Archives: Authors

R. Narayanan began his career in well-established companies-Coca Cola and Nestle-followed by considerable experience in the advertising business. Thereafter, the entrepreneurship bug bit him. Since the 1980s, Naru has been deeply involved with start-ups. He founded and ran a company to make and market Big Fun, a chewing gum product. His next venture was to create a machine/business system to dispense dosa, just like a hamburger, an offering that he branded as Dosa King. After sequentially exiting the two start-ups where he learnt many lessons, he became a passionate participant in angel investing and mentoring.

Shiv Aroor is executive editor and anchor with India Today TV and has covered the Indian military for nearly two decades. He has reported from conflict zones that include Kashmir, India’s North-east, Sri Lanka and Libya. For the latter, he won two awards for war reporting. Shiv also runs the popular award-winning military news and analysis site Livefist, on which he frequently tells the stories of India’s military heroes.

Rahul Singh is a senior associate editor with Hindustan Times and has covered defence and military affairs for over two decades. Apart from extensive and deep reporting from the world of Indian military, including several newsbreaks that have set the national news agenda over the years, Rahul has reported from conflict zones including Kashmir, India’s North-east and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first story on the ongoing India-China border conflict appeared under his byline in 2020.

Vishal Bhardwaj is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards in four categories, among many others.

Vaasanthi is a well-known writer, journalist and columnist. She has been editor of the Tamil edition of India Today, and has contributed to leading English publications, including the Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan Herald, the Week and Open. She is the author of Cut-Outs, Caste and Cine Stars: The World of Tamil Politics.
Over a career spanning forty years, Vaasanthi has published thirty novels, six short-story collections, four volumes of journalistic articles and four travelogues in Tamil. Her novels have been translated into a number of languages and adapted into cinema. She is the recipient of the Uttar Pradesh Sahitya Sanstan Award and the Punjab Sahitya Akademi Award.

Vijay Kelkar served the Government of India as petroleum secretary, finance secretary and chairman of the Thirteenth Finance Commission of India. He also served as director of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and as executive director of the International Monetary Fund. In 2011, the President of India conferred the Padma Vibhushan upon him. He has a master’s from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Ajay Shah has worked at the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, the Indira Gandhi Institute for Development Research and the Ministry of Finance. He is a professor at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). His areas of research include economics, law and public administration. He has a BTech in aeronautical engineering from IIT, Bombay, and a PhD in economics from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles.

Vijay Kelkar served the Government of India as petroleum secretary, finance secretary and chairman of the Thirteenth Finance Commission of India. He also served as director of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and as executive director of the International Monetary Fund. In 2011, the President of India conferred the Padma Vibhushan upon him. He has a master’s from the University of Minnesota and a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.

Namita Gokhale is one of India’s best known and most loved authors. A prominent writer, festival director, and literary activist, she is the author of twenty three works of fiction and non-fiction. Her pioneering work has earned her great acclaim over the last few decades.
The cult classic Paro: Dreams of Passion, first published in 1984, is a satire on the elite of Bombay and Delhi which created a furore due to its frank sexual humour. It has remained in print and been read and appreciated by successive generations over the last four decades. The new double edition Double Bill: Priya and Paro brings together Paro and Priya: Take Two in one classic volume.
Gokhale later battled illness and personal loss to write memorable works including the Himalayan trilogy, which began with The Book of Shadows, includes A Himalayan Love Story, and continues with Things to Leave Behind, which brings to life the mixed legacy of the British Indian past and chronicles Nainital’s reluctant entry into modern India.
Things to Leave Behind was awarded the Sahitya Akademi award for 2021 . It also won the the Best Fiction(English) Jury Award at the Valley of Words International Literature Festival 2017, the Sushila Devi Literary Award 2018 and was on the long list for the 2018 Dublin Literary Award.
Gokhale is has also worked extensively with Indian myth through The Book of Shiva, an introduction to Shaivite philosophy. The Puffin Mahabharata is an illustrated retelling of the Indian epic for young readers. Lost in Time: Ghatotkacha and the Game of Illusions, also for young readers, examines a rare friendship, as well as the abiding puzzles of the past.

The Goddess Trilogy includes the pathbreaking anthologies In Search of Sita – Revisiting Mythology, Finding Radha , The Quest for Love , and The Treasures of Lakshmi – The Goddess Who Gives (co-edited with Dr. Malashri Lal. )
Gokhale’s recent fiction includes the evocative Jaipur Journals , set against the backdrop of the vibrant Jaipur Literature Festival, and The Blind Matriarch which follows an extended Indian joint family through the travails of the pandemic.
Gokhale has a passionate commitment to showcasing Indian writing . She is co-founder and co-director of the internationally renowned Jaipur Literature Festival and also helps curate its diverse international editions. She has conceived and curated Kitaabnama, India’s only multi-lingual book show for the national broadcaster Doordarshan. She has twice chaired the Dylan Thomas Prize . She is passionately committed to cross cultural dialogue and to showcasing writing across the spectrum of South Asian languages.
Namita Gokhale was conferred the Centenary National Award for Literature by the Asam Sahitya Sabha in Guwahati in 2017 “for her literary contributions as well as her service to the nation in supporting and showcasing literary talents and creating a literary environment in the country”.

Devang Singh was blessed with an agile understanding of light which inspired him to leave his history degree aside to become a photographer, director and producer-a profession that has both yielded content for brands worldwide and near life-ending altercations with elephants.