As a writer, a significant part of oneself is reflected in one’s book. With growth, certain reactions become ingrained, influenced by teachings and experiences from the earliest stages of life. This ongoing process, extending from the prenatal stage to the present, shapes us. However, a pivotal moment arrives when introspection compels us to question if our actions genuinely define our essence. Samantha Kochharr reached this juncture after her father’s passing.
Gracing the occasion of An Author’s Afternoon, a venerable initiative of Prabha Khaitan Foundation, author Satyarth Nayak spoke extensively on the route he embarked upon towards writing. The engaging conversation, moderated by Isha Gupta Vaish, Ehsaas Woman of Mussoorie, allowed the audience to understand how and why Nayak has come to be a literary force to be reckoned with.
Born in India and raised in Bristol, Vidhie Mukherjea is the daughter of erstwhile media power couple, Indrani and Peter Mukherjea, embroiled in a 2015-murder case in which both were accused of killing Indrani's daughter from her previous marriage, Sheena Bora. Vidhie pours her heart out in her recently released book, Devil’s Daughter, a personal reflection of one of the most harrowing experiences one could possibly encounter. It’s the story of that 18-year old girl caught in a cruel twist of reality that was both permanent and without warning, and her journey towards overcoming the blame and shame cast upon her. Vidhie wandered the globe in a bid to escape these surreal circumstances, backed by the unrelenting friendships of anxiety and depression. It was a journey that would lead to a profound appreciation for the beauty this world has to offer, even in the face of an ugliness no one should ever know.
The author of Savarkar: The True Story of the Father of Hindutva, Bal Thackeray and the Rise of the Shiv Sena and Sachin Tendulkar: A Definitive Biography.
Vani Tripathi Tikoo, an Actor and a producer by profession is one of the youngest ever member of the Central Board of Film certification popularly known as “censor board”. She’s been a socio-political activist and her campaigns and outreach programmes have focused on encouraging women’s participation in politics and bringing the youth to a universal platform that addresses issues including education, empowerment and employment. She has been closely involved in theatre, films and television, having worked in projects in India as well as abroad. As an actor, she has about 50 plays, 40-odd TV serials and six films to her credit. She currently writes on issues related to broadcasting and content creation and was a part of the Core steering committee for the International Film festival of India,goa(IFFI) since the past four years.
Tanya Mendonsa was educated at Loreto school and college in Calcutta. After spending twenty years in Paris, studying French literature at the Sorbonne, painting and running a language school, she returned to India, a story told in her memoir The Book of Joshua. Her first collection of poetry, The Dreaming House, ranged effortlessly in theme, maintaining a startling clarity of vision and language. Her poems have been widely anthologized. She currently lives in the blue mountains of the Nilgiris with the abstract painter Antonio E Costa.
Raised in Calcutta, Tony studied at St. Xavier’s Collegiate school and college. He is passionate about theatre, radio and public communication having won numerous awards at international speech contests. After an impressive stint at Star India’s Radio City when India got its first private FM station he began his rewarding ten years and one day run with Red Fm. As station director, his Bangalore station won two Golds at IRF Excellence in Radio Awards and another Gold at the NYF International Radio Awards. Tony is now a Senior Director with The WPP Group, world leader in advertising, marketing and communication services. He is an alumnus of Alliance Business Academy and IIM Bangalore. Tony is a sought-after public communicator, and Toastmasters International has awarded him with the Advance Communicator Gold certification. Tony lives in Bangalore with his wife and two children.
Bangalore-based historian Vikram Sampath is the author of three acclaimed works of non-fiction “Splendours of Royal Mysore: the untold story of the Wodeyars”, “My name is Gauhar Jaan!- the life and times of a musician” and “Voice of the Veena: S Balachander, a biography”. His book on Gauhar Jaan won him several laurels including the Sahitya Akademi’s first Yuva Puraskar for English Literature and the ARSC International Award for Excellence in Historical Research in New York. Vikram is a visiting Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg in Berlin and the University of Queensland, Australia. He served the Government of India’s Ministry of Culture as Executive Director of the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), Southern Regional Centre and is currently the Director of the Symbiosis School of Media and Communication (SSMC) Bangalore. He is the Founder of the country’s first online digital repository for vintage gramophone records of the country called Archive of Indian Music (AIM) and is the Director of the Bangalore Literature Festival (BLF). He serves on several Government Committees like the Karnataka Knowledge Commission, Karnataka Tourism Vision Group and the Prasar Bharati Archives Core group. Vikram was among the 4 Artists and Writers selected by the President of India for an In-Residence Programme at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in March 2015. A trained Carnatic vocalist under several eminent Gurus, he writes regularly for newspapers and magazines on a wide variety of subjects.
Poet, editor, music and cinema aficionado, Yatindra Mishra has four collections of Hindi poetry to his credit- Yada-Kada, Ayodhya Tatha Anya Kavitayein, Dyorhi Par Aalaap and Vibhas. He has also written about the life and work of thumri singer Girija Devi, danseuse Sonal Mansingh and shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan. Translation of his writing Girija, Ayodhya series of poems, Vibhas, Yaar Julahey & Meelon Se Din have been well received.
Zac O’Yeah is the Indo-Swedish author of popular comic thrillers Once Upon a Time in Scandinavistan (2010) and Mr. Majestic! (2013) and eleven other books, and he has been translated into several languages. He worked in the theatre and music business in Sweden until he retired early, at 25, to come to India. His books range from bestselling detective fiction to history and travelogue, and he has also translated Indian literature into Swedish. As a veteran travel writer, he is a frequent contributor to National Geographic Traveller magazine, and also a columnist with The Hindu BusinessLine and an influential literary critic.