Literati is a South Asian Award for Micro-fiction which is held every year by Daastan in collaboration with White Falcon Publishing and Outcast Magazine. It is a short-story competition in which writers are given two themes to select from and write a captivating story on. 2019's two themes were:

1. Folklore Retold

Theme Description:

We are all chapters of a story called “Earth”. Each going in a different direction,our paths often intersect, for good or worse. There is a rich treasure of folklore hidden in each community. Usually, it travels orally among generation. What if you can retell a folklore by blending it with characters of your own imagination? An ancient castle turning into a next generation warship, a statue transforming into gazillion nanobots, a ruin opening a portal to a new dimension, a book making readers, the sorcerers. Let the fusion of fiction and history begins! We are all chapters of a story called “Earth”. Each going in a different direction,our paths often intersect, for good or worse. There is a rich treasure of folklore hidden in each community. Usually, it travels orally among generation. What if you can retell a folklore by blending it with characters of your own imagination? An ancient castle turning into a next generation warship, a statue transforming into gazillion nanobots, a ruin opening a portal to a new dimension, a book making readers, the sorcerers. Let the fusion of fiction and history begins!

2. Apocalypse – The End Of Humans

Theme Description:

We are nearing the end of the world, slowly and steadily. No, it is not some astro-prediction or Mayan prophecy which we can dismiss. This is bare truth unfolding in front of our eyes. With global warming, rising pollution/population, ground water depleting, fertile lands turning dry, glaciers melting, and what not – what are we left with? Certain reports claim the end is merely 30 years away. If no critical actions are taken in another decade, we would cease to exist. What is in store for the next generation? Devastation? Frame your story keeping in view the theme. The end could be destruction, origin of new life, or preventing the destruction completely.