From Fishing Nets To National Literary Award: A Fisherman’s Son Makes Andhra Proud

By Khushi Arora 5 July 2025

When no one told stories of his people, he picked up a pen. Today, this fisherman’s son has become a voice that India can’t ignore.

25-year-old Surada Prasad — pen name Prasad Suri — just became the first fisherman’s son to win the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar.

Born in a tiny Andhra hamlet, he never saw books at home. His parents were illiterate, and his childhood was spent beside fishing nets.

But he was curious. Silently sketching, scribbling, and dreaming — until he became the first in his family to go to school.

From Macherla to Vada Rambilli to Hyderabad and Baroda, he worked odd jobs and studied art, archaeology, and everything he loved.

At 19, he wrote his first novel My Name is Chiranjeevi — part fiction, part memory — about growing up near the coast.

But it was Mairaavana that changed everything. A novel he researched for 3 years — drawn from the forgotten lives of his Vada Balija fishing community.

It dives deep into caste, migration, gender bias, and stories passed down on Andhra’s shores — stories few cared to preserve.

“I couldn’t find novels about fishermen, so I wrote one,” Prasad said.

The award notice surprised him mid‑journey by train to Baroda. He had just learnt Mairaavana was shortlisted, but he never imagined he’d win.

From sleeping beside fishing nets to being recognised on India’s biggest literary stage — his journey is nothing short of historic.

For Prasad, this is only the beginning. “We must write the lives of the downtrodden. Who else will?” he said.

With Mairaavana, he has carved space on the bookshelf for every voice that was once silenced.