Follow me on
Kavita A. Jindal is an award-winning British Asian author who writes fiction, poetry and essays. She explores traditional and contemporary cultures in her writing, across societies and political borders. Her themes juxtapose human behaviour and psychology with tricks of fate.
Her acclaimed novel “Manual For A Decent Life” won the Eastern Eye Award for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Prize. Her short story collection “The Planet Spins On Its Axis, Regardless” was also shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Prize in 2025. Her poetry publications include “Raincheck Accepted”, “Raincheck Renewed” and “Patina”.
Kavita’s work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals worldwide and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Zee TV UK and European radio stations. Selected poems have been translated into Arabic, German, Italian, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish and Ukrainian. Reviewers praise her writing as “witty and wry, with a steely heart” and “bold, beautiful and courageous.”
Her poem Kabariwala is included in “100 Great Indian Poems” published by Bloomsbury in 2018. Her poem Act of Faith is included in the anthology ‘Unseen’ which is in the UK GCSE and A Levels syllabus.
Kavita previously served as Senior Editor at Asia Literary Review. She is also co-founder of The Whole Kahani, a collective for British writers of South Asian heritage. She has taught writing workshops in the UK and in Europe and has been invited to literary festivals around the world. She was a judge for the ‘Richmond Young Writers’ Award’ in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
She enjoys collaborating with musicians, artists and film-makers across a range of projects such as Film:Poems and Visual Arts exhibitions that incorporate text.
Prize listings:
Shortlisted for The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2024-25
Finalist in the Eyelands Book Awards 2025
Shortlisted for The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2021-22
Winner of The Eastern Eye Award for Literature 2020
Longlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2019
Commended for The Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize – 2018
Winner, Brighthorse Novel Prize – 2018
Shortlisted for the Impress Prize – 2018
Shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize – 2018
Longlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize – 2018
Longlisted for the TLC Pen Factor Award – 2018
Shortlisted for the inaugural Milestones Poetry Competition – 2017
Word Masala Award for Excellence in Poetry – 2016
Shortlisted for the inaugural Guardian / Fourth Estate BAME Fiction Prize – 2016
Longlisted for the National Poetry Prize – 2014
Longlisted for the Venture Award – 2013
Winner, Foyles/Vintage ‘Haruki Murakami’ Prize – 2012
Judges Citation for The Eastern Eye Award for Manual For A Decent Life:
“The book’s boldness, beauty and courage make it utterly seductive.”
Judges Citation for The Rabindranath Tagore Prize shortlist:
“Kavita A. Jindal cuts through all the relevant contemporary narratives… Manual For A Decent Life is a gripping read about what happens to a woman who, at her own peril, violates established patterns of what is proper, but remains resilient despite the enormity of sacrifice.”
Follow me on
Kavita A. Jindal is an award-winning British Asian author who writes fiction, poetry and essays. She explores traditional and contemporary cultures in her writing, across societies and political borders. Her themes juxtapose human behaviour and psychology with tricks of fate.
Her acclaimed novel “Manual For A Decent Life” won the Eastern Eye Award for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Prize. Her short story collection “The Planet Spins On Its Axis, Regardless” was also shortlisted for the Rabindranath Tagore Prize in 2025. Her poetry publications include “Raincheck Accepted”, “Raincheck Renewed” and “Patina”.
Kavita’s work has appeared in anthologies and literary journals worldwide and been broadcast on BBC Radio 4, Zee TV UK and European radio stations. Selected poems have been translated into Arabic, German, Italian, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish and Ukrainian. Reviewers praise her writing as “witty and wry, with a steely heart” and “bold, beautiful and courageous.”
Her poem Kabariwala is included in “100 Great Indian Poems” published by Bloomsbury in 2018. Her poem Act of Faith is included in the anthology ‘Unseen’ which is in the UK GCSE and A Levels syllabus.
Kavita previously served as Senior Editor at Asia Literary Review. She is also co-founder of The Whole Kahani, a collective for British writers of South Asian heritage. She has taught writing workshops in the UK and in Europe and has been invited to literary festivals around the world. She was a judge for the ‘Richmond Young Writers’ Award’ in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
She enjoys collaborating with musicians, artists and film-makers across a range of projects such as Film:Poems and Visual Arts exhibitions that incorporate text.
Prize listings:
Shortlisted for The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2024-25
Finalist in the Eyelands Book Awards 2025
Shortlisted for The Rabindranath Tagore Literary Prize 2021-22
Winner of The Eastern Eye Award for Literature 2020
Longlisted for the Bristol Short Story Prize 2019
Commended for The Geoff Stevens Memorial Poetry Prize – 2018
Winner, Brighthorse Novel Prize – 2018
Shortlisted for the Impress Prize – 2018
Shortlisted for the Bridport Poetry Prize – 2018
Longlisted for the SI Leeds Literary Prize – 2018
Longlisted for the TLC Pen Factor Award – 2018
Shortlisted for the inaugural Milestones Poetry Competition – 2017
Word Masala Award for Excellence in Poetry – 2016
Shortlisted for the inaugural Guardian / Fourth Estate BAME Fiction Prize – 2016
Longlisted for the National Poetry Prize – 2014
Longlisted for the Venture Award – 2013
Winner, Foyles/Vintage ‘Haruki Murakami’ Prize – 2012
Judges Citation for The Eastern Eye Award for Manual For A Decent Life:
“The book’s boldness, beauty and courage make it utterly seductive.”
Judges Citation for The Rabindranath Tagore Prize shortlist:
“Kavita A. Jindal cuts through all the relevant contemporary narratives… Manual For A Decent Life is a gripping read about what happens to a woman who, at her own peril, violates established patterns of what is proper, but remains resilient despite the enormity of sacrifice.”