Sri Lankan writer Shehan Karunatilaka won the Booker Prize for fiction on Monday for his novel “The Seven Moons of Maali Almedia.” He has become the second Sri Lankan writer Michael Ondaatje to bag this prestigious award.

Karunatilaka received the award from Camilla, Britain’s queen consort, during a ceremony at London’s Roundhouse concert hall. I am sure this is very good news for Sri Lankans, who have already been suffering for some time due to political issues.

This news will infuse fresh energy in the country. I was surprised to know that somebody from Sri Lanka had won the Booker Prize this year, because I had only heard of Michael Ondaatje, who had won the prize in 1992 for his novel “The English Patient.” I am a big fan of Ondaatje and have read almost every book he has written in all these years, now I will try to grab books written by Karunatilaka. I do hope with this win, many more Lankan writers will feel encouraged.

Dhanusha Rangarajan — By email