Chinaman by Shehan Karunatilaka is about 'All in the cricket game'

The 2-Day Ekamra Sports Literature Festival had authors, sportstars, politicians converge making it Asia's largest sports literature festival. The second edition of the festival concluded with a grand ceremony announcing the First Sports Books Awards of India in six categories. The jury comprised senior editors and academicians who shortlisted submissions received from various publishing houses.

While receiving the prize as Best Sports publisher of the year for Westland Publishers, VK Karthika said that there is lot of scope for sports fiction like that of 'Chinaman' written by Shehan Karunatilaka, ten years ago.

Crowd favourite and Sri Lankan author Shehan Karunatilaka who won several awards for his debut book 'Chinaman' spoke about cricket in Srilanka and the life around its including politics. He said that cricket in Srilanka was no longer an exclusive club. Cricket is well catalogued these days he said. While discussing Chinaman, Shehan said though people say his book makes readers like cricket, it is not necessary that those who read books go to see cricket and those who go to see cricket love to read books. Sports and politics in India and Srilanka are the same according to him, but he felt that in India the situation is better. Asked about how he is feeling now after switching to write children's books from writing books like Chinaman, Shehan said that he has to do lot of research and it was tougher to find a publisher ten years ago for Chinaman but that it was easier with children's books.