Himanjali Sankar grew up in Kolkata. She studied English Literature at JNU, New Delhi, and taught English at the University of Indianapolis in the US. She has worked with various publishing houses and is currently an editor with Bloomsbury India. Two of her books, The Stupendous Timetelling Superdog and Talking of Muskaan, were shortlisted for the Crossword Award for Children’s Literature. Mrs C Remembers is her first novel for adults.
Hindol Sengupta is a multiple award-winning author of nine books. He is Vice President and Head of Research at India’s national investment promotion agency, Invest India, under the Ministry of Commerce. He is the only Indian to have won the Wilbur Award given by the Religion Communicators Council of America for Being Hindu in 2017. His latest book The Man Who Saved India: Sardar Patel and his idea of India won the Valley of Words Award for Best. Non-fiction Book of the Year in 2019. He is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and a columnist for Aspen Italy. He has been a senior journalist for the Indian editions of Fortune, CNBC, CNN and Bloomberg TV. He is co-founder of Grin Media network which focuses on telling the civilisational story of India for the world.
Isaque Ibrahim Bagwan retired as an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) in May 2009 after serving in Mumbai Police for over thirty-five years. He was awarded the prestigious President’s Police Medal for Gallantry thrice. As per Mumbai Police records, he is the first officer from the force to have killed a criminal in an encounter. He is also the first police officer to shoot at and apprehend a criminal during proceedings in a sessions court in Mumbai.
Bagwan was also praised for his quick thinking and valour, which saved hundreds of lives, by the Pradhan Committee Report that looked into the 26/11 terror attack. He had taken charge of Nariman House during the deadly attack and restricted the terrorists’ movements for over sixteen hours with just twelve men. He also assisted in ensuring the safety of people in the buildings around Nariman House until NSG commandos arrived.
Jai Arjun Singh is a New Delhi-based freelance writer/journalist. He has written for Yahoo! India, Business Standard, The Hindu, The Man, Tehelka, Outlook Traveler, The Sunday Guardian and the Hindustan Times, among other publications. His book about the making of the cult comedy film Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro was published by Harper Collins India in 2010. He has also edited The Popcorn Essayists: What Movies Do to Writers, an anthology of original film-related essays for Tranquebar. He writes a popular blog called Jabberwock. He has contributed a wonderful story “Milky Ways” in the book edited by Jaishree Mishra “Of Mothers and Others”.
Javed Akhtar is a scriptwriter, lyricist and poet, whose lineage can be traced back to seven generations of renowned Urdu writers, poets and freedom fighters. A respected social commentator and activist admired for his secular, liberal and progressive values, Akhtar has written a large number of poems against communalism, social injustice, national integration and for women’s rights. He has received five national awards from the Indian government as well as 15 Filmfare Awards. Akhtar has also been nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the President of India and is a recipient of the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in India. His publications include his first poetry collection Tarskash, which has been translated into English, French and a range of Indian regional languages. According to a recent survey done by a publisher’s organisation, it is the most sold book of verses in the last 60 years in India. His other books Talking Films and Talking Songs are hailed as some of the most definitive works on Indian cinema.
Jeet Thayil (born 13 October 1959) is an Indian poet, novelist and musician. He is the author of four collections: These Errors Are Correct (Tranquebar, 2008), English (2004, Penguin India, Rattapallax Press, New York, 2004), Apocalypso (Ark, 1997) and Gemini (Viking Penguin, 1992). His first novel, Narcopolis, (Faber & Faber, 2012), which won the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, was also shortlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize and the Hindu Literary Prize.
Jeffrey Archer is an English author and politician. He firmly established himself as a literary force with the publication of his first novel, Not A Penny More, Not A Penny Less, in 1975. Years later, Jeffrey continues to defy his critics and delight his fans. He is famous for his novels, short stories and plays. He has written novels for children as well, such as ‘The First Miracle’, ‘By Royal Appointment’ , and so on.
Born in Los Angeles, Jerome Armstrong resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his family, where he practises and teaches yoga and qigong.
His PhD in Conflict Analysis and Resolution is from George Mason University. In the early 2000s, he was one of the first popular political bloggers. He co-authored Crashing the Gate: Grassroots, Netroots and the Rise of People-Powered Politics (2006), and worked in digital media for political campaigns in the United States and internationally for over a decade. He is a co-founder of Vox Media, the leading independent modern media company.
Jerry Pinto is a Mumbai-based Indian writer of poetry, prose and children’s fiction, as well as a journalist. Pinto writes in English, and his works include, Helen: The Life and Times of an H-Bomb (2006) which won the Best Book on Cinema Award at the 54th National Film Awards, Surviving Women (2000) and Asylum and Other Poems (2003). His first novel Em and The Big Hoom was published in 2012. Pinto won the Windham-Campbell prize in 2016 for his fiction. He was awarded with Sahitya Akademi award 2016 for novel Em and The Big Hoom.
Joshua Pollock is a student of Kamlesh D. Patel. After experimenting with various meditative practices, Joshua started practicing Heartfulness in the United States in 2002 and has taught it since 2007. He regularly teaches Heartfulness at universities, corporations, government institutions, and at public seminars. An accomplished violinist, Joshua has performed and taught all over the world. He holds a Bachelor of Musical Arts from Indiana University and two Masters degrees from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. In August of 2015, he was invited by Daaji to co author this book.
Karnal Singh, a 1984-batch IPS officer and an engineer from the Delhi College of Engineering (DCE) and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur, has over 34 years of experience in the investigation of corruption, terrorism, money laundering and criminal cases. In the Delhi Police Special Cell, he spearheaded the investigation of the 2008 Delhi blast cases, which led to the Batla House encounter. He is a recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service and Police Medal for Meritorious Service.
Kavita Devgan is an acclaimed nutritionist with twenty years of experience as a weight loss and holistic health consultant. She offers practical, customized programmes that deliver weight loss the right way, through modification of habits, to ensure long-term results. She is also a popular journalist and health columnist and has been writing regularly for premier media groups. While she is an excellent counsellor, her heart lies in propagating right information through her writing. A prolific and feted speaker, Kavita has been giving lectures and conducting workshops about the right way of eating and new research-based health trends for a long time now. Previously, she has published Don’t Diet! 50 Habits of Thin People.