up for a free trial after seeing a flyer featuring a svelte, happylooking person suspended in a mid-air split above the words: Jumpstart Your Exhilarating Fitness Journey Now! It was like they read my mind.

Ever since I started my highly sedentary tax assistant job five years ago, I’ve been dogged by existential anxieties. I can’t shake the feeling that my life is passing me by. That my youth is leaching away. As soon as I sit at my 6x6 cubicle, a thousand warning bells jingle about the mortal dangers of sitting.

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FIRST PRIZE

CHINESE SHORT STORY

An excerpt from 爬高塔的人 by 刘晓义 Liu Xiaoyi

然后，我 转头 往西边看去 — 天哪！那估计是我此生见过最美的景色了。草 地的尽 头，是岛西 面的海峡，像一 条银色的大 皮带一样，从海面上 蜿 蜒 过 来。海峡 对面 是辽阔的热带湿地和雨林，再往远处去就是一片很大的耕地，整整齐齐地划分成 为许多的小格 子，格 子连着格 子，一直 连 接到最 远处的阴天灰云。我第一次感 到 作为理工生的词穷，我完全无法用语言描绘当时的美。只记得，这壮丽的景色让 我胸口一阵阵痉挛，喘不过气，眼泪也一直在眼圈里打转。原来人们说“动人的景 色”是真的。

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TRANSLATION An excerpt from The Tower Climber translated by Lim Woan Wen

Then, I turned my head and looked to the west—oh my! It was probably the most beautiful scene I’d ever witnessed. At the end of the grassland lay the strait which sat on the west side of the island and wound its way from across the sea like a great silver belt. Across the strait was a vast tropical wetland and rainforest, and further in the distance, a very large piece of cultivated land that had been neatly divided into a grid had connecting squares running all the way to the distant, overcast sky.

For the first time, I felt my lack as a science student. I was at a loss for words. I simply had no language for the beauty of that moment. All I remember was that the magnificent view had brought waves of spasms to my chest, leaving me breathless, and tears had welled up in my eyes. So it turned out that there really was such a thing as “a moving landscape.”

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FIRST PRIZE

MALAY SHORT STORY

An excerpt from Tiket Pulang

by Fadhli Rusydi Bin Fadzil

10 Mac 1983 Mata melilau memerhatikan sekeliling. Tangan meraba-raba kerusi yang didudukinya. Tempat duduk berkusyen merah. Dinding-dinding bas kelihatan kuning pusam. Hairan melihat tingkap-tingkap bas dibuka membenarkan angin masuk ke dalam. Dia gelisah memerhatikan pemandangan di luarnya yang dikelilingi pokok seakan-akan dia berada di kawasan hutan. Bas itu sudah bergerak agak lama tetapi pemandangan di sekeliling seolah-olah tidak berganjak dari sepuluh minit yang lepas. Dalam diam, dia cuba sedaya-upaya menggali ke dasar ingatan.

Ke mana hala tuju aku sebenarnya?

Matanya membelingas lagi. Julia merenung pada tiket bas di tangannya.

Hah, tiket bas?

Ada beberapa perkataan yang samar-samar berlegar dalam fikirannya yang mungkin akan menjadi petunjuk bagi destinasinya. Julia dengan cepat mengambil buku nota kecil dari begnya dan mencatatkan terus apa sahaja yang dia dapat cungkil daripada ingatannya yang kian memudar. Semakin lama bas itu bergerak, semakin mudah perkataan-perkataan itu lucut dari benaknya.

Abah. Wali. Diari.

Julia membelek-belek semula buku yang dia sedang catatkan itu. Ah! Buku yang disangkakan buku nota itu ialah diari lama ibunya. Semasa dia cuba mencari apa sahaja di rumah yang boleh membantunya mencari ayahnya, dia terjumpa diari ini dalam sebuah peti yang tidak terkunci. Dalam diari inilah tersimpan segala serpihan-serpihan kenangan Ibu bersama ayahnya, walaupun Julia perlu mencantumkan semula seperti bermain susun suai gambar.

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TRANSLATION An excerpt from Return Ticket translated by Annaliza Bakri

10 March 1983 Wide-eyed, she observed her surroundings. Her hands fumbled for the seat she occupied—a seat with a red cushion. The bus’s walls appeared a faded yellow.

Perplexed, she noticed that the bus windows were open, allowing the wind to rush in. Restlessly, she observed the scenery outside, surrounded by trees as if she were in a forested area. The bus had been moving for quite some time, yet the scenery seemed unchanged from ten minutes ago. In silence, she tried her best to dig into the depths of her memory.

Where am I really headed?

Her eyes widened again. Julia stared at the bus ticket in her hand.

Huh, bus ticket?

There are some words echoing in her mind vaguely. One that could be a clue to her destination. Quickly, Julia grabbed a small notebook from her bag and immediately noted down anything she could unearth from her fading memory. The longer the bus moved, the easier it was for those words to slip away from her mind.

Dad. Wali. Diary.

Julia flipped through the notebook once again. Ah! She had assumed it was a notebook but actually it was her mother’s old diary. While searching for anything at home that could help her find her father, she came across this diary in an unlocked chest. Fragments of the mother’s memories with her father are penned in this diary, even though Julia has to put them back together like she’s solving a photo puzzle.

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FIRST PRIZE

MALAY SHORT STORY

An excerpt from Alegori Anjing

by Muhammad Khairool Haque Bin Abdul Kadir

Hakikat sesuatu perkara memang ada dan tetap ada. Pengetahuan tentang hakikat sebenar sesuatu ialah sesuatu yang boleh dicerap dan disahkan tanpa mengira sama ada kita percaya atau tidak hakikat suatu itu.

Ada suatu rahsia yang ia tidak pernah beritahu sesiapa walaupun umurnya sudah mencapai tahap warga emas. Bilangan cucunya sudah cukup untuk menghimpun sepasukan bola sepak. Rahsia itu ialah sesuatu yang sering dialami di bilik tidur. Kadangkala ia juga dialami di atas kerusi malas itu. Suatu rahsia yang isterinya juga tidak tahu walaupun mereka tidur sekatil, bahkan, kadangkala sebantal bersama.

Rahsia itu ialah ia kerap bermimpi seekor anjing hitam dalam pelbagai situasi. Anjing itu sering mengejarnya tetapi biasanya ia berjaya meloloskan diri.

Pernah anjing itu masuk ke dalam bilik tidurnya lalu menerkamnya di atas katil.

Seluruh tubuhnya bermandikan darah walaupun ia masih bernyawa. Anjing itu seperti terlalu marah, menyimpan dendam yang ia tidak tahu dari mana asalnya.

Pernah anjing itu hanya bermain-main manja di luar rumahnya seperti seekor anjing jinak sedang bentuknya masih anjing liar. Pernah juga anjing itu melompat ke arah dadanya lalu masuk ke dalam dadanya sebelum menghilang seperti cerita fantasi yang magis. Ia terfikir apakah anjing itu telah masuk ke dalam dirinyanya sebagai seekor jin yang menyerupai anjing.

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TRANSLATION An excerpt from Dog’s Allegory translated by Annaliza Bakri

The essence of something is present and will prevail. Knowledge of the true nature of it, is something that can be observed and verified regardless of whether we believe in the reality, or not.

There is a secret that he has never told anyone even though he is a senior citizen. The number of his grandchildren is enough to assemble a football team.

The secret is often experienced in the bedroom. Sometimes it is also experienced on the recliner chair. A secret that his wife does not know even though they sleep in the same bed, and sometimes share the same pillow.

The secret is his frequent dreaming of a black dog in various situations. The dog often chased him but he usually managed to escape. Once the dog entered his bedroom and pounced on him while he lay in bed. His entire body was bathed in blood even though he was still alive. The dog seemed furious, as if it had a grudge that he knows not its source. Once, the dog was just playing outside his house like it’s tamed although it looked like a wild dog. Once the dog jumped up to his chest and entered it before disappearing like a tale of magic and fantasy. He wondered if the dog had entered him like a jinn that resembled a dog.

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FIRST PRIZE

TAMIL SHORT STORY

An excerpt from Kazhuvetram

by பிரியதர்ஷினி கஜே�ந்திரன் Priyadharshini Gajendran

“பா​ார்க்கலா​ாம். சிறை​ைக்கெ​ென்று சில விதிமுறை​ைகள் இருக்கு. சிறை​ைச் சட்ட வழிமுறை​ைகளை​ையும், இங்கு உள்ளவர்களின் பா​ாதுகா​ாப்பை​ையும் மனதில் வை​ைத்து மே​ேலதிகா​ாரிகள் பரிசீலித்து சொ�ொல்வா​ார்கள். அதுவரை​ை வெ​ெயிட்” என்றா​ார். சரி என்று தலை​ையசை​ைத்தா​ான். இந்த இரண்டு நிமிடம் கூடுதலா​ாக இன்ஸ்பெ​ெக்டர் விமலன் பே​ேசியதே� சலுகை​ை தா​ான். அது அவனுக்கு கிடை​ைத்த கெ​ெளரவம் என்பதை​ை உணரா�மல் இல்லை​ை. சோ�ோதனை​ை முடிந்து மீண்டும் அறை​ையில் தனியா​ானா​ான். தனிமை​ையில் ஏகப்பட்ட சிந்தனை​ைகள் அவனை​ை பீடித்தன. இந்த ஓவியத்தில் ஈடுபா​ாடு என்பது சில மா​ாதங்களா​ாகத்தா​ான். அடை​ைந்திருப்பது சிறை​ை என்றா​ாலும் அங்கிருப்பவர்களின் உடல்நிலத்திலும் மனநலத்திலும் அக்கறை​ை கொ�ொண்டிருந்தது நிர்வா​ாகம். அவ்வப்போ�ோது மனநல ஆலோ�ோசனை​ையும் மருத்துவ ஆலோ�ோசனோ�ோயோ�ோடு சில பயிற்சிகளும் நடத்தி குற்றவா​ாளிகளை​ை கண்கா​ாணிக்கும். அப்படியொ�ொருமுறை​ை லா​ாசல்லா​ா கல்லூரியிலிருந்து சில மா​ாணவர்கள் தொ�ொண்டூழியத்திற்கா​ாக சிறை​ைக் கை​ைதிகளுக்கு ஓவியம் கற்றுக்கொ�ொடுக்க வந்திருந்தனர். அப்போ�ோது சிறுகோ�ோடிழுக்கக்கூட கை​ைகள் நடுங்கியது. பின் மெ​ெல்லமெ​ெல்ல கோ�ோடுகள், வளை​ைவுகள், தீட்டல்கள் எல்லா​ாம் உயிர் பெ​ெற அதில் மிகுஆர்வம் ஏற்பட்டது. பெ​ென்னின் ஆர்வத்தின் வெ​ெளிப்பா​ாடு அவனை​ை சிறை​ையில் ஓவியப் பட்டயப்படிப்பில் இணை�த்தது. அவன் வரை​ையும் படங்களில் இருக்கும் தனித்தன்மை​ைக்கா​ான கா​ாரணம் என்னவெ​ென்று அவனுக்கே� தெ​ெரியவில்லை​ை. ஒரு பூ வரை​ைந்தா​ால் அதனை​ை சுற்றி தே�னீக்கள் மொ�ொய்க்கும். அருவி வரை​ைந்தா​ால் சா​ாரலின் குளுமை​ை படரும்.

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TRANSLATION An excerpt from Death by Agony translated by Kavitha Karumbayeeram

“Let’s see. The prison acts by certain regulations. The senior officers will review your request, keeping these regulations and prisoners’ safety in mind. You will have to wait until then,” he replied.

Ben nodded his head. He did understand that these extra two minutes that Inspector Vimalan spoke with him were a privilege and he had been given an honour. He became alone in the cell again after the inspection ended. Many thoughts plagued him in that isolation.

His interest in painting was only a few months old. The management was concerned about the inmates’ physical and mental health though this was prison confinement. It regularly conducted mental health and medical examinations as well as training. The inmates were observed through these sessions.

Students from LASALLE College of the Arts once came to conduct art classes as part of the training sessions for inmates. His hands had shaken then as he drew small lines. As time passed, lines, curves and strokes came to life with ease, kindling his passion for the art. It was that passion that made Ben join a diploma in art course. Even Ben didn’t know why his drawings were unique. If he painted a flower, bees buzzed around them. The chill from the water’s spray spread out if he drew a waterfall.

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FIRST PRIZE

TRANSLATION: SHORT STORY (ENGLISH)

An excerpt from Mandarins For The Year

by Tan Xiang Yeow

Midnight Observances At the discount corner, she inspects one then another, feels how firm they are, trying to intuit their sweetness from touch, from scent, before settling on twelve.

At home, she arranges them into a pyramid on a rattan basket, its exterior stuck with a red 福 sticker. Is this old-fashioned or traditional? She thinks for a while then decides she really doesn’t care.

This basket with yellow-orange peeping over its rim is placed on the television console. There is an abundance of peach blossoms, peonies, chrysanthemums – all synthetic – in the adjacent vase. Their living room is ready.

She heads towards the kitchen, saying, “Supermarket so crowded, people spending like they don’t want money, anyhow buy.” She sighs. There are steamboat ingredients to prepare.

Hours later, various vegetables and meats are dipped into boiling soup for brief minutes, then scooped out. On the table, there is, of course, her famous dish, prosperity drunk chicken.

Him and her, using chopsticks to pick food for one another – here, meatball, here, slice of fish – watching the riotous song-and-dance on TV. The emcees’ faces contort with over-rehearsed humour.

They keep eating.

Source text: 空心人 by Tong Nuan

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LIST OF ADJUDICATORS ENGLISH POETRY Cyril Wong Paul Tan Cathy Song

ENGLISH SHORT STORY Clara Chow Suchen Christine Lim Professor Darryl Whetter

CHINESE POETRY Dr Gabriel Wu Tong Nuan Professor Luo Zhenya

CHINESE SHORT STORY Tham Yew Chin Soon Ai Ling Lo Wei Yu

MALAY POETRY Dr Kartini Anwar Samsudin Said Fahd Razy

MALAY SHORT STORY Associate Professor Dr Mawar Safei Dr Noridah Kamari Mohd Raman Daud

TAMIL POETRY Nepolian A. Inbha Dr Rudhramoorthy Cheran

TAMIL SHORT STORY Chitra Ramesh Mohamed Kassim Shanavas A Venilla

TRANSLATION – ENGLISH (SHORT STORY) Dr Nazry Bahrawi Shelly Bryant Thomas Hitoshi Pruiksma

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SPECIAL THANKS TRANSLATORS 《以后》 (Hereafter) Translated by Lim Woan Wen 否认 (Denial) Translated by Lim Woan Wen 爬高塔的人 (The Tower Climber)

Translated by Lim Woan Wen Butang (Button) Translated by Annaliza Bakri Alegori Anjing (Dog’s Allegory) Translated by Annaliza Bakri Tiket Pulang (Return Ticket) Translated by Annaliza Bakri சலனமா​ாகும் தே�நீர் (Whirl Tea)

Translated by Priya S. Kazhuvetram (Death by Agony) Translated by Kavitha Karumbayeeram

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