Archives: Authors

C.G. Salamander is a writer and comic journalist who loves cows, manga and Terry Prachett. His books, comics and stories have been published by many publishers and his emergent reader picture books have sold over 30,000 copies. Salamander loves writing horror, humour and fantasy and is currently working
on a book about mythical beasts. Some of his other books are Puu, Yamini and the 7 PM Ghosts, Frank Goes to the Market and City of Rubble.

Arjun Talwar is a writer, director and cinematographer, born in Bombay. He studied at the Polish National Film School, which he graduated in 2015. His short and feature-length films have found international acclaim. The people and places in this book are inspired by the India of his childhood.

Sudipta Sarangi is the department head and professor of economics at Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). Prior to joining Virginia Tech, he has been a distinguished professor of business administration at Louisiana State University and a programme director at the National Science Foundation. His research interests range from network theory to experimental and behavioural economics.

Established in 1969, World Wide Fund for Nature-India (WWF India) is one of the country’s largest and most respected conservation organizations. WWF India is a part of the WWF International network, which has a presence in over 100 countries across our planet. Historically, WWF India started as a wildlife conservation organization with a focus on protecting particular species of wild flora and fauna. Over the years, however, its perspective has broadened to reflect a more holistic understanding of the conservation issues that the country faces today, such as the survival of species and habitats, climate change, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable business practices and environmental education. An initiative of WWF India and TRAFFIC India, Wild Wisdom is India’s only international-level wildlife quiz.

Pandey Kapil (1930-2017) was a doyen of Bhojpuri literature, best remembered as the long-serving visionary editor of Bhojpuri Sammelan Patrika and the founder of Akhil Bharatiya Bhojouri Sahitya Sammelan (est.1973). To promote young authors, he established his own publication house, Bhojpuri Sansthan (est.1970), which brought out some of the best writings in Bhojpuri. Phoolsunghi is his finest work, and perhaps, of Bhojpuri literature too.

Sivadasa (Author)
There are no biographical details available for Sivadasa, the author of The Five-and-Twenty Tales of the Genie. From a careful reading of the text, however, we can glean the following facts: Sivadasa was a man of great learning, even erudition; he wrote primarily for a certain type of reader-the gallants,well-educated, cultivated men-about-town with a keen interest in the fine arts and beautiful women, Sivadasa’s text is often humorous; he is gently critical and takes a shot at pomposity, pretentiousness and sanctimonious hypocrisy. He poses problems that tease the reader into thought, making his work more than just a retelling of an ancient body of tales.

Deepa Agarwal (Translator)
Author, poet and translator, Deepa Agarwal writes for both children and adults and has over fifty books published. A frequent contributor to magazines and journals in India and abroad, she has edited and compiled several anthologies. She has won many prestigious awards, including the NCERT National Award for Children’s Literature in 1993. Her book Caravan to Tibet was on the IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) Honour List 2008. Her work has been translated into several Indian and foreign languages, and five of her books have been included in the White Raven catalogue of the International Youth Library, Munich. As a resource person for Scholastic India and National Book Trust India, among other organizations, she conducts creative-writing workshops and storytelling sessions in schools.

Gita Aravamudan is an award-winning author and journalist from Bengaluru. She started her journalistic career at Hindustan Times, New Delhi, at a time when there were very few women in journalism. She has also worked with and written for the Indian Express, India Today, Sunday, Filmfare, Femina, the Illustrated Weekly of India, the Week, Society, The Hindu, the Times of India, Deccan Herald, Sunday Mid-day and a number of other national and regional publications. Her books include non-fiction (Disappearing Daughters: The Tragedy of Female Foeticide, Unbound: Indian Women @Work and Voices in My Blood) as well as the fiction narratives The Healing and, more recently, Colour of Gold.

Maneka Gandhi was born on 26 August 1956 and was educated at Lawrence School, Sanawar. She was a magazine editor and columnist before she embarked on a career in politics. She was elected to Parliament in November 1989 and was later appointed Minister of State for Environment and Forests, a post she held till June 1991.
Maneka Gandhi has written three books, Sanjay Gandhi, Brahma’s Hair (a book on the mythology of Indian plants) and Boulababa. Her special interests include Indian mythology, animal welfare (she is the Managing Trustee of the Ruth Cowell Foundation, which runs the Sanjay Gandhi Animal Welfare Centre, India’s largest animal hospital and shelter) and issues related to environmental conservation.
She lives in Delhi with her son, Feroze Varun.