Renuka Narayanan writes on religion and culture. She was the Arts Editor of the Indian Express, where she also wrote a column on religion for the editorial page. She was editor, Religion & Culture, Hindustan Times and the start-up director of the Indian Cultural Centre, Embassy of India, Bangkok.
Her published books include The Book of Prayer, Faith: Filling the God-sized Hole, The Little Book of Indian Wisdom and The Path of Light-Tales from the Upanishads, Jatakas and Indic Lore. She lives in Delhi.
Anita Nair is the author of seven books for children.
Her books for adults include eleven works of fiction, a collection of poems titled Malabar Mind, and a collection of essays titled Goodnight and God Bless. She has also translated into English T.S. Pillai’s Malayalam cult classic Chemmeen and edited a book of writings on Kerala titled Where the Rain Is Born.
Anita Nair has also written two plays and the screenplay for the movie adaptation of her novel Lessons in Forgetting, which won the National Film Award in 2013. Among other awards, she was also given the Central Sahitya Akademi Award and the Crossword Prize. Her books have been translated into over thirty-three languages around the world. Her writing is included in both school and university syllabi. She is the founder of the creative writing mentorship program, Anita’s Attic, and is a High-Profile Supporter of the UNHCR.
Anita’s last book for children, Bipathu and a Very Big Dream, has been shortlisted for numerous children’s fiction prizes.
Arun Sinha was born in 1953 in Patna and studied engineering at Patna University. He started his career in journalism with reports from Bihar fo rthe Economic and Political Weekly and went on to work for the Indain Express ( 1979-85) and the Times of India, Bihar edition. in Patna (1985-87), and the Free Press Journal in Mumbai ( 1990- 92). In 1980 his expose of the Bhagalpur blindings proved a turning point in investigative journalism in India. In 1983 he became the first fellow of the Reuters Foundation from India to research at Oxford University for his first book, Against the Few: Struggles of India’s Rural Poor. He was assistant director to the well- known film – maker Shyam Benegal for his acclaimed television series Bharat Ek Khoj, from 1986 to 1990. He is currently editor of the Navhind Times, Panaji, Goa, which he joined in 1993. He has published a novel, The Hedonist Empire, and acritical portrait of post- Liberation Goa, Goa Indica. His scholarly articles are part of several anthologies.
IKRAMULLAH ( CHAUDHARY) was born in 1939 in Jandiala, A small village in the Nawan Shehr district of Jhalandhar in India. He finished high school in Amritsar. After Partition his family moved to Multan where he did his BA in 1953 and two years later took a law degree from University Law College at Lahore. He has been writing fiction since 1962 and published several collections of short stories and novellas, one of which, Gurg-e Shab( Nocturnal Wolf), was banned soon after its publication in 1978. More recently, he has published a novel, Saa’e Ki Awaaz ( The Shadow Speaks ).
Rujuta Diwekar is one of India’s top dieticians and fitness trainers. In addition to Bollywood’s fittest, she has also worked with Anil Ambani, training him for the Mumbai Marathon. Winner of the Best Personal Trainer Award 2005, Rujuta is an expert in nutrition, sports science and yoga.
The sections have been written by the authors Shashi Tharoor, Nayantara Sahgal, R. Kannan, Badri Narayan, N.P. Ullekh, Vinay Sitapati, Arun Sinha, Sanjaya Baru, Shutapa Paul and Ajoy Bose.
Soma Das has been a business journalist for over a decade with publications like the Economic Times and the Financial Express. Pharmaceuticals’is one of her areas of specialization. Before entering journalism, she worked as a lecturer in Delhi University and also authored a bestselling work of fiction.
Teresa Rehman is an award-winning journalist based in north-east India. She worked for India Today, the Telegraph and Tehelka before she began editing the Thumb Print. Recipient of the WASH Media Awards 2009-2010, she had received the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award for two consecutive years (2008-09 and 2009-10) for the category ‘Reporting on J & K and the Northeast (Print)’. Her other honours include Laadli Media Award for Gender Sensitivity 2011, Sanskriti Award 2009 for Excellence in Journalism and the Seventh Sarojini Naidu Prize 2007 for Best Reporting on Panchayati Raj by The Hunger Project. She was also featured in the Power List of Femina magazine in 2012. Her first book is called The Mothers of Manipur.
PRAGYA BHATT was born in New Delhi and grew up around the world with her parents who were in the Indian Foreign Service. After completing her schooling from various international schools, she went on to pursue a BTech in computer engineering. Pragya worked as a software engineer with companies such as Infosys and Accenture for eight years before finally hanging up her business suit.
After receiving her Yoga Instructors’ Certification from SVYASA (Swamy Vivekananda Yoga Anusudhana Samsthana), she continues to deepen her practice under the guidance of noted teachers. She conducts group and private classes, international trainings and retreats. Her teachings are also available online at www.yogawithpragya.com.
Pragya Bhatt lives in Bangalore, India. A quintessential Third Culture Kid, she has a keen interest in art, culture, literature and travel. This is her first book.
JOEL KOECHLIN was born in France but has spent most of his life in India. Educated in photography at Switzerland’s prestigious École Supérieure d’Arts Appliqués–the Advanced School of Applied Arts-he has fostered an unwavering passion for the craft over several decades. He began his career as a professional photographer in advertising agencies in Paris, France, and has continued as a freelance photographer in India, from Bangalore to the high Himalayas. He has covered a variety of subjects, extending from architectural and corporate photography to adventure and travel articles for magazines. He is a pilot, a motorcycle enthusiast, a mountain lover and a freelance author, prompt to embrace all aspects of life, in a perpetual quest for personal development and progress. His wife is Indian and he has two children. His work is accessible online at www.lumieres-india.com.
RAMACHANDRA GUHA was born and raised in the Himalayan foothills. He studied in Delhi and Kolkata, and has lived for many years in Bengaluru. His many books include a pioneering environmental history, The Unquiet Woods; a landmark history of his country, India after Gandhi; and an authoritative biography of Mahatma Gandhi, both volumes of which were chosen by the New York Times as a Notable Book of the Year. Having previously taught at Oslo, Stanford and the London School of Economics, he is currently Distinguished University Professor at Krea University. Guha’s awards include the Leopold-Hidy Prize of the American Society of Environmental History, the Howard Milton Award of the British Society for Sports History, and the Fukuoka Prize for contributions to Asian culture. He is the recipient of an honorary doctorate in the humanities from Yale University.
