Hoshiarpur-based writer and retired school principal Dr Dharampal Sahil has earned international recognition after his Punjabi novel ‘Khora’ (Erosion) was shortlisted for the 2026 Dhahan Prize for Punjabi Literature. Sahil is among six writers competing for combined prize money worth 51,000 Canadian dollars.

Established in Vancouver in 2013, the Dhahan Prize is regarded as one of the leading international honours dedicated exclusively to Punjabi fiction. It recognises books written in both Gurmukhi and Shahmukhi scripts, helping Punjabi literature reach readers across linguistic and geographical borders.

Published by Chetna Parkashan, ‘Khora’ is rooted in Punjab’s Kandi region, close to the state’s border with Himachal Pradesh. The novel examines how environmental changes have altered the lives of communities that traditionally depended on the region’s forests, vegetation and natural resources.

Sahil has said that the idea for the novel emerged from changes he witnessed around him. He describes the Kandi belt as possessing its own distinct geography and culture, separate from familiar regional classifications such as Malwa, Doaba and Majha. Over time, mining and deforestation have transformed this landscape and affected the livelihoods of those who relied upon it.

According to Sahil, the resulting displacement has gone beyond economics. As people have been forced to migrate in search of work and stability, the region has also experienced an erosion of its settlements, cultural traditions and relationship with nature. That layered sense of loss gives ‘Khora’ both its title and its central concern.

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Sahil has written extensively in both Punjabi and Hindi, with a body of work spanning novels, short stories, miniature fiction, poetry, children’s literature, travel writing, translation, lexicography and literary criticism. ‘Khora’ is his seventh Punjabi novel. He has also written specifically about the language, folklore and cultural heritage of the Kandi belt.

The Dhahan Prize shortlist places Sahil’s work within an international platform devoted to strengthening the visibility of Punjabi-language fiction. For ‘Khora’, the recognition also brings wider attention to a landscape and community whose environmental and cultural transformations rarely occupy the centre of contemporary literary discussion.