Rahul Bhattacharya won the Prestigious Ondaatje Prize 2012

Rahul Bhattacharya, the Delhi-based author, on 29 May 2012 won the prestigious Ondaatje Prize 2012 for his book  The Sly Company of People Who Care. He is the first Indian author to have received the award. Bhattacharya was also conferred with the Hindu Literary Prize for Best Fiction, 2011 for the same book.

The 10000 pounds award is conferred by the Royal Society of Literature every year to recognize a work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry which evokes the spirit of a place. The award is presented to the author who is a citizen of or who has been resident in the Commonwealth or Ireland.

The other authors whose work were shortlisted for the prize include Julia Blackburn's 'Thin Paths', Teju Cole's 'Open City', Paul Farley and Michael Symmons Roberts' 'Edgelands', Olivia Laing's 'To the River' and Tim Robinson's 'Connemara'.