PAHAADI SEASON 6 Book ‘Brush with fate’ was released on 23rd Jan 2026, on a ONLINE event.

To know more and to collaborate, sponsor/associate- write to sanjeevkotnala.
Ask for a complete brochure.

CHECK THE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS AT THE END OF THE PAGE. AND IF YOU STILL HAVE A QUERY- please connect with Sanjeev Kotnala

PAHAADI encourages writers to use imagination and originality in crafting their short stories. Submissions that are simple retellings of existing folklore, cultural tales, or purely autobiographical accounts will not be accepted.

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VISIT TOWNSCRIPT.COM OR PAY VIA GPAY TO SANJEEV KOTNALA at 9819828963.
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To write to Sanjeev Kotnala. CLICK HERE .

Participants experiences.

Watch the Video of past participants here. Neena Bagga- Pahaadi3, Ratna Pande Pahaadi 1-2-3, Writers of Pahaadi-2, Deepansu Suyal – Pahaadi-1, Anil Dobhal- Pahaadi-1, Supriya Pant- Pahaadi-1 , Tanuja Khetwal- Pahaadi-1 and the Jury

CLICK TO READ 10 TIPS TO WRITE A SHORT STORY.

JURY PANEL Pahaadi 6

CURATOR -PAHAADI.

Sanjeev Kotnala, an IIM A Alumni, is a Brand and marketing consultant. He writes a weekly column, KOTMARTIAL, on mxmindia.com, and his blog, ‘Perceptions adulterated with reality,’ has been published uninterrupted for more than 570 weeks. Sanjeev is a Director at the India Board of Aid-Et-Action, an international NGO.
SANJEEV is the author of the paranormal novel ‘CHIMERA OF LANSDOWNE’, a love story ‘ENCHANTING NEELI’, and a book, ’25 RULES OF LIFE; I WISH I KNEW EARLIER’, summarising his life experiences. He has curated two anthologies of real-life impact stories- ‘LIFE RELOADED’ and ‘REFLECTIONS’. Additionally, he has curated four editions of Pahaadi. His first book of poems, ‘Always Questioning Life’, was published recently.

Connect with Sanjeev Kotnala, the concept owner and curator of the project, Twitter S_kotnala. To subscribe to the weekly update and blog, click here.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS.

Q1. What is PAHAADI?

ANSWER: PAHAADI is a short story (fiction) contest in English for writers with roots or a long association with Uttarakhand.
Pahaadi was started by Sanjeev Kotnala in memory of his father, Late Shri Ram Ballabh Kotnala, and is curated and mentored by him

Q2. Who is eligible to participate?

ANSWER:. You are eligible to participate if you qualify on one of these parameters

A native of Uttarakhand, or
Have stayed, worked, or studied in Uttarakhand for more than one year

If you do not qualify on above parameters and have a deep association or love for Uttarakhand, do send a message to sanjeev Kotnala and check if there is some special concession that could be made.

Q3. Does one have to be a resident of Uttarakhand to participate?

ANSWER: No, you do not need to reside in Uttarakhand to participate in Pahaadi. You only have to satisfy one of the criteria as stated in question 2.

Q4. Does my story need to be set in Uttarakhand?

ANSWER: No. Your story can be set anywhere. There is no location restriction.

Q5. Which genres of stories are accepted in PAHAADI?

ANSWER: PAHAADI accepts short fiction across most genres. However, stories based on political themes, mythology, religion, or erotica are not accepted. Any story that is likely to hurt the sentiments of any individual, group, community, or segment, or is controversial in nature, will be rejected.

Q6. Where can I register for Pahaadi?

ANSWER: You can register online at:

Townscript, or see how to register above.
Sanjeevkotnala.com/Pahaadi
Or by paying the fee over GPAY to 9819728963. (Please share a payment screenshot and share the Name, Age, gender, city, WhatsApp number, and email address

Q7. How will I receive updates on Pahaadi?

ANSWER:. Once you register:

You will be added to the PAHAADI-7 Participant WhatsApp group, where most updates are shared.
Critical updates are also sent to the email address you provide during registration.

Participants are advised to ensure their WhatsApp number and email ID are active and accessible.

Q8. What are the important dates for Pahaadi-7?

ANSWER:

Early Registration Closes: 31 January 2026
Final Registration Closes: 15 February 2026
Last Date for Story Submission: 19 April 2026
Expected Book Release: August–September 2026

Q9. What is the word limit for stories in Pahaadi?

ANSWER: Each short story must be between 1500 and 2500 words.

Q10. How many stories can I submit in Pahaadi?

ANSWER: A maximum of two stories per author is allowed.

Q11. Are there any prizes?

ANSWER: Yes.

Best Story: ₹3,000
Second Best story: ₹2,000
Third Best story: ₹1,000

Each of the top three stories also receives:

A Trophy
A Gift Hamper from Nirvana Organic

Q12. Can I submit a story that is already published?

ANSWER: Only unpublished stories are accepted.

Q13, Can I send or publish the story I have submitted to Pahaadi?

ANSWER: If the story is not selected, you are free to publish and share it anywhere. However, if a story is selected and featured, there is an embargo on its publication in any form until 31^st March 2027.

Q14. How will I know if my story is shortlisted?

ANSWER: Pahaadi does not announce any shortlist. But the authors of selected stories will be informed by 15^th August 2026.

Q15. Will there be a digital or e-book version?

ANSWER: PAHAADI books are not available in digital format.
Currently, there are no plans to release PAHAADI – 7th Edition in digital or e-book format

Q16. Where will the book be available?

ANSWER: PAHAADI books are usually available in print format on:

Amazon
Flipkart
Pothi.com
Internationally, books can be ordered on Pothi.com

Q17. How many stories will be selected?

ANSWER: 10 stories will be selected by the jury. This may include 1–2 curator’s choices

Q18. Does PAHAADI also conduct story-writing workshops?

ANSWER: Yes, Pahaadi conducts a Short Story Writing workshop for interested participants and non-participants. There is a separate fee of INR 699 for the workshop.
The next online workshop is scheduled for 28th Feb 2026.

Q19. Is there a mentoring/feedback service in Pahaadi?

ANSWER: Pahaadi does offer a mentoring service for short story writing. This is open for participants and non-participants. Here you get direct, honest, constructive feedback- that can help you improve your story.

There is a fee of INR 799 for feedback/mentoring comments delivered in email for stories up to 2500 words. A 30-minute face-to-face Zoom call incurs an additional INR 1,500 fee. One-time payment gets you one-time feedback.

Q19.I write in Hindi. How can I participate in Pahaadi?

ANSWER: Pahaadi does accept short stories in any language other than English. If you are keen to participate and have a story written in Hindi, Pahaadi can trans-create it (not a literal translation) into English for INR 3750/- per short story of up to 2500 words.

Q20. Do I have a better chance of selection if I enrol in the Workshop and/or the mentoring service?

ANSWER: Your participation in workshops, mentoring, or translation services in no way affects the chances of your story being selected.

Q21. What do the judges look for?

ANSWER: Judges primarily look fr interesting stories; subjects which have not been written about are preferred. They look for engagement, ie does the story make them want to know what happens next. They look for proper language, context, continuity, and grammar.

Q22. Can I withdraw my entry?

ANSWER: You can withdraw an entry by 15th April 2026. Withdrawing an entry does not give you the right to replace it with another story.

Q23. Can I make changes to my story after submission?

ANSWER: No. Once the story is submitted, it is locked, and no further changes are allowed. Therefore, participants are expected to submit their final draft only after thoroughly checking it for grammar, syntax, and construction.

Q24. What if my story needs editing?

ANSWER: All selected stories go for editing before publishing. They are minor changes that do not affect the story’s context or content. The organisers have the right to implement these changes without notifying the author. Any story that needs substantial work, has spelling errors or mixing of tenses and other such errors, is not considered for the contest.

Q25. I made a payment in error. How can I get a refund?

ANSWER: Once payment is made, it is non-refundable.

Q26. If I have registered for one story but later decide to submit two, can I do so by paying the difference in the fee?

ANSWER: If you are planning to submit two stories, please register for two stories. If you register for one story and later want to submit two stories, you will need to register again for the second single story.

Q27. What is the jury process?

ANSWER: The Jury does a blind evaluation of the story. It means that while they are evaluating the story, they do not know who wrote it.
A story is usually judged by at atleast two judges, and their marks are averaged.
The jury also has the right to identify stories they definitely want to include or avoid in the book.
In the event of any conflict or tie, the curator reserves the right to make the final decision.

Q28. Which English does Pahaadi follow- UK or US?

ANSWER: PLEASE NOTE PAHAADI USES ENGLISH (UK) and not ENGLISH (US)
And hence you must use UK English.