Archives: Authors

Prathyush Parasuraman holds a B.A. in Economics and South Asian Studies from University of California, Berkeley. He is passionate about pedagogy, research, policy, film, literature, and economic theory. A cultural critic and journalist, Prathyush has worked as a Film Critic at Film Companion for five years.

Vinitha is an award-winning author and editor who also paints and writes poetry. An ex-journalist and columnist, Vinitha has written over thirty books for children. Her stories are part of CBSE and ICSE curriculum. Her book Ammu and the Sparrows won the Neev Literature Award 2021 and is a part of Parag Honour List, while Jamini Roy’s Unbroken Lines has received much critical acclaim. A scholarship she won at Hedgebrooke’s Writers in Residence Program has led her to write her first not-for-children book—a food memoir.

Manu S. Pillai is the author of the critically acclaimed The Ivory Throne: Chronicles of the House of Travancore (2015), Rebel Sultans: The Deccan from Khilji to Shivaji (2018), The Courtesan, the Mahatma and the Italian Brahmin: Tales from Indian History (2019) and False Allies: India’s Maharajahs in the Age of Ravi Varma (2021). He is a winner of the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar awarded by India’s National Academy of Letters to writers under thirty-five and holds a PhD in history from King’s College London. His essays and writings on history have appeared in publications in the UK and India.

Sobhona Bhattacharjee retired as a teacher from St Edmund’s School, Shillong, where she developed a keen interest in the folk tales of India’s Northeast and beyond and started documenting the oral literature through the people she met in everyday life. Her Khasi Folk Tales was first published in 1979. Although she works extensively on folk tales, her stories are not confined to that. Her first book was Nepali Lokokatha. Her other books are Meghalaya o Mizoram er Lokokatha, Desh Bidesher Lokokotha and an autobiographical sketch of Guwahati, Kichu Smriti Kichu Chobi. All her published works are in Bengali. She is eighty-three years old.

Utsa Bose is a DPhil candidate in History at the University of Oxford. He completed his MPhil in Modern South Asian Studies from Oxford and his BA in English from St Stephen’s College, New Delhi. His publications include the translations of Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay, Rajshekhar Basu, Rabindranath Tagore and Manoranjan Byapari, as well as an original short story published in Indian Literature, the journal of Sahitya Akademi. He lives in Oxford and divides his time between writing, translation and research.

Sobhona Bhattacharjee retired as a teacher from St Edmund’s School, Shillong, where she developed a keen interest in the folk tales of India’s Northeast and beyond and started documenting the oral literature through the people she met in everyday life. Her Khasi Folktales was first published in 1979. Although she works extensively on folk tales, her stories are not confined to that. Her first book was Nepali Lokokatha. Her other books are Meghalaya o Mizoram er Lokokatha, Desh Bidesher Lokokotha and an autobiographical sketch of Guwahati, Kichu Smriti Kichu Chobi. All her published works are in Bengali. She is eighty-three years old.

Mayur Kalbag is a motivational speaker, transformation coach and bestselling author. He is also an artist.

Deepak Jayaraman’s mission is to help individuals with a growth mindset play to their full potential.

Deepak works as a coach and a sounding board to growth-minded leaders on multi-year journeys as a trusted confidant and counsel. He does that by immersing himself in the full context of their lives – professional and personal.

Deepak has been curating the Play to Potential Podcast since 2016, where he has distilled the wisdom of 100+ distinguished guests across disciplines (business, academics, sports, art, politics and more).

Prior to setting up his independent practice in 2016, Deepak has worked across US, UK and India with KPMG Consulting, McKinsey & Co and EgonZehnder. Deepak is an alumnus of IIT Madras, IIM Ahmedabad and London Business School (MBA) and is a certified CEO Coach.

Anand writes poems in English and Kabiri. He translates poetry from many Indian languages and sets them to ragas. He’s a student of dhrupad. As publisher at Navayana, he has worked with a range of writers, translators, artists and poets. He has annotated and edited some of Ambedkar’s key writings, and this has informed his poetry and music. Anand lives in Kabirstan.

Ila Arun is a folk singer, actor, writer–playwright, music composer, lyricist, folk dancer, theatre producer–director.

Anjula Bedi is a writer, editor, actor and translator.