An Author’s Afternoon on 16th December, 2013 featured Jerry Pinto at Taj Bengal, Kolkata. The event was presented by Shree Cement and organised by Prabha Khaitan Foundation in association with Siyahi and t2.

Jerry Pinto is a writer who lives and works out of Mumbai. He has written and edited several books but his novel Em and the Big Hoom won the Hindu Lit for Life Prize 2012 and has been longlisted for the DSC Prize, the Commonwealth Award, the IMPAC Literary Award in Dublin and shortlisted for the Crossword Award. He is also the author of Helen: The Life and Times of an H Bomb which won the National Award for the Best Book on Cinema in 2006. He also teaches journalism and is a board Member of MelJol, an NGO that works in the area of child rights.

Jerry Pinto spoke about his books, life, childhood, with candour. He was very forthright in saying that his mother had bipolar disorder and his very first book Em and the Big Hoom is about his parents -mother was Em and father was always answering their questions with a hoom sound. This book that he started at the age of 16 finally went to publish at the age of 45. The book on Helen shows his love for Bollywood masala films which he agreed to write at the request of his friend in Penguin.

He has also written story books for children and seemed to get his inspiration from every situation. This session was different as it did not have anyone else chatting with him. His ability to enthral audience with his humour and candour was as engrossing as his books.