When Salman Rushdie came calling...

Predictable winners aside, the surprise came in the form of a Popular Book Award, brought into being this year to enable readers from across the country to vote for a nominated author via SMS. Think of it as a reality show, only one where you pick an author instead of a bad singer.

Proof that cricket is an overriding concern, even when it comes to literature, is that the award went to Rahul Bhattacharya for Pundits from Pakistan: On Tour with India 2003-04. The award was given to his mother, a gracious woman who said, "Rahul is probably happier that this was picked up by me." When the author himself arrived later -- delayed by what he referred to as a 'boring Test match' -- he thanked the audience, and his friends, saying it was possibly they who had sent the cell-phone messages in large numbers, prompting his win.

Image: Rahul Bhattacharya -- late, but not unhappy.