LitFest2022

Preethi Urs

Preethi Originally from Bengaluru, Preethi Urs has lived in New York for over thirty years. She started her career in PR, where she helped international companies connect with their American counterparts with a view to creating joint ventures and partnerships. ... After completing an MS in education from Bank Street College of Education, she taught kindergarten and first grade. She and her husband live in Manhattan, where their two children were born and raised. Preethi also holds a BA in English from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore University.

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Jennifer Acker

Jennifer Acker is founder and editor in chief of The Common, and author of the debut novel The Limits of the World. Her short stories, essays, translations, and reviews have appeared in Amazon Original Stories,... Washington Post, Literary Hub, n+1, The Yale Review, and Ploughshares, among other places. Acker has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars and teaches writing and editing at Amherst College, where she directs the Literary Publishing Internship and organizes LitFest. She lives in western Massachusetts with her husband.jenniferacker.com

Dr. Ravi Shankar

Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal, 'The Autobiography of a Goddess' (Zubaan/University of Chicago), 'The Golden Shovel: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks" (University of Arkansas) and 'The Many Uses of Mint: New and Selected Poems 1997-2017' (Recent Works Press).... Along with Tina Chang and Nathalie Handal, he co-edited W.W. Norton's "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia & Beyond" and he founded one of the world's oldest electronic journals of the arts, Drunken Boat. He has taught and performed around the world and currently holds a research fellowship from the University of Sydney. His collaborative chapbook, 'A Field Guide to Southern China' written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019 by Eyewear Publishing.

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Professor Narayan Hegde

Professor Narayan Hegde is Emeritus Professor of English at SUNY College at Old Westbury, where he taught English, Indian, and World Literatures. As a Senior Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies, he has translated several works of Kannada literature, ... including Stallion of the Sun and Other Stories by U. R. Ananthamurthy, Annayya's Anthropology by A. K. Ramanujan, and a 19th-century drama, The Marriage Farce of Iggappa Hegade. He is a recipient of the Katha Translation Award. Translation of Avasthe, a Kannada novel by the eminent Indian author, U.R.Ananthamurthy, was recently published by HarperCollins India. He is currently part of a team translating the 15th century Kannada epic Kumaravyasa Bharatha for publication by Harvard University Press in its Murty Classical Library of India series.

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Professor S.N. Sridhar

Professor S.N. Sridhar is SUNY Distinguished Service Professor, Professor of Linguistics and India Studies, and Director of the Mattoo Center for India Studies at Stony Brook University, where he has been teaching since 1980.He graduated from Central College, Bangalore University, with a B.A. (Honors) and M.A. in English literature and linguistics with a first class and the first rank for the University. ... He did a Ph.D. in Linguistics with distinction from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.Professor S.N. Sridhar is an internationally recognized expert on multilingualism, Indian linguistics, World Englishes, and Kannada. His research concerns many areas, including: bilingualism (language contact and convergence); sociolinguistics of code-switching and code-mixing, language modernization, language spread; second language acquisition in non-native settings; Indian English and other World Englishes; reference grammar of Kannada (syntax, morphology, social dimensions); psycholinguistics (sentence production, code-mixing), applied linguistics (scope and relation to linguistic theory), historical linguistics (acquisition of subjecthood, contact-induced language change), and history of linguistics (Indian grammatical tradition). Currently, he is working on a monograph on multilingualism in India and another on the classic Kannada poet Kumara Vyasa and another on multilingualism in India. He heads an international consortium of scholars translating the Kannada classic Mahabharata by Kumaravyasa into English, to be published in three volumes in the Murthy Classical Library by Harvard University.

Professor S.N. Sridhar is author of three books: Kannada: Descriptive Grammar (Routledge, 1990 and Manohar 2001), Cognition and Sentence Production: A Cross-Linguistic Study (Springer Verlag, 1986), and India Kannada (Contemporary Kannada, Kannada University, 1995 and Abhinava, 2009); co-editor of two reference volumes ( Ananya: A Portrait of India (AIA, 1997), and Language in South Asia (Cambridge, 2008) and seven special issues of journals, and author of numerous peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and encyclopedia entries.

Professor S.N. Sridhar’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Education, and the American Institute of Indian Studies. He was designated Senior/Superior Scholar in the Humanities by the National Endowment for the Humanities. He has been a plenary or keynote speaker at many international conferences, including the Linguistic Society of India in 2013, and member of editorial board of journals, evaluator of publication projects and academic programs. He was conferred the select faculty rank of Distinguished Service Professor by the State University of New York in 2011. He is Vice-President and President Elect of the International Association of World Englishes.

Professor S.N. Sridhar is a co-founder of South Asian Languages Analysis (SALA) and organized its international conferences at Stony Brook in 1983 and 2004. He has also organized or co-organized conferences on Dravidian Linguistics, India Studies, the Teaching of Linguistics, and Teaching of Asian Languages.

Professor S.N. Sridhar is the founding Director of the Center for India Studies at Stony Brook, which has evolved over two decades into a national model of Indian American community-public university partnership in developing India Studies. He also served as the Founding Chair of the Department of Asian and Asian American Studies from 2002-2008.Professor S.N. Sridhar is also active in the community. He founded the India Society of Stony Brook in 1989 and served as its first President until 1994. He has also served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Indians in America and of the American Institute of Indian Studies and the Board of Governors of the Indo-American Arts Council, New York.He lives in Stony Brook with his wife and collaborator, Professor Kamal (Meena) Sridhar.

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Translated by Daisy Rockwell

Book Talk: Tomb of Sand: A Novel

Daisy Rockwell is an artist, writer and translator living in northern New England, USA. Apart from her essays on literature and art, she has written Upendranath Ashk: A Critical Biography, The Little Book of Terror and the novel Taste.... Her highly acclaimed translations include, among others, Upendranath Ashk’s Falling Walls and Bhisham Sahni’s Tamas, published in Penguin Classics.

In conversation with - moderator

Merve Emre

Professor Merve Emre is associate professor of English at the University of Oxford. She earned a BA from Harvard and a PhD from Yale. She is the author of Paraliterary.... The Making of Bad Readers in Postwar America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2017), The Ferrante Letters (New York: Columbia University Press, 2019), and The Personality Brokers (Doubleday: New York, 2018), which was selected as one of the best books of 2018 by the New York Times, the Economist, NPR, CBC, and the Spectator, and informs the CNN/HBO Max documentary feature film Persona. She is the editor of Once and Future Feminist (Cambridge: MIT, 2018), The Annotated Mrs. Dalloway (New York: Liveright, 2021), and The Norton Modern Library Mrs. Dalloway (New York: Norton, 2021). She is finishing a book titled Post-Discipline: Literature, Professionalism, and the Crisis of the Humanities (under contract with the University of Chicago Press) and writing a book called Love and Other Useless Pursuits (under contract with Doubleday US / Harper Collins UK).
She is a contributing writer at The New Yorker. Her essays and criticism have appeared in publications ranging from The New York Review of Books, Harper's, The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and the London Review of Books to American Literature, American Literary History, and Modernism/modernity. In 2019, she was awarded a Philip Leverhulme Prize. In 2021, she was awarded the Robert B. Silvers Prize for Literary Criticism and the Nona Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing by the National Book Critics Circle. Her work has been supported by the Whiting Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Leverhulme Trust, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Quebec, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin, where she was a fellow from 2021-22. In 2022, she is serving as one of the judges of the International Booker Prize. From 2022-23, she will be a Distinguished Writer-in-Residence at the Shapiro Center at Wesleyan University.

Bharat Wakhlu

Book Talk: Tata's Leadership Experiment: The Story of the Tata Administrative Service

Bharat Wakhlu is a Motivational Keynote Speaker, Life Coach, Transformational & Ethical Business Leader, Leadership Mentor, and Author.... Bharat Wakhlu is also a committed, results-oriented business leader and cross-functional manager with a demonstrated record of success, transforming enterprises and guiding leaders to deliver outstanding and lasting value to chosen stakeholders. He is a collaborative, open, and assertive communicator who focuses on impeccable planning and execution to help achieve client goals. Bharat is also cross-culturally sensitive and engaging, and a technologically perceptive facilitator of beneficial change.
Bharat commands an inspiring presence, is an exceptional speaker, and is adept at motivating and guiding senior leaders to deliver admirable results. He is also fluent in German, English, and four Indian languages

Anish Batlaw

Book Talk: Talent: The Market Cap Multiplier

Anish Batlaw is a Managing Director at General Atlantic, the global growth equity firm. He joined the firm in 2015 to lead their Human Capital efforts in support of their global portfolio ... companies such as such as Squarespace, Red Ventures, Bytedance, Articulate, Gingko Bioworks, Gymshark, EngageSmart, dlocal, and Alignment Healthcare. His responsibilities include development of management teams, board of directors, and executive compensation. Over his 30 year career, he has also held roles at PepsiCo, Microsoft, Novartis A.G. and TPG Capital. He has served on the boards of Avon, Alinta Holdings, HCP Global Holdings, and TPG Wholesale Private Limited. In 2021, Anish was named one of the Outstanding 50 Asian Americans in Business, an award given by the Asian American Business Development Center, the most prestigious forum highlighting the achievements of Asian American business professionals.

In conversation with - moderator

Vikas Kapoor

Vikas Kapoor is Chairman & CEO of Mezocliq, a leading no-code software platform for building cloud-based digital solutions without writing code. ... He was previously CEO of iQor, a provider of technology-enabled BPO solutions, listed by InformationWeek as one of the 30 most innovative technology companies in the US. Vikas also served as CEO of Delano Technology and Walker Digital, the incubator of priceline.com. He started his career at McKinsey and was a cofounder of the Mitchell Madison Group.
Vikas is an avid supporter of cultural institutions, especially in the performing arts. He serves on the board of the Newport Folk & Jazz Festivals, and the Metropolitan Opera. He has sponsored numerous events that bring together performers from different cultures to promote traditional art forms and create new ones
Vikas holds a BA from Princeton University, an MA in Philosophy from Harvard University, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School, where he was a Baker Scholar. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He is an avid squash player, an amateur architect, and a vigorous wine enthusiast.

Kamini Dandapani

Book Talk: Rajaraja Chola: King of Kings

Kamini Dandapani was born and raised in (once) sleepy Madras. She now lives in the city that never sleeps, New York. She has had extensive training in Carnatic music, Bharatanatyam and Western Classical music (Pianoforte). A longer than desired stint in the corporate world that included Chase Manhattan Bank and McKinsey & Co. was followed by a complete change in direction back to her true loves, top among which are music and writing.... Rajaraja Chola, King of Kings, Great Saviour, Jewel of the Solar Dynasty, Lion Among Kings, was one of the greatest rulers of medieval India. During his reign, the Chola empire expanded through virtually all of the southern reaches of the peninsula and beyond. Born Arulmozhi Varman in 947 CE, he trained under his father and uncle for over a quarter of a century and then ruled for twenty-nine years. King of Kings is a fitting title for this multifaceted man who was brilliant, ambitious, ruthless, and a visionary. He fortified the foundations of what was till then a ragtag kingdom, put into place a meticulously organized system of administration, and led the kingdom to reign supreme in military might, as an economic powerhouse, and in art, architecture, literature, music, and dance. This scrupulously researched and brilliantly told biography brings to vivid and compelling life one of India's greatest empires and rulers.

In conversation with - moderator

Manjula Tekal

Manjula Tekal has grown up loving Kannada and English literature, Indian History, and mythology. Hailing from a family deeply rooted in traditional but liberal values, Manjula’s early influences included her father,... who fostered a sense of pride in her heritage and respect for independent thought, and her mother, who loved literature. Her debut novel, Devayani (2021), and Azad, the Invincible (2022), a biographical novel about Chandrasekhar Azad, a revolutionary freedom fighter, translated from the Kannada book Ajeya written by Dr. Babu Krishnamurthy, are available at several bookstores and libraries, including Amazon and Garudabooks. Several other translated works and a second novel are in the anvil. A Technology and Management professional, Manjula has worked in Fortune 100 companies in IT, Insurance, and higher education as a Project Manager, an educator, and an administrator. She has an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering from Bangalore University and Masters degrees in Management both from the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). Manjula is a proud mother of two and lives in Illinois with her husband.

Elizebeth Varghese

Book Talk: [Block] Chain Reaction - The Future of How We Live and Work

Elizebeth Varghese is a people and technology strategist; a business leader who transforms organizations and, among the top experts and inspirational leaders of 2022 per The HR Gazette. She was awarded as an Outstanding Asian American in Business and lives in NYC with her husband and daughters.... Elizebeth furthers people and technology strategies with solutions in artificial intelligence, Blockchain and robotics, and awarded as an Outstanding Asian American in Business. While growing up in India, Elizebeth read everything she could lay her hands on and spent countless evenings watching the stars. She learned that the intentional use of science and technology can eliminate the multigenerational impact of disparities. Elizebeth is on the Council of Advisors for the SETI Institute, which works with NASA and other space agencies to explore, understand and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe. Elizebeth champions space exploration education and programs. She is a Board member at SAYA (South Asian Youth Action), a non-profit organization providing after-school programming, education and college support.Elizebeth lives on the Upper West Side of New York City with her husband, two daughters, and Chutney Theodore, the brave-heart Yorkie.
We all need to connect—to collaborate, to work together, and be together. Our barrier to operating seamlessly lies in how we trust as we share information about our lives, our credentials, our contributions. So, as we work across geographies, the next revolution is in trusting each other in our connectivity. This book explains how blockchain technology can help bridge our current connection gap and help change the world for the better - by creating trust based on accessible, immutable data and unleashing the potential of all people and human intellect, no matter where they live. Grow your organization, build a more agile and skilled workforce, connect and tap into the global community.

In conversation with - moderator

Ambassador Ramu Damodaran

Ambassador Ramu Damodaran joined the United Nations Department of Global Communications in 1996; his responsibilities in the Department have included oversight of relationships with civil society, ... the creative community and celebrity advocates, publications (including as Chief Editor of the UN Chronicle), the Dag Hammarskjöld Library and the United Nations Academic Impact which he was asked by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to devise and lead. He has also been secretary of the United Nations General Assembly’s Committee on Information since 2011. He completed his career with the United Nations in May 2021.
As a member of the Indian Foreign Service, where he was promoted to the rank of ambassador, he served as executive assistant to the Prime Minister of India between 1991 and 1994 and earlier in the Ministries of External Affairs, Home Affairs, Defence, Planning and Human Resource Development.

Barkha Dutt

Book Talk: TO HELL AND BACK : Humans of COVID

Padma Shri Barkha Dutt, one of India’s most prominent journalists and television anchors, became a household name with her reporting from the front lines during the Kargil conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999.... In addition to her war reporting (from countries as varied as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Egypt and Libya), in India she has reported from the field on virtually every important national story - politics, insurgencies, social upheavals, floods and famine. She has won more than forty national and international honours for her work.
Barkha Dutt is Consulting Editor with NDTV, India's premier news network. She is one of India's best-known journalists and the youngest to receive ‘Padma Shri’, one of India’s highest State honours. In her twenty-year career, she has covered several conflict zones, including Kashmir, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Egypt and Libya. Barkha has interviewed a range of personalities around the world and at home including Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Nawaz Sharif, Bill and Melinda Gates, Tony Blair, Aung San Suu Kyi, Hamid Karzai, Malala Yousafzai, Kailash Satyarthi, His Holiness The Dalai Lama, Indra Nooyi and Salman Rushdie. She hosts India’s longest-running talk show ‘We The People’ and a daily primetime show ‘The Buck Stops Here’. Last year, her coverage of the Kashmir floods became the first Indian series to be nominated for the International Emmy Awards in the News category. Barkha is active on Twitter (@bdutt) where she is followed by over 4 million people. She has now turned entrepreneur with her own multimedia content company.
In a career spanning two decades, she has won over fifty national and international awards for journalism including the Global Leader for Tomorrow award by the World Economic Forum, the Commonwealth Broadcasters' award for 'Journalist of the Year' and the Asian Television Awards for ‘Best News Presenter or Anchor’ (2015), ‘Best Current Affairs Presenter’ (2012) and ‘Best Talk Show’ (2006, 2010 & 2014). Last year, her daily primetime show The Buck Stops Here became the first Indian TV show to be nominated for the International Emmy Awards in the News category. In 2012, she won ‘International TV Personality of the Year’ at the Association for International Broadcasting awards in London. In 2014, she also won News Television Award for Best TV News Anchor (English) for a second year in a row. She has also bagged Indian Television Academy award for Best Talk Show for five consecutive years.

In conversation with - moderator

Professor Satish Kolluri

Satish Kolluri teaches Communication and Media Studies at Pace University in New York City... Writes and researches in the areas of Asian cinema and politics, Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, and Consciousness and Cultural Studies. He has been a member of the IAAC and the Curatorial team of the NYIFF since 2003.

Sindhu Rajasekaran

Book Talk: Smashing the Patriarchy: A Guide for the 21st-Century Indian Woman

Sindhu Rajasekaran is the author of a novel, Kaleidoscopic Reflections, which was nominated for the Crossword Book Award, and a collection of short stories, So I Let It Be.... Her essays, poetry, and fiction have appeared in international publications and anthologies. She has a master's degree in creative writing from the University of Edinburgh.
Centred around the bold voices of millennials and Gen Zs, Smashing the Patriarchy explores how young Indian women from diverse backgrounds ingeniously overcome the patriarchy in their everyday lives. Taking its inspiration from multi-disciplinary theories, grounded and deepened by interviews with a variety of experts and numerous women, Smashing the Patriarchy is an astonishingly insightful exploration of the collective psyche of modern Indian women.

In conversation with - moderator

Dharti Arvind Desai

As a Global Business Leader, Marketing Strategist, Investor, Advisor, D&I Champion, and Multilingual Entrepreneur, who was born and raised in India, Dharti has built businesses in India and the US,... mentored and funded Women and minority Business Enterprises in sectors ranging from AI to fashion and hospitality, and impacted hundreds of female entrepreneurs across six continents. She is currently the Chief Revenue Officer at Thimble.io, a growth stage Ed tech company. Dharti is the President of TiE NY and a TiE Global board of trustees member. Dharti is also the Founding Ambassador of animedhtrust.org

Monica Bhide

Book Talk: The Soul Catcher

Artistic Statement: I write about love, life, and longing. I am a fearless seeker of what the world will reveal if I ask questions of the things we usually keep silent in our hearts and minds.... Equal parts storyteller and globe-trotter, Monica Bhide, an award-winning author, accomplished literary coach, and educator with over 15 years of experience, transcends countless borders—chronological, geographical, religious, and economic—to inspire her readers. Born in New Delhi, raised in the Middle East, and now residing outside Washington, D.C., she currently serves as a corporate storyteller for one of the world’s leading professional services companies. Her prolific portfolio, enriched by the many places she has called home, channels a distinctly cosmopolitan worldview. Monica has authored ten books with prestigious publishers including Simon & Schuster, Random House India, Adams Media, and more.
Monica’s words, which have appeared on renowned platforms including the New York Times, Washington Post, Christian Science Monitor, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, and Town & Country, among others, are a collection of culture-driven articles that approach the world food first. Her books, all infused with a signature lyricism, consist of acclaimed cooking compendiums like 2009’s Modern Spice, brimming with contemporary versions of traditional Indian recipes. Her debut short story collection, The Devil in Us, a clutch of spellbinding tales centered on fate and fortune, earned a spot on Amazon’s bestseller list in 2015, while her more recent novel, Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken, which explores the healing power of food, led the café at NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., to serve up creations inspired by her chef protagonist.
Her work has garnered numerous accolades, and has been included in four Best Food Writing anthologies (2005, 2009, 2010, and 2014). Her memoir, A Life of Spice, was picked by Eat Your Books as one of the top five food memoirs of 2015. Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi picked Monica’s Modern Spice (Simon & Schuster, 2009), as one of the “Best Books Ever” for Newsweek in 2009. The Chicago Tribune named Monica “one of the seven food writers to watch in 2012.”
In addition to her various print storytelling endeavors, Monica appears as a regular voice on radio programs like NPR’s Kitchen Window, and recently launched Powered by Hope, a podcast centered on life during a pandemic and what it means to be physically distant yet connected to our very core. She also speaks about the intersection of food, culture, and writing for prestigious conferences and organizations such as the Smithsonian Institution, Sackler Gallery, Les Dames d’Escoffier, and Yale University. In 2013, she was appointed as Writing Coach in Residence for the Association of Food Journalists’s annual conference, where she counseled writers on establishing their social media brands, underscoring her ultimate strengths as an eloquent, ever-evolving, and outstanding writer.
Monica is a graduate of the George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), and holds a master’s degree from Lynchburg College (Lynchburg, VA) and a bachelor’s degree from Bangalore University (Bangalore, India). She feels fortunate for her rich, multicultural education and enjoys giving back to the global community by serving on committees and volunteering for Les Dames d’Escoffier, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, and at her children’s schools in Northern Virginia. Monica lives in Virginia with her two sons.

Namrata Patel

Book Talk: The Candid Life of Meena Dave

Namrata Patel is an Indian American writer who resides in Boston. Her writing examines diaspora and dual-cultural identity among Indian Americans and explores this dynamic while also touching on the families we’re born with and those we choose.... Namrata was born in Gujarat, India and has lived in New Jersey, Spokane, London, and New York City and has been writing most of her adult life. For more information visit www.nampatel.com.
Reviews/quotes: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/namrata-patel/candid-life-meena-dave/
Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Finalist
“A thoroughly entertaining rendition of one woman’s search for belonging.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Full of lively characters who will win readers’ hearts and keep them thinking long after the book is finished, this book is a genuine, charming debut. Long-buried secrets and a journey of self-discovery will keep the pages turning.” —Booklist
“An inherently fascinating and impressively scripted novel…” — Midwest Book Review
“Namrata Patel’s debut is a delightful exploration of identity, community, and growth. I was drawn into Meena Dave’s captivating journey from the first pages and was rooting for her until the end. This poignant and witty story is perfect for book clubs!” —Saumya Dave, author of Well-Behaved Indian Women

In conversation with - moderator

Professor Makarand Paranjape

Makarand R. Paranjape has been Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for over 22 years. Prior to that he taught at IIT-Delhi, the University of Hyderabad (Central University), and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champain, where he got his Masters and PhD in English. ... The author/editor of over 50 books, he has also published over 175 academic papers, and thousands of newspaper/periodical articles and op-eds. His recent publications include Identity’s Last Secret (BluOne Ink, 20220, JNU: Nationalism and India’s Uncivil War (Rupa, 2022), and Swami Vivekananda: Hinduism and India’s Road to Modernity (HarperCollins, 2020). He is currently a columnist in Open magazine, Gulf News, FirstPost, and The New Indian Express.
Twitter: @makrandparanspe

Ananta Ripa Ajmera

Book Talk: The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self

ANANTA RIPA AJMERA is is an award-winning author, spiritual teacher, Ayurveda practitioner, ... co-founder and CEO of The Ancient Way, an organization that supports you to embody ancient wisdom in a way that unfolds your true Self. The Ancient Way offers a Spiritual Warrior Certification Program, Ayurveda Wellness AmbassadorProgram, and spiritual wellness retreats. Ananta is host of the True to Yourself podcast and serves as Advisor of Ayurveda at THE WELL, a modern integrative wellness space, where she writes articles, offers workshops and works with a team of integrative medical practitioners.
She is author of The Way of the Goddess: Daily Rituals to Awaken Your Inner Warrior and Discover Your True Self (Penguin Random House TarcherPerigee September 2022 ) and the award-winning book The Ayurveda Way: 108 Practices from the World’s Oldest Healing System for Better Sleep, Less Stress, Optimal Digestion and More (Storey Publishing April 2017).

In conversation with - moderator

Nidhi Pandya

Nidhi Pandya is a leading Ayurvedic Practitioner, writer, and educator based out of New York. She grew up in India with her grandfather, an Ayurvedic healer himself. Nidhi's practice is unique because she has studied Ayurvedic directly from the Sanskrit Vedic Texts but can make them comprehensible and accessible to the western world.... She works 1-1 with clientele worldwide, including celebrities like Amina Taha, Gabriella Wright, Tara Emad, Rachel Brathen, and others. Currently, she serves as a member of the core faculty for Shakti School and runs courses on her platform. Her course for One Commune is set to launch in October 2022. She has spoken for Ted-X, the Chopra Center, and Google, just to name a few. You can also find her on over two dozen podcasts and as a consultant to leading Ayurvedic brands. She's been featured in many publications, including Vogue, Glossy, InStyle, and others. You can find Nidhi blogging regularly on her Instagram and writing for popular wellness publications, including mindbodygreen. Currently, Nidhi is working on two books and has a trademark pending on a revolutionary method of Wellness called the Inner ClimateTM.

Naheed Phiroze Patel

Book Talk: Mirror Made of Rain

Naheed Phiroze Patel is a graduate of the MFA program at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Her writing has appeared in the New England Review, The Guardian, HuffPost, Scroll.in, BOMB Magazine, Public Books, PEN America, The Rumpus, EuropeNow Journal, Asymptote Journal and elsewhere.... Despite an embarrassing, alcoholic mother, Noomi Wadia is loathe to change her own hard-partying ways simply because it's what's expected in Kamalpur high society. As her peers begin to marry and her social obligations become more fraught, she finds herself under constant scrutiny at summer parties of the city’s upper crust. With her options in her hometown growing increasingly limited, Noomi leaves for Mumbai and quickly becomes a successful journalist. There she falls in love with Veer, who appreciates her for exactly who she is. When Noomi and Veer decide to marry, Noomi must observe a host of patriarchal wedding rituals at the behest of her new in-laws, whose cultural customs deviate from her own. Soon, Noomi realizes that her worst fears have come to pass — she is trapped in the same cycle of self-destructiveness as her mother, and she must battle her impulses or risk losing it all. A riveting exploration of class and tradition in contemporary India, Noomi is as quick-witted as she is quick-tempered. At times funny and tragic, taking place over many years of Noomi's life, Naheed Phiroze Patel's exhilarating debut novel shows how society encourages us to see ourselves through the eyes of others.

Raza Mir

Book Talk: Murder at the Mushaira: A Novel

RAZA MIR is the author of Ghalib: A Thousand Desires, The Taste of Words: An Introduction to Urdu Poetry, and the co-author of Anthems of Resistance: A Celebration of Progressive Urdu Poetry.... He can be reached at urduwallah@gmail.com. Set against the backdrop of India's First War of Independence, Murder at the Mushaira is at once a brilliantly constructed murder mystery and the finest historical novel by an Indian author in recent times.

In conversation with - moderator

Sindya Bhanoo

Sindya Bhanoo is the author of the story collection Seeking Fortune Elsewhere. The collection is longlisted for the American Library Association's Andrew Carnegie Medal and was the winner of the New American Voices Award. ... Her fiction has appeared in Granta, New England Review, Glimmer Train, and elsewhere. She is the recipient of an O. Henry Award, the Disquiet Literary Prize, an Elizabeth George Foundation grant, and scholarships from the Bread Loaf and Sewanee writers conferences. A longtime newspaper journalist, she has reported for The New York Times and The Washington Post. Sindya is a graduate of UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, the Michener Center for Writers, and Carnegie Mellon University. She teaches at Oregon State University.

Jhani Randhawa

Book Talk: Time Regime

Jhani Randhawa is a Kenyan-Punjabi/Anglo-American counterdisciplinary maker, collaborator, and editor. Author of the poetry collection Time Regime (Gaudy Boy, 2022), and a Yasmin Fellowship recipient from Millay Arts, they are a co-founding editor of the experimental arts journal rivulet.... Whose work is interested in precarity, queer* ecology, diaspora and migration, spiritual activism, and fugue states. Jhani is the recipient of a Yasmin Fellowship from Millay Arts, and was a finalist for the 2021 PEN American Emerging Voices Fellowship. Jhani has taken residence and refuge at Wormfarm Institute, Upaya Zen Center, Green Gulch Farm Zen Center, and is a 2022 Deborah Anne McNeely Writer-in-Residence at Writers House Pittsburgh. Their debut poetry collection, Time Regime (Gaudy Boy, 2022), was selected by Dr. Dorothy Wang as the 2021 Gaudy Boy Poetry Book Prize winner. Jhani's work has appeared in outlets such as Footnotes, ASAP/J, Soap Ear, baest, DoubleBlind Magazine, O BOD, and Figure 1, and in venues such as Heimbold Visual Arts Center at Sarah Lawrence College, Thymele Arts in Los Angeles, and Woolen Mill Gallery in Reedsburg, Wisconsin, among others. Through a performative embodiment called 'ghat ghat,' Jhani speculates about time, its dismantling, and the feral. Presently, they co-head the experimental arts journal rivulet with Teo Rivera-Dundas.
A collection of mechanical dream logs, epistolaries, and field notes, Time Regime (Gaudy Boy, 2022) assembles a mutant voice intent on interrupting neoliberal imperialism's rhythms and expectations. Time Regime traces the lives, ecological contexts, and dreams of multiple beings— rice germ, red ticks, a grandmother's skin cells, limestone deposits, machine intelligence, shaggy language, the poet, no-self, or the mythological winged cow Surabhi—as they collide and float in parallel vectors. Displaced and seeking, these spectral and material bodies erode and recombine at the edges of domestic ruin, ecological collapse, and state-sanctioned death, delivering an emergent image of presence.

Megha Sood

Book Talk: My Body Lives Like a Threat

Megha Sood is an Award-winning Asian American Poet, Editor, and Literary Activist from New Jersey, USA. She is a Literary Partner with 'Life in Quarantine', Stanford University. She blogs at https://meghasworldsite.wordpress.com/ and tweets at @meghasood16.... She is the recipient of the 2021 Poet Fellowship from MVICW ( Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creating Writing) and a 2020 National Level Winner for the Poetry Matters Project and a Four-Time State Level Winner for NAMI NJ Dara Axelrod Poetry Award 2018/2019/2020/2022. She is a recipient of the 'Certificate of Excellence'' from the Mayor, Jersey City, New Jersey. Associate Poetry Editor Literary Journals Mookychick(UK), Life and Legends (USA), and Literary Partner with 'Life in Quarantine '', Stanford University. Member of National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW), Women's National Book Association, and United Nations Association-US Chapter. Works widely featured in journals, Poetry Society of New York, NYPL, PBS American Portrait, NPR, North of Oxford, etc. Author of Chapbook( 'A Potpourri of Emotions', Local Gems Press, NY), Chapbook ( 'My Body is Not an Apology', Finishing Line Press, 2021), and Full Length ('My Body Lives Like a Threat', FlowerSongPress,2022). She has also Co-Edited anthologies ( 'The Medusa Project', Mookychick, UK) and ('The Kali Project, Indie Blu(e) Press, USA).
'My Body Lives Like a Threat 'is a deep exposition of gender and color-based discrimination, sexual and reproductive rights violations, body politics, immigration, and the impact of a toxic political environment on the country and its people. The poems in the book deal with the blatant violation of human rights and the systemic oppression of people of color in this country and around the world. The book reflects how body politics never remains at an individual level but molds and morphs into a social monster birthing problems like human rights violations, immigration, gun violence, and racial discrimination.

Nishi Chawla and K Satchidanandan (Editors)

Book Talk: Singing in the Dark' (2021) and 'Greening the Earth' (Feb 2023)

Nishi Chawla is an academician and a writer. She has six collections of poetry, ten plays, three feature length movies and two novels to her credit. She has also coedited an anthology of poems, 'Singing in the Dark,' with K Satchidananda in 2021. The book has been published by Penguin Random House. ... Nishi Chawla holds a Ph. D. in English from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C. USA. She has also done a two year post doctoral study at the Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. After teaching for nearly twenty years as a tenured Professor of English at Delhi University, India, she had migrated with her family to a suburb of Washington D.C. She has taught at the University of Maryland from 1999 until 2014. She is now on the faculty of Thomas Edison State University, New Jersey, USA. Nishi Chawla's plays get staged both in USA and in India. Nishi Chawla has also written and directed three independent movies titled, MIXED UP, THE STRANGE CASE OF NORMALCY and TECHNO. 'Mixed Up' was released on Amazon Prime on June 2, 2021 in the US. THE STRANGE CASE OF NORMALCY will be released in Fall 2022. TECHNO is the title of her third feature film. Nishi Chawla writes on social issues, and these are art house movies.
'Singing in the Dark' is an intercontinental collection of poetic responses at a time when the pandemic has dramatically altered the world. More than a hundred of the world's esteemed poets reflect upon a crisis that has impacted the entire human world and laid bare all our vulnerabilities. The poems capture all its dimensions: the trauma of solitude, the unexpected transformation in the expression of interpersonal relationships, the even sharper visibility of the class divide, the revival of nature and the realization of the transience of human existence. The moods vary from quiet contemplation and anguish to suppressed rage and cautious celebration of a strange era in human history.

In conversation with - moderator

Dr. Ravi Shankar

Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal, 'The Autobiography of a Goddess' (Zubaan/University of Chicago), 'The Golden Shovel: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks" (University of Arkansas) and 'The Many Uses of Mint: New and Selected Poems 1997-2017' (Recent Works Press).... Along with Tina Chang and Nathalie Handal, he co-edited W.W. Norton's "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia & Beyond" and he founded one of the world's oldest electronic journals of the arts, Drunken Boat. He has taught and performed around the world and currently holds a research fellowship from the University of Sydney. His collaborative chapbook, 'A Field Guide to Southern China' written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019 by Eyewear Publishing.

Kirthana Ramisetti

Book Talk: Dava Shastri's Last Day

As a former entertainment reporter for Newsday and the New York Daily News, Kirthana Ramisetti has written her fair share of stories about the lives (and deaths) of the rich and famous. She has a master’s degree in creative writing from Emerson College and has published work in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, TODAY.com and elsewhere.... In this novel "full of music, magnetism, and familial obligation" (Emma Straub, author of All Adults Here) a dying billionaire matriarch leaks news of her death early so she can examine her legacy—a decision that horrifies her children and inadvertently exposes secrets she has spent a lifetime keeping. Dava Shastri, one of the world's wealthiest women, has always lived with her sterling reputation in mind. A brain cancer diagnosis at the age of seventy, however, changes everything, and Dava decides to take her death—like all matters of her life—into her own hands. Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for the news of her death to break early, so she can read her obituaries. As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women, Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead, her "death" reveals two devastating secrets, truths she thought she had buried forever. And now the whole world knows, including her children. In the time she has left, Dava must come to terms with the decisions that have led to this moment—and make peace with those closest to her before it's too late. Compassionately written and chock-full of humor and heart, this powerful novel examines public versus private legacy, the complexities of love, and the never-ending joys—and frustrations—of family.

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Saumya Dave

Saumya Dave is a writer, psychiatrist, and mental health advocate. She's the author of two novels, Well-Behaved Indian Women and What a Happy Family. ... Well-Behaved Indian Women was selected as the "summer's fix" by the New York Times Book Review and optioned for a television series by CBS Studios. What a Happy Family was the July GoodHousekeeping Magazine book club pick. Her novels have also been featured in Marie Claire, Elle, PopSugar, and others.
Saumya is a frequent contributor to NBC News, where she discusses a variety of mental health topics. Her essays, articles, and poetry have been in The New York Times, ABC News, Refinery 29, and more. She is a practicing psychiatrist, co-founder of the mental health nonprofit thisisforHER, and an Adjunct Professor at Mount Sinai. She lives in New York City with her husband and son.

Arundhathi Subramaniam

Book Talk: Love Without a Story

Arundhathi Subramaniam is a leading Indian poet, and the author of thirteen books of poetry and prose, most recently the poetry volume, Love Without a Story, and a book of conversations with female sacred travellers, Women Who Wear Only Themselves ... Described as 'one of the finest poets writing in India today' (The Hindu, 2010), her other works include the acclaimed anthology of sacred poetry, Eating God, and the bestselling biography, Sadhguru: More Than a Life. She is the winner of the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Khushwant Singh Poetry Prize, Raza Award, the Il Ceppo Prize in Italy, the Homi Bhabha and Charles Wallace fellowships, among others. Her book When God is a Traveller, was the Season Choice of the Poetry Book Society, shortlisted for the TS Eliot Prize. She has worked over the years as curator, critic and poetry editor, and divides her time between Mumbai, Chennai and New York.

In conversation with - moderator

Dr. Ravi Shankar

Pushcart prize winning poet, translator and professor Ravi Shankar has published, edited or has forthcoming over fifteen books, including the Muse India award-winning translations of 9th century Tamil poet/saint, Andal, 'The Autobiography of a Goddess' (Zubaan/University of Chicago), 'The Golden Shovel: New Poems Honoring Gwendolyn Brooks" (University of Arkansas) and 'The Many Uses of Mint: New and Selected Poems 1997-2017' (Recent Works Press).... Along with Tina Chang and Nathalie Handal, he co-edited W.W. Norton's "Language for a New Century: Contemporary Poetry from the Middle East, Asia & Beyond" and he founded one of the world's oldest electronic journals of the arts, Drunken Boat. He has taught and performed around the world and currently holds a research fellowship from the University of Sydney. His collaborative chapbook, 'A Field Guide to Southern China' written with T.S. Eliot Prize winner George Szirtes was just published in the UK August 2019 by Eyewear Publishing.

Sunita Kohli

Book Talk: KALA - Essays on Contemporary Design Aesthetics'

Author Padma Shri Sunita Kohli a national award-winning interior designer, furniture manufacturer and conservationist since 1971, president of K2India and former Chairperson School of Planning & Architecture, Bhopal. In 1992, was conferred Padma Shri by President of India and Mahila Shiromani Award by Mother Teresa....Sunita Kohli is a globally recognized national award-winning interior designer, furniture manufacturer and architectural restorer since 1971. Her professional portfolio includes several significant public and heritage buildings, hotels, hotel boats, forts, palaces, libraries, museums and select residences in India, Egypt, Pakistan, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. She is President of K2India, co-founded with Ar. Kohelika Kohli from Pratt Institute, NYC. Their furniture is exported to five continentals. Sunita Kohli is former Chairperson of School of Planning & Architecture, Bhopal. She has presented papers on various subjects, at several universities in the UK, the USA and South-East Asia. She is a Fellow of the Halle Institute of Global Learning, Emory University; Advisory Board Member of the Asia Scotland Institute, Edinburgh; Board Member of the Centre for Historic Houses India. She is an author and currently five books are under preparation for publication; and an occasional columnist and essayist. In 1992, Sunita Kohli was conferred the Padma Shri, by the President of India in New Delhi; and the same year also presented the Mahila Shiromani Award by Mother Teresa (now St. Teresa of Calcutta), in Kolkata.
The essays in KALA are by acclaimed architects, designers, authors, art historians and academicians. Ar. Ashish Ganju and Narendra Dengle have written on indigenous perspectives on the discovery and history of architecture. Ar. Kohélika Kohli writes on architectural exhibition spaces. Dr. Alka Pande has written on the Panchtattvas and their centrality to design structures and expressions. Dr. Vivek Nanda's essay talks about the first Indian maps that were made for pilgrims and their evolution into today's maps. These are amongst some of the great seminal essays. Finally, Sunita Kohli, the editor of 'KALA' brings it together with a photo essay on syncretic monumental architecture in India.

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Nita Khanna

Nita Khanna is an Indo-Canadian creative entrepreneur and business owner with an academic background in English Literature, Literary Theory and Aesthetics from Bombay University, ... and the University of Oxford, U.K. She has worked as a writer and producer in advertising and film production in Mumbai, Dubai, and Toronto, and has served as Director on the board of ‘Cinestan North American’, a Canadian media company. She was the co - founder of ‘Shastrartha – The Art of Civilized Dialogue’, a live event series based in New Delhi. She is currently researching and writing a book on the historical, socio-cultural, and environmental evolution of fasting and its impact on modern day concepts of wellness. She lives between Toronto and New Delhi.

Meena Ahamed

Book Talk: A Matter of Trust

Meena Ahamed is the author of A Matter of Trust: U.S.-India Relations from Truman to Trump, published by HarperCollins India in December 2020. It was released in the US in May 2022.... Born in Calcutta, Ahamed moved to the United States for her higher education and is a graduate of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. In 1989 she moved to London and became a foreign correspondent for New Delhi Television (NDTV), with her portfolio expanding to include political stories from the United Kingdom, South Africa, and the United States. Among the leaders she interviewed were Nelson Mandela, John Major, and Bill Clinton. She covered the race riots in London and reported on the rise of Indian entrepreneurs in America. Since her return to the United States, she has worked as a freelance journalist, and her work has appeared in Asian Age, Seminar, Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, Washington Post and CNN . Since 2006 she has served on multiple boards for Doctors Without Borders, and since 2018 she has served as a board member for Drugs for Neglected Diseases
This book tells the story of the ebbs and flows of hostility and friendship between the United States of America and India since India achieved independence in 1947. Drawing on the archives of presidential libraries, 50 yr old telegrams and the diaries and memoirs of long forgotton diplomats, i have shown that the tone and temprature of relations often had as much to do with personalities of the leaders as the political circumstances they found themselves in.

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Somini Sengupta

Global climate correspondent for The Times and author of "The End of Karma: Hope and Fury Among India's Young" ...

Deepti Naval

Book Talk: A Country Called Childhood: A Memoir

Deepti Naval is an Indian actor, director, writer, painter, and photographer. A multifaceted personality, Deepti has carved a distinct niche for herself in the Indian film industry, winning critical acclaim for her 'sensitive and close to life' portrayals that emphasized the changing role of women.... Deepti made her debut in the year 1980 with the path-breaking film Ek Baar Phir, and has since appeared in more than ninety films, including Chashme Buddoor, Katha, Saath Saath, Kamla, Ankahi, Main Zinda Hoon, and Mirch Masala. She has received the Best Actor award in several national and international film festivals for her roles in Leela, Firaaq, Memories in March, Listen Amaya, NH10, The Boy with the Topknot, and others. She also won the Best Screenplay award at the New York Indian Film Festival for her directorial film, Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish, in 2010. As a writer, she has three books to her credit—her first collection of poems, Lamha Lamha, published in 1981, Black Wind and Other Poems in 2004, and The Mad Tibetan: Stories from Then and Now in 2011. Her poems are reflective, sometimes autobiographical, and 'constitute a direct and honest female voice'.
A Country Called Childhood is a beautifully told memoir of growing up in Amritsar in the tumultuous 1950s and 60s by award-winning actress Deepti Naval. In extremely visual and evocative prose, Naval describes an unforgettable childhood filled with love, adventure, mystery, tragedy, and joy. She uncovers, in great detail, life in an unconventional Punjabi family while plunging the reader into the distinctive sights, smells, and sounds of a fast-vanishing India. Starting at the moment of her birth on a rainy night, she tracks her journey to adulthood, a path punctuated by many personal turning points as also momentous events of national importance, such as the Sino-Indian War of 1962.

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Deepak Talwar

Deepak Talwar is the Founder of Talwar Gallery in New York and New Delhi. Since 1996 Talwar has been working with artists from the Indian subcontinent and its diaspora.... He has introduced many noteworthy artists to the audiences and institutions in the US and around the globe by giving them their first solo exhibition outside of India including Nasreen Mohamedi, Rummana Hussain, Alwar Balasubramaniam, Sheila Makhijani, Ranjani Shettar, and others. Talwar’s artists have been exhibited and collected by prestigious private and public collections including The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET), Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Guggenheim Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMoMA) and many others. Deepak Talwar lives in New York City.

Nikhil Gulati

Book Talk: People of the Indus

Nikhil Gulati loves stories that evoke wonder and inspire compassion. He has written and illustrated graphic works for Puffin and Pratham Books, in addition to writing and illustrating a mini graphic novel on the history of Golconda and several short comics on various themes. ... The People of the Indus is his first longform work. He is a graduate of the University of Texas, Austin, and the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. His work can be found at www.oddballcomics.in.
Johnathan Mark Kenoyer is a professor of archaeology and anthropology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He has been excavating the site of Harappa intensively for over thirty-five years and has served as field director of the Harappa Archaeological Research Project since 1986. He has worked on excavations in India, Pakistan and Oman, and is considered one of the foremost authorities of Indus archaeology.He has authored several books, journal articles and encyclopedia entries on the Indus civilization and has helped curate major exhibitions at several venues, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. His work has been featured in the National Geographic Magazine and Scientific American, and on the website www.harappa.com.Copyright @ Pengui

In conversation with - moderator

Uzma Z. Rizvi

Dr. Uzma Z. Rizvi is an archaeologist and associate professor of Anthropology and Urban Studies, Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies at Pratt Institute and a Visiting Scholar ... at Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, Pakistan. Her research focuses on Ancient Pakistan and United Arab Emirates, during the third millennium BCE and ancient subjectivity, intimate architecture; memory, war, and trauma in relationship to the urban fabric, critical heritage studies at the intersections of contemporary art and history, and finally, epistemological critiques of the discipline in the service of decolonization.

Jenny Bhatt

Book Talk: Shehnai Virtuoso Dhumketu

Jenny Bhatt is a writer, literary translator, and book critic. She is the founder of Desi Books, a global forum that showcases South Asian literature from the world over. And she teaches creative writing at Writing Workshops Dallas and the PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship Program. ... Her debut story collection, Each of Us Killers: Stories (7.13 Books; Sep 2020) won a 2020 Foreword INDIES award. Her literary translation, Ratno Dholi: Dhumketu’s Best Short Stories (HarperCollins India; Oct 2020), was shortlisted for the 2021 PFC-VoW Book Awards. One of her short stories was included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021. Her nonfiction has been published in various venues including NPR, The Washington Post, BBC Culture, The Atlantic, Publishers Weekly, Dallas Morning News, Literary Hub, Poets & Writers, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Star Tribune, and more. The US edition of her Dhumketu translation, The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories, was released in July 2022. Find her at https://jennybhattwriter.com. Sign up for her popular, free, weekly newsletter, We Are All Translators. Jenny Bhatt is a writer, literary translator, and book critic. She teaches fiction at Writing Workshops Dallas and the PEN America Emerging Voices Fellowship Program. She is also the founder of Desi Books, a global forum for showcasing South Asian literature from the world over. Her debut story collection, Each of Us Killers: Stories (7.13 Books; Sep 2020) won a 2020 Foreword INDIES award in the Short Stories category and was a finalist in the Multicultural Adult Fiction category. Her literary translation, Ratno Dholi: Dhumketu’s Best Short Stories (HarperCollins India; Oct 2020), was shortlisted for the 2021 PFC-VoW Book Awards for English Translation from Regional Languages.
Her non-fiction has appeared in the following venues: NPR, The Washington Post, BBC Culture, The Atlantic, Publishers Weekly, Dallas Morning News, Literary Hub, Longreads, Poets & Writers, The Millions, Electric Literature, Los Angeles Review of Books, The Star Tribune, Guernica, The Rumpus, Kenyon Review, PopMatters, Scroll.in, and more. One of her essays was published in an anthology, Sulekha Select: The Indian Experience in a Connected World.
Her fiction has been published in Amazon’s Day One Literary Journal, Gravel Magazine, Lunch Ticket, Hofstra’s Windmill, Eleven Eleven Journal, Hot Metal Bridge, Jet Fuel Review, Kweli Journal, Five:2:One, The Indian Quarterly, York Literary Review (UK), The Nottingham Review (UK), Litro UK, The Vignette Review, etc. Her short stories have been nominated multiple times for the Pushcart Prize and the Best American Short Stories anthology. She has been a Best of the Net anthology finalist. One of her stories was included in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021.
Her translation work has appeared in Asymptote Journal and Waxwing Magazine.
The US edition of her Dhumketu translation, The Shehnai Virtuoso and Other Stories, was released in July 2022. Her translation of Jhaverchand Meghani’s best folktales will be out in 2023 with Pan Macmillan India. She has a story scheduled to be published in a 2023 anthology, South to South: Writing South Asia in the American South. And her translation of the celebrated Gujarati writer Varsha Adalja’s award-winning novel, Crossroad, will be out in early 2024.
Having lived and worked her way around India, England, Germany, Scotland, and various parts of the US, she now lives in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. Find her at https://jennybhattwriter.com. Sign up for her popular, free, weekly newsletter, We Are All Translators.

Dasu Krishnamoorty and Tamraparni Dasu

Book Talk: The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told (English)

A unique father-daughter duo, Dasu Krishnamoorty and Tamraparni Dasu, founders of IndiaWrites Publishers Inc, 501(c)3 , are considered among the top translators in India. Their translated works include 1947 Santoshabad Passenger and Other Stories, and The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told.... Dasu Krishnamoorty, 96, is an anthologist, translator and storyteller in New Jersey. His works include 1947 Santoshabad Passenger and Other Stories (2010), The Seaside Bride and Other Stories (2019), The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told (2022). He was an influential journalist in the Indian print media (Indian Express, Times of India, Patriot), a senior political commentator (AIR), and taught mass communications at Osmania University, Indian Institute of Mass Communications (New Delhi) and the University of Hyderabad. Tamraparni Dasu, along with her father Dasu Krishnamoorty, founded the literary non-profit organization IndiaWrites Publishers Inc. to support high quality translation and dissemination of short fiction written in the Indian languages. She is an expert in Statistics and Machine Learning (Ph.D., University of Rochester), in addition to being a novelist and translator. In addition to the anthologies co-translated with her father, her works include Spy, Interrupted series: The Waiting Wife (2015) and The Perfect Candidate (2016), and Exploratory Data Mining and Data Quality (Wiley, 2003).
Expertly selected and deftly translated into English, our anthology of short fiction, The Greatest Telugu Stories Ever Told, is concerned with the story of how the Telugu-speaking sub-cultural groups carved a vibrant voice for themselves in the literature of that language contributing to the cultural wealth of the country. Spanning more than a century of writing, the volume contains gripping stories of agents of change rebelling against suffocating norms, told by talented minority writers with an authenticity rooted in their lived experience. This unmatched literary translation seamlessly preserves the music of the original language.

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Professor Narayan Hegde

Professor Narayan Hegde is Emeritus Professor of English at SUNY College at Old Westbury, where he taught English, Indian, and World Literatures. As a Senior Fellow of the American Institute of Indian Studies, he has translated several works of Kannada literature,... including Stallion of the Sun and Other Stories by U. R. Ananthamurthy, Annayya's Anthropology by A. K. Ramanujan, and a 19th-century drama, The Marriage Farce of Iggappa Hegade. He is a recipient of the Katha Translation Award. Translation of Avasthe, a Kannada novel by the eminent Indian author, U.R.Ananthamurthy, was recently published by HarperCollins India. He is currently part of a team translating the 15th century Kannada epic Kumaravyasa Bharatha for publication by Harvard University Press in its Murty Classical Library of India series.

Priya Kumari

Book Talk: Leaf Talks Peace- Buddha's Message of Harmony

Priya Kumari was born and raised in the scenic foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. She inherited her love of reading and passion for the written word from her father, who owned a bookstore. The rich and detailed history of Indian culture and mythos is the source for her own books.... Priya Kumari is a multi-award-winning children's book author and the founder of an independent publishing company Eternal Tree Books, which produces mainly children's books. Her mission is to publish uplifting books created by visionary authors and artists for all ages to share stories from under-represented Indian culture—diverse stories promoting peace education, emotional hygiene, science of well-being, and cultural competence. She prides herself on producing high quality picture books with engaging, fun and educational content. Her imprint has published 3 international authors so far and working with 3 more for the next year releases. Her most popular book, Leaf Talks Peace, is blessed with a foreword by The Dalai Lama. Born and raised in the scenic foothills of Himalayas, she inherited her love of reading and passion for the written word from her father, who owned a bookstore. She is passionate about diversity in publishing and is a member of DEI committee of IBPA, the largest trade association of independent publishers in the US and founding member of South Asian Kidlit, an international community of South Asian creators. She is also a certified public accountant and lives in New Jersey with her husband and their two sons.
Leaf Talks Peace spreads Buddha's message of interconnectedness of all beings through the eyes of a leaf called Harmony, who lives on the Bodhi Tree. Buddha sits under the tree and sees in Harmony, the Sun, the earth, stars, clouds, rain, time, space, mind and the whole universe. Spreading a much-needed message of unity and tolerance, 'Leaf Talks Peace' aims at developing children's minds to help them become more conscious global citizens when they reach adulthood. It is the first picture book written by an Indian author, endorsed by The Dalai Lama by writing a foreword.

Ritu Khoda

Book Talk: Somnath Hore: Wounds

Ritu Khoda founded Art1st in 2009 with a vision to create spaces and programmes that make the visual arts more accessible, action-oriented and relevant for various audiences. ... She has published several award-winning art books for children and produced critically acclaimed films. She works with renowned artists and psychologists to develop programmes for children, teachers, educators and lovers of art.
Ritu holds a master’s degree in business administration from IIM Kolkata and a B.A. (Hons.) in Psychology from Lady Sri Ram College, New Delhi. She worked at India’s prominent advertising agency, JWT for several years, before she finally quit to pursue her dream.

Meera Trehan

Book Talk: The View from the Very Best House in Town

Meera Trehan is a writer, reader, and lawyer. She practiced public interest law for over a decade before turning to creative writing. Her debut novel, THE VIEW FROM THE VERY BEST HOUSE IN TOWN has been named a Junior Library Guild Selection. She lives in Maryland with her family.... Meera Trehan is a writer, reader and lawyer. She grew up in Virginia, just outside Washington, DC, where she read as much as she could, memorized poems, and ate enough cookies to earn the nickname 'Monster' after the Cookie Monster. She is a graduate of the University of Virginia, where she double majored in Economics and History, and Stanford Law School. After practicing public interest law for over a decade, she turned to creative writing. Her debut novel, THE VIEW FROM THE VERY BEST HOUSE IN TOWN released from Walker Books US, an imprint of Candlewick, and has been named a Junior Library Guild Selection, among other honors. She lives in Maryland with her family.
Sam and Asha. Asha and Sam. Their friendship is so long established, they take it for granted. Just as Asha takes for granted that Donnybrooke, the mansion that sits on the highest hill in Coreville, is the best house in town. But when Sam is accepted into snobbish Castleton Academy, he leaves Asha to navigate middle school alone. He also leaves her wondering if she can take anything for granted. Because soon Sam is spending time with Prestyn, Asha's nemesis, whose family owns Donnybrooke. Who is Asha without Sam? And who will she be when she realizes that Prestyn's interest in her friend isn't so friendly? This book explores the mysteries of what makes a person a friend and a house a home.

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Priya Sitaraman

Priya Sitaraman is the Upper School Division Head at the Bank Street School for Children, one of New York City's premier progressive educational institutions.  ... She is a graduate of the school’s closely affiliated College of Education that publishes the renowned Bank Street best children’s books of the year list. Formerly an elementary and middle school teacher in the humanities, Priya has deep knowledge of child development, progressive educational pedagogy, and middle grades literature. Priya is passionate about helping children develop their identities in a manner that pushes them to be life-long learners and inclusive, democratically-minded citizens.

Kailash Satyarthi

Book Talk: Greater Body of work

Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi has been at the forefront of the global movement to end child slavery and exploitative child labour since 1980. ... Child labour is a human rights issue that has staggering effects on poverty, illiteracy and humanity. Mr. Satyarthi and the grassroots movement founded by him, Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement), have liberated more than 85,000+ children from exploitation and developed a successful model for their education and rehabilitation.

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Dr. Nirmal K. Mattoo

Dr. Nirmal K. Mattoo is the Chairman of the Indo American Arts Council. He is also the co-founder and owner of Atlantic Dialysis Management services, the largest private dialysis provider in New York State. ... Previously, he was the CEO of Wyckoff-Heights Medical Center and co-chairman of the Chief Medical Officer’s Council of the Columbia Presbyterian system. He is the President of the Mattoo Center of India Studies at State University of New York. He is also the Co Editor of the book Ananya. A Portrait of India.

Hannah Lalhlanpuii

Book Talk: When Blackbirds Fly

Hannah Lalhlanpuii is a young writer from Aizawl, Mizoram, a small state in North East India. Her writing aims to promote Mizo history and culture. Her debut novel 'When Blackbirds Fly' was published by Duckbill, Penguin Random House India in 2022.... She completed her Ph. D from the Department of English, Mizoram University in June 2022. Her areas of include children's literature, trauma writing and tribal history. Her short story titled 'A Bird Called Freedom' was published in the anthology 'Big Mistakes: an Anthology of Growing Up and Other Tough Stuffs' (2021) published by Penguin Random House, India. Here two poems were included in 'Lockdown Literature from Mizoram' (2021). Her debut novel When Blackbirds Fly was published by Duckbill, Penguin Random House India in 2022. Some of her poems, articles and short stories have also been published locally within Mizoram. Hannah also manages a self- initiated NGO called JT Book Project, started in 2020, which aims to create reading awareness among young learners. The project has successfully organized several book donation drives and set up libraries for schools in remote areas in Mizoram. Hannah currently lives in Aizawl and works as an Assistant Professor in the Department of English, Mizoram Christian College.
Hannah Lalhlanpuii's 'When Blackbirds Fly' is a historical novel set in the initial stages f the two- decade long struggle for Mizoram's independence from India. The story is based on the 1966 bombing of Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram by the Indian government which initiated the twenty year long insurgency in the region. Narrated through the lens of a young boy, the story recounts the fight for Mizo independence amid the horrors created by armed forces. It is an universal story of how individual dreams and lives are shattered when larger conflicts arise. The novel is part of the Not Our War (NOW) series which centers on the lives of children growing up in war and conflict zones.

Samina Mishra

Book Talk: Jamlo Walks

Samina Mishra is a documentary filmmaker, writer, and teacher based in New Delhi, with a special interest in media for and about children. Her work uses the lens of childhood, identity and education to reflect the experiences of growing up in India.... Her recent work includes Jamlo Walks, a picture-book that tells a story of the migrants walking back home during the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, Nida Finds a Way, a chapter book for early readers that follows a young girl as she explores the world around her including the public protest at Shaheen Bagh, and Happiness Class, a documentary film on the idea of happiness for children, examined through the Happiness Curriculum in Delhi government schools. She is currently working on Hum Hindustani, a research project on children and citizenship, and heading The Magic Key Centre for the Arts and Childhood engaged in a year-long arts-based programme for Afghan refugee children at the Simurgh Centre, Delhi.
Jamlo Walks is a picture book set in the early days of the COVID 19 lockdown in March 2020. Based on the true incident of a young Adivasi girl who died while walking back home from the chilli fields of Telengana where she had gone to work as farm labour, the book presents the experience of Jamlo's imagined journey in the lockdown intercut with experiences of other children locked away in in their homes. The book records the challenges that migrant labour faced in India at that time and opens up a conversation with children about inequality and the need for empathy.

Kripa

Book Talk: Somnath Hore: Wounds

Kripa is a Children’s book illustrator based in Mumbai. She took up teaching Art and Design after completing Fine Art from Sir JJ school of Art. She has been an Art educator for over 17 years, ... and worked with institutions like Srishti school of Art design and technology. In most of her books, city and art have been recurring themes as she is working on representing urban realism thus enabling children to view their cities with new perspectives. Kripa’s characters are real people derived from her association with the grassroots. Her art is rooted in her engagement with her city Mumbai, it’s children, people and their problems. Two of her books have featured in the Parag Honour list in 2019 and 2021. Her latest picture book biography on Somnath Hore has won the IPPY award for best interactive book design 2021.

Asma Khan

Book Talk: Ammu: Indian Home Cooking to Nourish Your Soul

Asma Khan is chef and restaurateur of London's acclaimed Darjeeling Express. She stars in Netflix's award-winning series Chef's Table. She has published two cookbooks: Asma's Indian Kitchen and Ammu.... Asma Khan is chef and restaurateur of London's acclaimed Darjeeling Express, which began as a supper club, then a pop-up, before settling in its permanent location to wide acclaim. Asma's food is homage to her royal Mughlai ancestry and the busy streets of Calcutta, where she grew up. An all-women team of housewives runs the kitchen at Darjeeling Express, which has been featured in Time Out, Harper's Bazaar, The Guardian, and numerous others. In 2015, it was named as one of the best restaurants in London by the Evening Standard. In 2017, Eater named it as one of its most impressive restaurant newcomers. Asma stars in Netflix's award-winning series Chef's Table.
Ammu is a collection of recipes from Asma Khan's childhood, her Indian family kitchen. It is a celebration of where she comes from, of home cooking, and the inextricable link between food and love. It is also a chance for Asma to honor her ammu—mother—and to share with us the recipes that made her and rooted her to home. This book is a joyful celebration of memories of food, and its power to heal, restore, and comfort. It includes her ammu's comfort food from childhood, the recipes with which she was taught to cook, celebratory food for special occasions, and slow-cooked recipes passed through the generations of her family.

Vikas Khanna

Book Talk: Sacred Foods of India

Vikas Khanna was raised in Amritsar, India where he grew up surrounded by large family feasts, the seasonal produce fresh from the fields of Punjab, and of course, his Grandmother’s traditional home cooking. ... It was at his grandmother’s side that he began to learn the intricacies of Indian cuisine.
He started his own banquet and catering business, Lawrence Gardens, at the age of 17. During his graduation from the prestigious Welcomgroup Graduate School of Hotel Administration, Vikas went on to train under renowned chefs of Taj Group of Hotels, Oberois, Leela Group, and many more.
He has studied at the Culinary Institute of America, Cornell University and New York University and the prestigeous Le Cordon Bleu, Paris. He has worked with some of the most honored chefs in America in New York. He has received glowing reviews from the press, his gastronomic peers, and also recognition from the James Beard Foundation.

In conversation with -

Barkha Cardoz

Barkha Cardoz received her culinary training at The Institute of Hotel management in Mumbai, India and worked in the Development department at St. Peter’s Preparatory School in Jersey City, NJ.... With her husband, the late chef Floyd Cardoz, she managed their Bombay Bread Bar in New York City from 2016 – 2019 and oversaw fundraising events for The Young Scientist Foundation, founded in 2011 with Floyd’s $110,000 Top Chef Masters win. Barkha is currently the Managing Member of Cardoz Legacy LLC, where she actively executes ongoing legacy projects including the FC +B&B Collaboration Masala spice line.

Ginger Chih

Book Talk: The Dalai Lama: Leadership and the Power of Compassion

Ginger Chih has been documenting her worldwide life and travels in words and images for over four decades. Ginger holds an MBA from New York University and a PhD from Cambridge University and worked as a management consultant.... At the age of three, her family fled China, settling in Japan, then the United States. Ginger holds an MBA from New York University and a PhD from Cambridge University and worked as a management consultant. As a Buddhist, she found that integrating the teachings of the Dalai Lama into leadership consulting resulted in more harmonious workplace relationships.
Framed with the eye of a photographer, The Dalai Lama: Leader for a Compassionate Humanity crafts an intricate tapestry of the Tibetan diaspora, finely woven through accounts from the Dalai Lama's storied life, the everyday lives of the Tibetan people, and the insights of a leadership coach who has applied the principles of Buddhism in her professional life. Along the way, evocative and moving photographs of the author's decade long journey provide deeper context into the Dalai Lama's organic evolution into a dynamic global leader who has modernized Tibetan culture and shaped a potential humanitarian catastrophe into a thriving, if exiled, community.

Arthy Muthanna Singh & Mamta Nainy

Book Talk: His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 100 Anecdotes

Arthy Muthanna Singh is a children's writer, freelance journalist and editor based in Gurugram. She has authored over thirty books for children and has been helping her mother to conduct the Ooty Literary Festival since 2016. ... Mamta Nainy is a children's writer and editor based in New Delhi. She has authored many books for children, including A Brush with Indian Art which won The Hindu Young World-Goodbooks Award 2019 for Best Book (Non-Fiction).

In conversation with -

Rakesh Kaul

Author of the bestseller The Last Queen of Kashmir. Notably, after a several years hunt, he recovered the Tengapura Durga, the oldest continuously worshipped Durga in the world from the German government for India. ... He served as Co-Chairman of The Arts of Kashmir Exhibition at Asia Society NY. He is a noted speaker and writer on the arts, culture and history of Kashmir. He lives with his wife, Sushma, in New Jersey but ranges across Time and Space. He and Sushma have just returned from a mystical, out of the world, adbhuta experience of Lake Manasoravar and Mount Kailash, Tibet.

Rukmini Vijayakumar

Book Talk: Finding Shiva

Rukmini Vijayakumar, is the artistic director of Raadha Kalpa Dance Company, and the director of Lshva, a creative space for artists in the heart of Bangalore. ... She is the founder of The Raadha Kalpa method an educational system for Bharatanatyam that is based on the idea of neutrality.

In conversation with -

Vasanthi Hariprakash

Vasanthi Hariprakash is an award-winning journalist, radio television personality and media entrepreneur. She is the founder of Pickle Jar that helps institutions and businesses tell their stories via podcasts, web series and curated events. ... Vasanthi's career has taken her through NDTV 24x7 as a special correspondent, All India Radio Akashvani and Radio City 91.1 FM as primetime show host & as documentary anchor for BBC World News' One Square Mile. She is also the host of the popular podcast 'The Dosa King' on Spotify and has been a columnist with the Deccan Herald.
Known for connecting with her audiences and switching between 5 languages with ease, Vasanthi has won accolades that include the Radio Excellence Award for being India's English RJ of the Year in 2007, Rotary Vocational Excellence Award in 2013 as well as the UNFPA-backed Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity in Journalism for the year 2020 for her reportage on women's unheard voices from her deep travels across her state Karnataka for the Assembly Elections.