Archives: Authors

Shandana Minhas is an award-winning Pakistani writer from Karachi who now lives in London. Her work has been featured in literary magazines and newspapers internationally, been adapted for stage and screen, and translated into Italian and Estonian. She is the author of the novels Tunnel Vision, Survival Tips for Lunatics, Daddy’s Boy and Rafina.

Maithree Wickramasinghe is a Sri Lankan academic who has written and spoken widely on gender equality and feminism. She is Chair and Senior Professor of English at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, and founding Director of the Centre for Gender Studies. She’s also a Visiting Professor at the University of Sussex and an Honorary Professor at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. With over thirty years of experience, she’s an expert in gender equity and equality policies, training, and programme evaluation for organisations like the ILO, UNFPA, and UNESCO. She is the author of From Theory to Action – Women, Gender and Development and was an Associate Editor of the Wiley Blackwell Encyclopaedia on Gender and Sexuality Studies. Other work includes an influential training module, An Introduction to Gender Mainstreaming Universities. Wickramasinghe is a Champion for the Commonwealth Secretariat’s ‘Say No More Campaign’ and serves on various university boards, including the Asian University for Women in Bangladesh.

Gnanvatsaldas Swami is a distinguished Life Coach and Eminent Speaker from the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS). After graduating as a mechanical engineer from BVM College of Engineering, Gujarat, India, he embarked on a spiritual journey under the guidance of His Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, formal leader of BAPS and sixth spiritual successor of Bhagwan Swaminarayan.
His magnetic presence and eloquent oratory have sparked positive transformations worldwide. With over three decades of experience and more than 15,500 life-enhancement talks delivered, Gnanvatsaldas Swami’s influence extends beyond borders, having interacted with millions in over 32 countries. Recognized for his dedication, he has received two honorary Doctor of Literature degrees and the prestigious ‘Suryaratna—The Saint of Modern India’ award.

At twenty-seven, Aditya Arora has been recognized as a successful young entrepreneur and achiever by various national and international platforms. He has been invited to speak at 200-plus institutions globally and has won many prestigious awards for his work. Some of them include the Parliamentary Award, the Duke of Edinburgh International Award and the REX Karmaveer Chakra by the United Nations. Some of his successful campaigns include Education Yatra, Entrepreneurship Mindset Curriculum (Government of Delhi) and Atal Innovation Mission—NITI Aayog. He is also an active content creator, known as the ‘Faad guy’, with over 3.5 lakh followers across social media platforms. Currently, he is the CEO at Faad Capital (SEBI-registered CAT-1 fund of $40 million) and an angel investor in more than twenty startups. Till date, Faad has invested in over 115 startups and was recently featured in
the Economic Times’ Fastest Growing Investment Firms in India, Inc42’s Top 10 Active Investors of 2024 and among the top fifteen startup investors in the country.

Surya Pasricha is the founder of BaatCheet Media, where he blends storytelling and technology to build impactful brands. He has led campaigns for names like SBI Foundation and Youth for India and has also worked with top agencies such as Rediffusion and Magnon TBWA, handling brands such as Valvoline, Daikin and WaterAid. A passionate researcher, he won the Best Paper Award for his study on whistle-blowing intentions among Indian nurses. At twenty, he was one of the youngest Indians selected for the prestigious MIT Bootcamps. Surya also hosts the Discussions Delivered podcast, featuring thirty-plus global leaders—from the principal economist of the Government of New Zealand to TEDx speakers and Forbes 30 Under 30 honorees—reaching listeners in fifteen countries. With more than 7 million views on LinkedIn, his interests span advertising, observational storytelling, bingeing on world news and startup stories and public speaking. He has delivered keynotes at Delhi University, University of Mumbai and other forums. He is also the man behind the viral Zomato cover letter that caught nationwide attention, and his work has been featured in prominent digital forums covering marketing, media and advertising.

Surya Pasricha is the founder of BaatCheet Media where he builds brands through the power of storytelling and conversations. An ardent research enthusiast, at 20, he was one of the youngest people from India to be selected forthe prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology Bootcamps.

Susham Bedi has left an indelible mark on Hindi literature with her nine novels, numerous short story collections, and poetry. Her writings, which often delve into the lives of Indian diaspora communities, have been translated into English, Urdu, French, and Dutch. She was honoured with prestigious awards from the Uttar Pradesh Hindi Sansthan (2007) and the Sahitya Academy in Delhi (2006). She also shared her knowledge and passion for Hindi language and literature as a teacher at Columbia University. Her academic journey, which began at Delhi University and culminated in a PhD from Punjab University, focused on Hindi language drama.  She also served as the Editor of Vishvā, a quarterly journal published by the International Hindi Association.

Astri Ghosh is a translator, writer, actor and teacher. Growing up in New Delhi with a Norwegian mother and an Indian father, Ghosh developed a deep understanding of both Indian and Norwegian cultures from an early age. This has enabled her to effectively bridge cultural gaps in her translations. She translates into Hindi, English, and Norwegian. She has translated works by Jon Fosse, Henrik Ibsen, Qurratulain Hyder, Rabindranath Tagore, Guru Nanak, Lars Saabye Christensen, and Per Petterson. Astri has also translated a collection of hymns from Sikh scriptures to Norwegian in Sanger fra Adi Granth. She has acted in two films.

J.N. Sinha, PhD, has taught history at the University of Delhi, New Delhi, and has researched, published and presented extensively in India and abroad. He is active on different media platforms, addressing aspects of history, science and culture. For the popular audience, he writes about the lesser- known facts of history and reflective memoirs on nature, culture, and on the ordinary and the mundane.

T. Keditsu is a poet, indigenous feminist, educator, and passionate advocate for Indigenous knowledge. As a mother, she strives to amplify Indigenous voices in children’s literature, ensuring young readers see diversity reflected in books. When she’s not writing, she fashions sartorial stories as her Instagram avatar @mekhalamama.