Sinha translates fiction, poetry and non-fiction from Bengali to English, and from English to Bengali. Over sixty of his translations have been published so far, and several of them have won or been shortlisted for Indian and international awards.

Sinha said, “This is an unexpected honour that, I would like to think, is an acknowledgement not of one translator but of the incredible work done by all translators in India.”

Presented by Vani Foundation and performing arts & entertainment company Teamwork Arts, the Vani Foundation Distinguished Translator Award was launched in 2015. Over the years, the award has honoured some of the well-known translators in India for their brilliant work across many different Indian languages, such as Attor Ravi Verma, Anamika, Teji Grover and Rakshanda Jalil, to name a few. The award includes prize money of Rs 1 lakh and the honour bestowed by the Vani Foundation.

Manasi Subramaniam, associate publisher and head of rights, Penguin Random House India, said “Translation remains at the absolute centre of English-language publishing in India, and Arunava Sinha’s contribution to the canon is immense, generous and unquestionable. Through his works of translation from Bengali to English — most recently of the epic Bangladeshi novel Khwabnama by Akhtaruzzaman Elias—English-language readers and Bengali writers have been bridged.”