Archives: Authors

Himanjali Sankar grew up in Kolkata. She completed her Masters and MPhil in English Literature from JNU, New Delhi. She has taught English to undergraduate students and been an editor with various publishing houses. She is the author of acclaimed novels like Talking of Muskaan and Mrs C Remembers.

Priya Kuriyan is an independent animation film maker and illustrator based in Delhi. She has directed educational films for the Sesame Street show (Galli Galli Sim Sim) and has also codirected a short animation film for the CFSI. Over the past five years, she has also been illustrating for a number of children’s books and comics.

Like most middle class boys, Balaji Venkataramanan completed his engineering, joined the IT bandwagon, went onsite and started paying EMI’s. Then the bubble burst and FlatTrack Bullies happened. A native of Chennai, he’s mighty proud that he comes from the land of idlisambar, Rajinikanth and the CSK.

Ma Anand Sheela, or Sheela Birnstiel, managed the Rajneesh commune and the city of Rajneeshpuram in Wasco County, Oregon, USA. She was the personal secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from 1980 to 1985. More recently, she regained her spot in the limelight because of the Netflix series Wild Wild Country. Ma Anand Sheela has founded beautiful care homes for underprivileged young and old persons. Her care is based on love, respect and dignity. She manages two care homes in Switzerland and Mauritius.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was one of India’s most distinguished scientists, responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle and the operationalization of strategic missiles. He was also the President of India between 2002 and 2007.

A.P.J. Abdul Kalam was one of India’s most distinguished scientists, responsible for the development of India’s first satellite launch vehicle and the operationalization of strategic missiles. He was also the President of India between 2002 and 2007.

Sathya Saran is one of India’s leading journalists, and best known for her stint as editor of the popular women’s magazine, Femina. Apart from short stories and a series of biographies on cinema and music greats, she has written extensively on issues concerning women. She has won a number of awards for her contribution to journalism. She lives in Mumbai with her family and dogs.

Khushwant Singh was born in 1915 in Hadali, Punjab. Today he is
India’s best-known columnist and journalist. Among the works he
has published are a classic two-volume history of the Sikhs, several
novels (the best known of which are Delhi, Train to Pakistan and
The Company of Women) and a number of translated works and
non-fiction books on Delhi, nature and current affairs. His
autobiography, Truth, Love and a Little Malice was published in
2002.

Bhisham Sahni was born in 1915 in Rawalpindi (now in Pakistan).
His first collection of short stories, Bhagya Rekha (Line of Fate)
was published in 1953. Since then he has published five novels,
eight collections of short stories, three plays and a biography of his
late brother, the actor and writer Balraj Sahni. Many of his books
have been translated into various languages. His most famous novel,
Tamas, was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1975.

Saadat Hasan Manto widely regarded as the world’s greatest short
story writer in Urdu was born on 11 May 1912 at Samrala in
Punjab’s Ludhiana district. In a literary, journalistic, radio-scripting
and film-writing career spread over more than two decades, he
produced around 250 stories, scores of plays and a large number
of essays, many of them, controversial. He was tried for obscenity
half a dozen times, thrice before and thrice after Independence. Two
of his greatest stories—‘Colder than Ice’ and ‘The Return’—were
among works considered ‘obscene’ by the Pakistani censors. He
also wrote over a dozen films, including Eight Days, Chal Chal Re
Naujawan and Mirza Ghalib. The last one was shot after Manto
moved to Pakistan in January 1948. Manto’s greatest work was
produced in the last seven years of his life, a time of great financial
and emotional hardship for him. He died several months short of
his forty-third birthday in January 1955 in Lahore.