LITERATURE.

DISRUPTED.

What happens when literature refuses to stay on the page?

It crosses languages, generations and ideas, where different worlds meet, perspectives collide and new questions begin.

That’s where literature gets disrupted.

Sakal Literature Festival

12–15 NOVEMBER 2026 · BHANDARKAR ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), PUNE

Days
Hours
Minutes

Sakal Literature Festival

12–15 NOVEMBER 2026 · BHANDARKAR ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE, and Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), PUNE

Days
Hours
Minutes
SESSIONS
0 +
Languages
0
Stages
0
Days
0

मंथन / LITERARY HERITAGE

DISRUPTION IN LITERATURE IS NOT NEW TO MAHARASHTRA AND PUNE

SANT DNYANESHWAR

The Dnyaneshwari | 13th Century
Translated the wisdom of the Bhagavad Gita from Sanskrit into Marathi, making sacred knowledge accessible to ordinary people.

SANT TUKARAM

The Abhangas | 17th Century
Took spirituality beyond temple walls through verses sung in the language of the people, challenging hierarchy and exclusion

Two saints, one conviction: wisdom belongs to everyone.

Seven hundred years later, that conviction is why this festival exists.

In 1932, Sakal carried that conviction into print, putting news before opinion and the reader before the party.
वक्ते / Speakers

Arup Kumar Dutta

Arup Kumar Dutta

Jasreen Mayal Khanna

Jasreen Mayal Khanna

K. Hari Kumar

K. Hari Kumar

Vasudhendra

Vasudhendra Shroff

Koral Dasgupta

Koral Dasgupta

Neil D'Silva

Neil D'Silva

Rachita Tandon

Rachita Tandon

Rahul Singh

Rahul Singh

Stanly Johny

Stanly Johny

Stuti Changle

Stuti Changle

S. Muralidhar

S. Muralidhar

कार्यक्रम / PROGRAMME

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN DIFFERENT IDEAS SHARE A STAGE?

Poetry meets protest.

Tradition meets technology.
Caste meets reform.
Marathi meets the world.
AI meets the human voice.
And sometimes, an opinion meets its opposite.

Across 110+ sessions, literature leaves its usual corners and enters conversations about the world we live in.

12th November, 2026 | Thursday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

10:30 – 11:50

Opening: Saraswati Vandana Inauguration Ceremony

12:00 – 12:50

Keynote

Banu Mushtaq

01:00 – 01:50

Politically Queer, Queerly Political

Anish Gawande, R. Raj Rao, Shyam Connur in conversation with Deepa D

01:00 – 01:50

A World at War: Where Does India Stand?

Stanly Johny in conversation with Sushrut Kulkarni

01:00 – 01:50

संतसाहित्य आणि लोकसाहित्य यांतील विद्रोह

डॉ.अरुणा ढेरे
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

02:00 – 02:50

Can One Page a Day Change Your Life?

Pamela Puja Kirpalani in conversation with Rita Date

02:00 – 02:50

लोकभाषा, ज्ञानभाषा ते मनोरंजनाची भाषा

डॉ. गो. बं. देगलूरकर, मुकुंद कुळे, अभय टिळक, संवादक : मिलिंद जोशी
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

03:00 – 03:50

How a Story Survives

Nilesh Oak, Deepali Patwadkar, Gauri Moghe in conversation with Mitra Desai

03:00 – 03:50

Maratha History Panel

Medha Bhaskaran Deshmukh in conversation with Vinita Deshmukh

03:00 – 03:50

Abhay Bang

03:00 – 03:50

विषय : जेन झी च्या काळात संतसाहित्याची गरज (आहे का?)

अभय टिळक, रूपाली शिंदे, मुकुंद दातार, संवादक : सचिन पवार
मराठी

04:00 – 06:30

Living Songs of a Scattered People: Shah, Sachal and Sami

Saaz Agarwaal and Girish Sadhwani

04:00 – 04:50

D.D. Kosambi: One Life, Many Worlds

Ramakrishna Ramaswamy in conversation with Dr. Pavan Kumar

05:00 – 05:50

Don't Read This After Dark: Why India Can't Stop Reading Horror

K. Hari Kumar, Neil D’Silva, Jay Alani Moderated by Mayur Didolkar

06:00 – 06:50

Nietzsche Read the Manusmriti. Dr. Ambedkar Burned It

S Anand in conversation with Ankit Kawade (online) and Dr. Deepti Gangawane

04:00 – 04:50

Marathi Rap

Sujay Jadhav
मराठी

05:00 – 06:30

हे मनुष्या

संदीप वासलेकर, मकरंद देशपांडे, अरुण शेवते
मराठी

07:00 – 10:00

Maitra Jivanche

Salil Kulkarni, Mangeshkar
मराठी
Ticketed

07:00 – 08:30

सीता की बेटी

लेखन, दिग्दर्शन – शिल्पा बल्लाळ
हिन्दी with इंग्लिश सबटायटल्स

12th November, 2026 | Thursday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

10:30 – 11:50

Opening: Saraswati Vandana Inauguration Ceremony

12:00 – 12:50

Keynote

Banu Mushtaq

01:00 – 01:50

Politically Queer, Queerly Political

Anish Gawande, R. Raj Rao, Shyam Connur in conversation with Deepa D

01:00 – 01:50

A World at War: Where Does India Stand?

Stanly Johny in conversation with Sushrut Kulkarni

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

02:00 – 02:50

Can One Page a Day Change Your Life?

Pamela Puja Kirpalani in conversation with Rita Date

03:00 – 03:50

How a Story Survives

Nilesh Oak, Deepali Patwadkar, Gauri Moghe in conversation with Mitra Desai

03:00 – 03:50

Maratha History Panel

Medha Bhaskaran Deshmukh in conversation with Vinita Deshmukh

04:00 – 06:30

Living Songs of a Scattered People: Shah, Sachal and Sami

Saaz Agarwaal and Girish Sadhwani

04:00 – 04:50

D.D. Kosambi: One Life, Many Worlds

Ramakrishna Ramaswamy in conversation with Dr. Pavan Kumar

05:00 – 05:50

Don't Read This After Dark: Why India Can't Stop Reading Horror

K. Hari Kumar, Neil D’Silva, Jay Alani Moderated by Mayur Didolkar

06:00 – 06:50

Nietzsche Read the Manusmriti. Dr. Ambedkar Burned It

S Anand in conversation with Ankit Kawade (online) and Dr. Deepti Gangawane

07:00 – 10:00

Maitra Jivanche

Salil Kulkarni, Mangeshkar
मराठी
Ticketed

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

01:00 – 01:50

संतसाहित्य आणि लोकसाहित्य यांतील विद्रोह

डॉ.अरुणा ढेरे
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

लोकभाषा, ज्ञानभाषा ते मनोरंजनाची भाषा

डॉ. गो. बं. देगलूरकर, मुकुंद कुळे, अभय टिळक, संवादक : मिलिंद जोशी
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

03:00 – 03:50

Abhay Bang

03:00 – 03:50

विषय : जेन झी च्या काळात संतसाहित्याची गरज (आहे का?)

अभय टिळक, रूपाली शिंदे, मुकुंद दातार, संवादक : सचिन पवार
मराठी

04:00 – 04:50

Marathi Rap

Sujay Jadhav
मराठी

05:00 – 06:30

हे मनुष्या

संदीप वासलेकर, मकरंद देशपांडे, अरुण शेवते
मराठी

07:00 – 08:30

सीता की बेटी

लेखन, दिग्दर्शन – शिल्पा बल्लाळ
हिन्दी with इंग्लिश सबटायटल्स

13th November, 2026 | Friday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

10:00 – 10:50

The Girls Nobody Counted

Safeena Husain

10:00 – 10:50

Can Art Start a Revolution?

Siddhesh Gautam, Rachita Taneja
Moderated by: Anurag Minus Verma

11:00 – 11:50

The Great Indian Brain Rot: Is the Scroll Killing the Sentence?

Anurag Minus Verma, Ravikant Kisana

11:00 – 11:50

China and Relations with South East Asia

Vijay Gokhale in conversation with Amish Raj Mulmi

11:00 – 11:50

साहित्यातील लोकरंग

भावार्थ देखणे आणि इतर
मराठी

11:00 – 11:50

साहित्यातील लोकरंग

भावार्थ देखणे आणि इतर
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

Is Indian Feminism Too Polite?

Meena Kandasamy, Sameena Dalwai, Safeena Husain, Jasreen Mayal Khanna
Mod: Shona Urvashi
12:00 – 12:50

Historical Fiction Panel

Mitra Desai, Natasha Sharma, Nita J Klkarni
12:00 – 12:50

बदलत्या काळाला प्रतिक्रिया / प्रतिसाद देताना...

बालाजी सुतार
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

मराठी विज्ञानकथेचा प्रवास... : डॉ. जयंत नारळीकर यांच्यानंतर...

डॉ. बाळ फोंडके , डॉ. संजय ढोले, सुबोध जावडेकर
संवादक : मयूरेश प्रभूणे
मराठी

01:00 – 01:50

Coming Soon

01:00 – 01:50

Followers aren't Readers or are they?

Harnidh Kaur in conversation with Jasreen Mayal Khanna

01:00 – 01:50

भारतीय ज्ञान परंपरा : राष्ट्रीय शैक्षणिक धोरण इतिहासगौरवाच्या नादात भविष्यविन्मुखता?

डॉ. सरोजा भाटे, निर्मला कुलकर्णी, अनघा जोशी
संवादक : प्रणव गोखले
मराठी

01:00 – 01:50

Coming Soon

02:00 – 02:50

Phule at 200: How Far Have We Come?

Siddhesh Gautam, Ravikant Kisana, Sameena Dalwai
Moderated by: Parth MN

02:00 – 02:50

(Zines) Little Magazines Are Dead. Long Live Little Magazines.

Tanuj Solanki, Natasha Joshi, Vivek Shanbhag

02:00 – 02:50

समकालीन साहित्यातून व्यक्त होणारे राजकीय भान

नीरजा
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्ता विधायक की विनाशक

अतुल कहाते, आनंद ज. कुलकर्णी, योगेश कुलकर्णी, अच्युत गोडबोले
मराठी

03:00 – 03:50

Does Writing Still Matter? (Answer Honestly)

Tanuj Solanki, Meena Kandasamy
Moderated by: Shailesh Bharatwasi

03:00 – 03:50

Env Policy and Society

Jacob Koshy, Arup Kumar Dutta, Ajit Ranade, Gurudas Nulkar Moderated by Prachi Shevgaonkar

03:00 – 03:50

Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada

Shahu Patole in conversation with Bhushan Korgaonkar
मराठी

03:00 – 03:50

Coming Soon

04:00 – 06:50

Vedāsī viṭāḷa/ वेदासी विटाळ/ Vedas are Tainted

S. Anand will sing Chokhamela, Kabir and Buddha in Dhrupad, with Tushar Shantaram Gharat on the Pakhawaj

04:00 – 04:50

Who Needs the Big Five?

Shailesh Bharatwasi, Vasudhendra, Vivek Shanbhag, in conversation with Ashutosh Ramgir

05:00 – 05:50

Not Your Coming-Out Story

Saikat Majumdar, Vasudhendra, Rahul Singh

06:00 – 06:50

Biography writing panel

Narayani Basu in conversation with Samarth

04:30 – 06:30

Bhayankarachya Darvajyat

Mayur Shitole
मराठी

04:00 – 05:50

हास्य कवी संमेलन

रामदास फुटाणे आणि इतर
मराठी

07:00 – 10:00

IME — "अस्वस्थ अक्षरांचा वारसा"

मराठी
Ticketed

13th November, 2026 | Friday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

10:00 – 10:50

The Girls Nobody Counted

Safeena Husain

10:00 – 10:50

Can Art Start a Revolution?

Siddhesh Gautam, Rachita Taneja
Moderated by: Anurag Minus Verma

11:00 – 11:50

The Great Indian Brain Rot: Is the Scroll Killing the Sentence?

Anurag Minus Verma, Ravikant Kisana

11:00 – 11:50

China and Relations with South East Asia

Vijay Gokhale in conversation with Amish Raj Mulmi
12:00 – 12:50

Is Indian Feminism Too Polite?

Meena Kandasamy, Sameena Dalwai, Safeena Husain, Jasreen Mayal Khanna
Mod: Shona Urvashi
12:00 – 12:50

Historical Fiction Panel

Mitra Desai, Natasha Sharma, Nita J Klkarni

01:00 – 01:50

Coming Soon

01:00 – 01:50

Followers aren't Readers or are they?

Harnidh Kaur in conversation with Jasreen Mayal Khanna

02:00 – 02:50

Phule at 200: How Far Have We Come?

Siddhesh Gautam, Ravikant Kisana, Sameena Dalwai
Moderated by: Parth MN

02:00 – 02:50

(Zines) Little Magazines Are Dead. Long Live Little Magazines.

Tanuj Solanki, Natasha Joshi, Vivek Shanbhag

03:00 – 03:50

Does Writing Still Matter? (Answer Honestly)

Tanuj Solanki, Meena Kandasamy
Moderated by: Shailesh Bharatwasi

03:00 – 03:50

Env Policy and Society

Jacob Koshy, Arup Kumar Dutta, Ajit Ranade, Gurudas Nulkar Moderated by Prachi Shevgaonkar

04:00 – 06:50

Vedāsī viṭāḷa/ वेदासी विटाळ/ Vedas are Tainted

S. Anand will sing Chokhamela, Kabir and Buddha in Dhrupad, with Tushar Shantaram Gharat on the Pakhawaj

04:00 – 04:50

Who Needs the Big Five?

Shailesh Bharatwasi, Vasudhendra, Vivek Shanbhag, in conversation with Ashutosh Ramgir

05:00 – 05:50

Not Your Coming-Out Story

Saikat Majumdar, Vasudhendra, Rahul Singh

06:00 – 06:50

Biography writing panel

Narayani Basu in conversation with Samarth

07:00 – 10:00

IME — "अस्वस्थ अक्षरांचा वारसा"

मराठी
Ticketed

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

11:00 – 11:50

साहित्यातील लोकरंग

भावार्थ देखणे आणि इतर
मराठी

11:00 – 11:50

साहित्यातील लोकरंग

भावार्थ देखणे आणि इतर
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

बदलत्या काळाला प्रतिक्रिया / प्रतिसाद देताना...

बालाजी सुतार
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

मराठी विज्ञानकथेचा प्रवास... : डॉ. जयंत नारळीकर यांच्यानंतर...

डॉ. बाळ फोंडके , डॉ. संजय ढोले, सुबोध जावडेकर
संवादक : मयूरेश प्रभूणे
मराठी

01:00 – 01:50

भारतीय ज्ञान परंपरा : राष्ट्रीय शैक्षणिक धोरण इतिहासगौरवाच्या नादात भविष्यविन्मुखता?

डॉ. सरोजा भाटे, निर्मला कुलकर्णी, अनघा जोशी
संवादक : प्रणव गोखले
मराठी

01:00 – 01:50

Coming Soon

02:00 – 02:50

समकालीन साहित्यातून व्यक्त होणारे राजकीय भान

नीरजा
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

कृत्रिम बुद्धिमत्ता विधायक की विनाशक

अतुल कहाते, आनंद ज. कुलकर्णी, योगेश कुलकर्णी, अच्युत गोडबोले
मराठी

03:00 – 03:50

Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada

Shahu Patole in conversation with Bhushan Korgaonkar
मराठी

03:00 – 03:50

Coming Soon

04:30 – 06:30

Bhayankarachya Darvajyat

Mayur Shitole
मराठी

04:00 – 05:50

हास्य कवी संमेलन

रामदास फुटाणे आणि इतर
मराठी

14th November, 2026 | Saturday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

10:00 – 10:50

India's Deep State, Out Loud

Josy Joseph

10:00 – 10:50

Leaves No Longer Green

Arup Kumar Dutta

10:00 – 10:50

प्रभावी वक्तृत्व हरवले आहे का?

प्रा. मिलिंद जोशी
मराठी

10:00 – 10:50

Kaavad Katha Workshop

Akshay Gandhi
मराठी

11:00 – 11:50

Keynote

Akshat Gupta

11:00 – 11:50

द.मा. मिरासदार, शंकर पाटील आणि व्यंकटेश माडगूळकर यांच्या कथांचे अभिवाचन

प्रसाद मिरासदार, माधव गोखले आणि ज्ञानदा नाईक
मराठी

11:00 – 11:50

गप्पा गप्पी

राजीव तांबे
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

The Constitution Is Not a Museum Piece

Justice S. Muralidhar
12:00 – 12:50

Where's Marathi's Booker?

Nadeem Khan, Vikrant Pande, Uma Shirodkar
Mod: Ashutosh Ramgir
12:00 – 12:50

Yuva Sahityik युवा साहित्य पुरस्कार प्राप्त लेखक काय लिहितात आणि वाचतात?

Devidas Saudagar, Navnath Gore, Pradeep Kokre, Pavan Nalat
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

Coming Soon

01:00 – 01:50

Keynote

Preeti Sheenoy

01:00 – 01:50

What Pune Knows About Kashmir That Delhi Doesn't

Mehdi Khwaja, Sanjay Nahar (Sarhad)
Moderated by: Vandana Shukla

01:00 – 01:50

बेस्टसेलर कोण ठरवतं: वाचक, लेखक, प्रकाशक की अल्गोरिदम?

नीतिन थोरात, शरद तांदळे
MOD: चेतन कोळी
मराठी

01:00 – 01:50

Storytelling performance

Shreedhar Kulkarni

02:00 – 02:50

Draupadi Had Opinions

Koral Dasgupta, Arshia Sattar, Kalyani Sardesai

02:00 – 02:50

Mental Health in India

Amrita Tripathi, Natasha Joshi

02:00 – 02:50

Alok with Chandramohan

02:00 – 02:50

Nanuche Nana

03:00 – 03:50

Where Does Free Speech End? Three Views of One Case

Justice S. Muralidhar, Raju Ramachandran (remote), Neha Dixit
Moderated by: Ravikant Kisana

04:00 – 04:50

Who Wrote This? A Live Test

Jibu Elias, Saikat Majumdar

03:00 – 03:50

Translation Panel

Mehdi Khwaja, Uma Shirodkar, Nadeem Khan
Moderated by: Dr. Ajay Joshi

04:00 – 04:50

Too Dangerous for the Newspaper

Josy Joseph, Neha Dixit, Parth MN, Vandana Shukla
Mod: Amrita Tripathi

03:00 – 03:50

Kaavad Katha Workshop

Akshay Gandhi
मराठी
04:00 – 04:50

संतपीठ : कीर्तन Fusion

मराठी

03:00 – 05:00

Kavita Carnival

05:00 – 06:50

Keynote

Ramchandra Guha

06:00 – 06:50

Keynote

Ami Gantra

05:00 – 05:50

राजन गवस यांच्याशी संवाद

आदिनाथ चव्हाण (संवादक)
मराठी

06:00 – 06:50

Prafulla Wankhede

मराठी

05:00 – 04:50

Christopher C. Doyle presentation on his books

05:00 – 05:50

Cartoon workshop with Alok

07:00 – 10:00

Nayab Midha

Ticketed

14th November, 2026 | Saturday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

10:00 – 10:50

India's Deep State, Out Loud

Josy Joseph

10:00 – 10:50

Leaves No Longer Green

Arup Kumar Dutta

11:00 – 11:50

Keynote

Akshat Gupta
12:00 – 12:50

The Constitution Is Not a Museum Piece

Justice S. Muralidhar
12:00 – 12:50

Where's Marathi's Booker?

Nadeem Khan, Vikrant Pande, Uma Shirodkar
Mod: Ashutosh Ramgir

01:00 – 01:50

Keynote

Preeti Sheenoy

01:00 – 01:50

What Pune Knows About Kashmir That Delhi Doesn't

Mehdi Khwaja, Sanjay Nahar (Sarhad)
Moderated by: Vandana Shukla

02:00 – 02:50

Draupadi Had Opinions

Koral Dasgupta, Arshia Sattar, Kalyani Sardesai

02:00 – 02:50

Mental Health in India

Amrita Tripathi, Natasha Joshi

03:00 – 03:50

Where Does Free Speech End? Three Views of One Case

Justice S. Muralidhar, Raju Ramachandran (remote), Neha Dixit
Moderated by: Ravikant Kisana

04:00 – 04:50

Who Wrote This? A Live Test

Jibu Elias, Saikat Majumdar

03:00 – 03:50

Translation Panel

Mehdi Khwaja, Uma Shirodkar, Nadeem Khan
Moderated by: Dr. Ajay Joshi

04:00 – 04:50

Too Dangerous for the Newspaper

Josy Joseph, Neha Dixit, Parth MN, Vandana Shukla
Mod: Amrita Tripathi

05:00 – 06:50

Keynote

Ramchandra Guha

06:00 – 06:50

Keynote

Ami Gantra

07:00 – 10:00

Nayab Midha

Ticketed

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

10:00 – 10:50

प्रभावी वक्तृत्व हरवले आहे का?

प्रा. मिलिंद जोशी

मराठी

10:00 – 10:50

Kaavad Katha Workshop

Akshay Gandhi
मराठी

11:00 – 11:50

द.मा. मिरासदार, शंकर पाटील आणि व्यंकटेश माडगूळकर यांच्या कथांचे अभिवाचन

प्रसाद मिरासदार, माधव गोखले आणि ज्ञानदा नाईक
मराठी

11:00 – 11:50

गप्पा गप्पी

राजीव तांबे
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

Yuva Sahityik युवा साहित्य पुरस्कार प्राप्त लेखक काय लिहितात आणि वाचतात?

Devidas Saudagar, Navnath Gore, Pradeep Kokre, Pavan Nalat
मराठी
12:00 – 12:50

Coming Soon

01:00 – 01:50

बेस्टसेलर कोण ठरवतं: वाचक, लेखक, प्रकाशक की अल्गोरिदम?

नीतिन थोरात, शरद तांदळे
MOD: चेतन कोळी
मराठी

01:00 – 01:50

Storytelling performance

Shreedhar Kulkarni

02:00 – 02:50

Alok with Chandramohan

02:00 – 02:50

Nanuche Nana

03:00 – 03:50

Kaavad Katha Workshop

Akshay Gandhi
मराठी
04:00 – 04:50

संतपीठ : कीर्तन Fusion

मराठी

03:00 – 05:00

Kavita Carnival

05:00 – 05:50

राजन गवस यांच्याशी संवाद

आदिनाथ चव्हाण (संवादक)
मराठी

06:00 – 06:50

Prafulla Wankhede

मराठी

05:00 – 04:50

Christopher C. Doyle presentation on his books

05:00 – 05:50

Cartoon workshop with Alok

15th November, 2026 | Sunday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

10:00 – 10:50

There Is No One Ramayana

Arshia Sattar

11:00 – 11:50

Cartoons and Humour

Alok, Sandeep, Manjul in conversation with Nilesh Khare

10:00 – 10:50

Coming Soon

11:00 – 11:50

The Cricketers Nobody Filmed

Aayush Puthran

10:00 – 11:50

मेघना पेठे यांच्याशी गप्पा

संवादक : मनस्विनी प्रभुणे नायक

10:00 – 11:50

Puppetery Making workhop by Sangeeta Deshpande + Science toys (Arvind Gupta) by Vidula Mhaiskar

12:00 – 12:50

Ramchandra Guha and Sadanand More in conversation with Hemant Rajopadhyay

01:00 – 01:50

Keynote

Hamid Dabholkar

12:00 – 12:50

Who Owns Bombay's Plate?

Meher Mirza

01:00 – 01:50

The New Divide: Who Gets Left Behind by AI?

Jibu Elias

12:00 – 01:30

ऊन जरा जास्त आहे

Kishor kadam with Arvind Jagtap
मराठी

12:00 – 12:50

COOL PHILOSPHERS

Mrunalini Vanarase (Age 8 tp 15 Years)

01:00 – 01:50

Chitrakathi

Chetan Gangawane

02:00 – 02:50

Raj Thackeray in conversation with Nilesh Khare

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

02:00 – 02:50

Music Disruption : अलगोरीदमच्या काळात गाणं कोण तयार करतं ?

Rahul Ranade
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

03:00 – 03:50

Dhruv-Tara

Amish Tripathi

03:00 – 03:50

The Wars and Borders India Forgets

Probal Dasgupta, Amish Raj Mulmi

03:00 – 03:50

ए बिस्मिल्ला

03:00 – 03:50

Coming Soon

04:00 – 05:50

Kaavad Katha Performance

Akshya Gandhi

04:00 – 04:50

Why Are Strangers Reading Together? The Book Club Boom

Sanika Kelkar, Stuti Changle
Moderated by: Natasha Sharma

06:00 – 06:50

The Curse of the Kurus Christopher Doyle

04:30 – 06:30

स्त्री साहित्य, ओव्या Performance+ Commentary

तेजश्री इंगवले
मराठी

04:00 – 04:50

Kids drawing activities

Abha Bhagvat (TBC)

05:00 – 05:50

Coming Soon

07:00 – 10:00

Chanakya

Ticketed

15th November, 2026 | Sunday

HALL 1
(BORI - Amphi)

HALL 2
(BORI - Firodiya)

10:00 – 10:50

There Is No One Ramayana

Arshia Sattar

11:00 – 11:50

Cartoons and Humour

Alok, Sandeep, Manjul in conversation with Nilesh Khare

10:00 – 10:50

Coming Soon

11:00 – 11:50

The Cricketers Nobody Filmed

Aayush Puthran
12:00 – 12:50

Ramchandra Guha and Sadanand More in conversation with Hemant Rajopadhyay

12:00 – 12:50

Who Owns Bombay's Plate?

Meher Mirza

01:00 – 01:50

Keynote

Hamid Dabholkar

01:00 – 01:50

The New Divide: Who Gets Left Behind by AI?

Jibu Elias

02:00 – 02:50

Raj Thackeray in conversation with Nilesh Khare

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

03:00 – 03:50

Dhruv-Tara

Amish Tripathi

03:00 – 03:50

The Wars and Borders India Forgets

Probal Dasgupta, Amish Raj Mulmi

04:00 – 05:50

Kaavad Katha Performance

Akshya Gandhi

04:00 – 04:50

Why Are Strangers Reading Together? The Book Club Boom

Sanika Kelkar, Stuti Changle
Moderated by: Natasha Sharma

06:00 – 06:50

The Curse of the Kurus Christopher Doyle

07:00 – 10:00

Chanakya

Ticketed

HALL 3
(SARTHI - Audi)

HALL 4
(SARTHI - Multipurpose)

10:30 – 11:50

मेघना पेठे यांच्याशी गप्पा

संवादक : मनस्विनी प्रभुणे नायक

मराठी

10:00 – 11:50

Puppetery Making workhop by Sangeeta Deshpande + Science toys (Arvind Gupta) by Vidula Mhaiskar

12:00 – 01:30

ऊन जरा जास्त आहे

Kishor kadam with Arvind Jagtap

मराठी

12:00 – 12:50

COOL PHILOSPHERS

Mrunalini Vanarase (Age 8 tp 15 Years)

01:00 – 01:50

Chitrakathi

Chetan Gangawane

02:00 – 02:50

Music Disruption : अलगोरीदमच्या काळात गाणं कोण तयार करतं ?

Rahul Ranade
मराठी

02:00 – 02:50

Coming Soon

03:00 – 03:50

ए बिस्मिल्ला

03:00 – 03:50

Coming Soon

04:30 – 06:30

स्त्री साहित्य, ओव्या Performance+ Commentary

तेजश्री इंगवले
मराठी

04:00 – 04:50

Kids drawing activities

Abha Bhagvat (TBC)

05:00 – 05:50

Coming Soon

Children’s LIT FEST

Where stories get up and move.

Books are not only for reading quietly. At the Children’s Lit Fest, stories are told out loud, drawn, painted, sung, turned into puppets and argued over.

On Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 November, the Sakal Lit Fest gives young readers a stage of their own. Children meet the people who write their books, draw their cartoons and tell their stories, and then make something of their own.

What’s on

Who it’s for: children aged 3 to 16, and the grown-ups who bring them.
Some workshops have limited seats and need separate registration. Book early.
Bring your questions. Bring your crayons. Leave with a story.
स्थळ / Venue

BHANDARKAR ORIENTAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE (BORI)

A CENTURY SPENT PRESERVING WORDS

FOUR DAYS SPENT QUESTIONING THEM.
Founded in 1917, BORI houses over 125,000 rare books and 28,000 manuscripts which preserve centuries of India’s intellectual and literary heritage.
For four days, the archive becomes a meeting point.

Because preserving a literary tradition doesn’t mean keeping it unchanged.
Sometimes, the best way to honour what came before
is to ask what comes next.

Address: The Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute
ILS, Law College Rd, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411004
स्थळ / Venue

SARTHI

A SPACE FOR IDEAS TO MEET

FOUR DAYS FOR STORIES TO SPARK NEW CONVERSATIONS.
Located beside Balchitravani on Agarkar Road, Shivajinagar, Saarthi Hall brings you closer to the conversations, voices and ideas shaping Sakal Lit Fest 2026.

Because the right conversation can change the way you see the world.

Address:
Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research, Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI) Gopal Ganesh Agarkar Road, Shivajinagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411004

HOW AND FROM WHERE YOU CAN REACH

COME READY

to disagree

12–15 November 2026 · Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Pune

Arup Kumar Dutta

Author & Social Commentator
Based in Assam, Arup Kumar Dutta has spent five decades writing across fiction, non-fiction, satire and journalism, while creating adventure novels for young readers. Widely acknowledged as a pioneer of English writing in the North-East, he has authored 40 books, many of them rooted in the people, places and histories of the region. His work has earned him the Padma Shri, along with several other literary honours.
Published Books
Leaves No Longer Green
The Ahoms
Anagarika’s Swansong

Jasreen Mayal Khanna

Author & Travel Journalist
A Mumbai-based author and travel journalist, Jasreen Mayal Khanna began her career with Condé Nast Traveller India and continues to write for international publications including Robb Report, Travel + Leisure and DestinAsian. Her writing has taken her across continents, looking beyond the familiar to find stories in places and people often overlooked. Her debut book, Seva: Sikh Wisdom on Living Well by Doing Good, was published in India, the UK, Spain and France. Her second, Bullet Nani & Other Badass Indian Grandmas, is a celebration of women who prove that adventure has no age limit.
Published Books
Seva: Sikh Wisdom on Living Well by Doing Good
Bullet Nani & Other Badass Indian Grandmas

K. Hari Kumar

Author, Screenwriter & Content Creator
K. Hari Kumar explores Indian mythology, folklore, horror and the supernatural across books, cinema and digital storytelling. He is the bestselling author of ten books, including India’s Most Haunted, Daiva and Naaga, and has written for feature films and web series in Hindi and Malayalam. Through his digital platform CHATURYA, he continues to explore India’s mythology, sacred traditions and cultural histories, bringing research and contemporary storytelling together.
Published Books
When Strangers Meet
That Frequent Visitor
The Other Side of Her

Vasudhendra

Author
Vasudhendra Shroff is a bestselling Kannada author known for his short stories, novels and essays. Among his fifteen books are the critically acclaimed Mohanaswamy, translated into several languages, the historical novel Tejo Tungabhadra, and the award-winning essay collection Nammamma Andre Nangishta (I Love My Amma). He has received several literary honours, including the Karnataka Sahitya Akademi Book Prize and the U.R. Ananthamurthy Award. After more than two decades as a software professional, he now runs his own publishing house, Chanda Pustaka.
Published Books
His fifteen published books include Mohanaswamy, Tejo Tungabhadra and Nammamma Andre Nangishta (I Love My Amma).
12 Nov, 10:00 · Mandap

The Politics of Language

Bhalchandra Nemade

Koral Dasgupta

Author, TEDx Speaker & Narrative Strategist
Koral Dasgupta is an author, TEDx speaker and narrative strategist with over two decades of experience. Across ten books, including the acclaimed five-part Sati series, she explores myth, leadership, ecology and philosophy to question how stories shape our understanding of gender. Her work draws on the ancient Indian philosophy of Sati as a framework for integrity and ethical choice in a world shaped by modern ambition. She is also the founder of TellMeYourStory.biz, a platform that uses literature to spark conversations around gender and social change.
Published Books
Her published works include the five-part Sati series and other books exploring mythology, gender, leadership and philosophy.

Neil D'Silva

Author, Screenwriter & Horror Writer
Neil D’Silva is one of India’s leading voices in horror fiction, with 21 published books spanning adult, young adult and non-fiction. His writing draws deeply from Indian folklore, mythology and the supernatural, with books including Maya’s New Husband, Yakshini, Pishacha, Playthings and The Curse of the Maharani. He also writes for screen and is the original story writer of the JioHotstar series Ali Baba aur 40 Bhoot. A former President of the India Chapter of the Horror Writers Association, he has also mentored emerging writers through workshops, literary festivals and writing programmes.
Published Books
His 21 published books include Maya’s New Husband, Yakshini, Pishacha, Playthings, The Curse of the Maharani and India’s Most Haunted.

Rachita Tandon

Political Comic Artist & Satirist
Rachita Taneja is an Indian political comic artist, satirist and the creator of Sanitary Panels. Her signature stick-figure comics take a feminist lens to current affairs and issues of social justice, building a substantial audience across social media. She is the recipient of the Kofi Annan Courage in Cartooning Award 2024.
Published Books
Touching Grass: A Book of Comics

Rahul Singh

Academic & Writer
Rahul Singh is an academic and writer based in Kolkata whose work focuses on cities, with particular attention to infrastructure, planning and governance. His writing on books has appeared in leading Indian dailies, while his short stories have been published in literary magazines and journals including Indian Literature, Foglifter and the Economic and Political Weekly. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Sociology at St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata. Unfolding is his debut novel.
Published Books
Unfolding

Stanly Johny

International Affairs Editor & Author
Stanly Johny is the International Affairs Editor at The Hindu, where he anchors the newspaper’s international coverage and writes editorials, Op-Eds and reportage. He holds a PhD in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University and has written on geopolitics and Indian foreign policy for over a decade, reporting from across the world. His work has also appeared in publications by leading think tanks including the Middle East Institute and the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses. He is a Visiting Professor at Krea University and an adjunct faculty member at the Asian College of Journalism.
Published Books
The ISIS Caliphate: From Syria to the Doorsteps of India
The Comrades and the Mullahs: China, Afghanistan and the New Asian Geopolitics
Original Sin: Israel, Palestine and the Revenge of Old West Asia

Stuti Changle

Author & Speaker
Stuti Changle is a national bestselling author and speaker whose writing explores dreams, self-discovery and the courage to choose a different path. After leaving behind a corporate career, she began telling stories that have reached over 250,000 readers and touched more than a million lives. Her book You Only Live Once was featured in The Economic Times’ list of 11 Best Books to Shape Your Thinking as Your Ideal Self and was recognised in the Limca Book of Records 2023 for its record-breaking sales as a frontlist title in 2021.
Published Books
You Only Live Once
On the Open Road
Where the Sun Never Sets

S. Muralidhar

Author & Senior Advocate
S. Muralidhar is a Senior Advocate, author and former judge whose work has spanned law, human rights and access to justice. After nearly two decades of practice in the Supreme Court and Delhi High Court, he served as a judge of the Delhi High Court and later as Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court. His writing explores human rights, economic and social justice, and the relationship between law and society. He is the author of Law, Poverty and Legal Aid: Access to Criminal Justice and numerous essays in Indian and international publications.
Published Books
Law, Poverty and Legal Aid: Access to Criminal Justice

Dr. Bhavartha Dekhane

युवा कीर्तनकार, भारुडकार, संत साहित्याचे अभ्यासक आणि लोकवाङ्मयाचे वक्ते
महाराष्ट्राचे ज्येष्ठ लेखक आणि भारुडकार स्वर्गीय डॉ. रामचंद्र देखणे यांचे सुपुत्र. त्यांच्या घरी वारकरी संप्रदायाची समृद्ध परंपरा आहे.
ते आळंदी देवस्थान ट्रस्टचे प्रमुख विश्वस्त म्हणून काम पाहतात. त्यांची नोव्हेंबर २०२३ मध्ये आळंदी देवस्थानच्या विश्वस्तपदी सात वर्षांच्या कालावधीसाठी निवड झाली आहे.
ते वारकरी भजन, कीर्तन, भारुड आणि लोककलांच्या माध्यमातून प्रबोधन करतात.’नमो ज्ञानेश्वरा’, ‘जात्यावरची ओवी’, आणि वासुदेव वेशातील लोककला सादरीकरण यांसारख्या विविध सांस्कृतिक व आध्यात्मिक कार्यक्रमांसाठी ते राज्यभर प्रसिद्ध आहेत।

Meghna Pethe

Writer
मेघना पेठे हे नाव मराठी वाङ्‌मयात रस असणार्‍या सर्व सुजाण आणि साक्षेपी वाचकांना चांगलंच परिचित आहे. नोव्हेंबर १९९७ मध्ये ‘हंस अकेला’ आणि त्यापाठोपाठ ‘आंधळ्याच्या गायी’ हे कथा संग्रह आणि ‘नातिचरामि’ ही लग्नसंस्थेला केंद्रस्थानी ठेवणारी कादंबरी प्रकाशित झाल्यावर, मराठी वाङ्मयजगामध्ये तिच्या शैली आणि आशयानं, एक अनोखी वाट तयार करून आपला अमिट ठसा उमटवला. गेल्या पंच्याहत्तर वर्षात प्रत्येकी आठ आवृत्त्या प्रकाशित होण्याचा मान फक्त मेघनाच्या कथासंग्रहांना मिळाला आहे, ही खास बाब इथे नोंदलीच पाहिजे.
अगदी अलिकडे तिनं ‘डंदॅट्‌ बींदेअर्‌!’ या नावाचं, लिहिण्याबद्दल केलेलं प्रामाणिक चिंतन, लिखित मुलाखती आणि समकालीन साहित्यजगात तिला आलेले इतर लोकांचे अनुभव नोंदणारं एक आत्मपर कथन प्रकाशित केलं आहे, ज्याला मिळालेला उदंड प्रतिसाद मेघनाबद्दलचं कुतुहल आजही जागं आहे याची ग्वाही देतो. तिच्याशी केलेली मनमोकळी बातचीत हा तिच्या साहित्य-वाचनाइतकाच आगळा अनुभव ठरेल याची खात्री वाटते!

Shridhar kulkarni

Actor
ललित कला केंद्र (सा. फु. पुणे विद्यापीठ) येथून नाटक या विषयात पदव्युत्तर(MA) शिक्षण.
Quest या संस्थेच्या ‘गोष्टरंग’ या पाठयवृत्तीच्या माध्यमातून आदिवासी भागातील लहान मुलांच्या लेखन-वाचन कौशल्य विकासासाठी प्रयत्न.
आकाशवाणी पुणे केंद्राच्या युववाणी विभागात उदघोषक म्हणून कार्यरत होतो.
ठाणे येथील सरकारी शाळांमध्ये नाट्यकलेचा अभ्यासक्रम राबवला होता.
‘कवितांच्या गुदगुल्या’, ‘बाबाच्या गोष्टी’, ‘कविता carnival ‘ इ. लहान मुलांचं सकस मनोरंजन करणाऱ्या कार्यक्रमांमध्ये अभिनेता म्हणून सहभाग.
मुलांसाठी, शिक्षकांसाठी व पालकांसाठी कथाकथन व नाट्य कार्यशाळांचे आयोजन.
सध्या ‘ध्रुव ग्लोबल स्कुल, नांदे, पुणे ‘ येथे पूर्णवेळ नाट्यप्रशिक्षक म्हणून कार्यरत.

Akriti Tyagi

Communications Leader & Author
Akriti Tyagi grew up surrounded by books and has been writing in some form for as long as she can remember. An all-India topper from Delhi University, she holds a Master’s degree from the University of Westminster, London, and has studied Corporate Communication at Cornell University.
She is currently Director – Strategic Communications at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), one of Asia’s leading policy research institutions. Previously, she spent over eight years at HarperCollins India, leading marketing and communications, after a twelve-year career in television and media at NDTV.
A lifelong reader and traveller, Akriti has travelled to more than forty countries, collecting stories, friendships and an enduring fascination with the choices that shape our lives. The Un-Wife Club is her first novel.

Madhuri Mate

कवयित्री, लेखिका, रंगकर्मी आणि सामाजिक कार्यकर्त्या
सेंट्रल बँक ऑफ इंडियातून स्वेच्छानिवृत्तीनंतर ‘गोफ’ संस्थेमार्फत वंचित मुलांसाठी शैक्षणिक पालकत्व, आर्थिक मदत, समुपदेशन, कार्यशाळा आणि विविध सामाजिक उपक्रम राबवले. बालकविता, एकपात्री प्रयोग, व्यावसायिक बालनाट्य आणि काव्यसादरीकरण या क्षेत्रांत सक्रिय सहभाग. महाराष्ट्रभर अनेक यशस्वी रंगमंचीय प्रयोग सादर केले तसेच मराठी संपादन आणि लेखनाचे कार्यही केले. राज्य, आंतरबँक आणि विविध नाट्यस्पर्धांमध्ये लेखन व अभिनयासाठी अनेक पुरस्कार प्राप्त. काव्य, बालसाहित्य आणि रंगभूमीतील योगदानासाठी विशाखा पुरस्कार, लक्ष्मीबाई टिळक बालवाङ्मय पुरस्कार, स्मिता पाटील साहित्य पुरस्कार, शशिकला आगाशे स्मृती साहित्य पुरस्कार, नाट्यगौरव पुरस्कार आदी सन्मानांनी गौरविण्यात आले. लेखनामध्ये कवितासंग्रह, लघुकथा, लेखमाला, एकांकिका, बालकादंबरी, कथासंग्रह, व्यावसायिक बालनाटके आणि ऑडिओ अल्बम (मेघपक्षी, थेट भेट) यांचा समावेश असून, गुजरातमधील मराठी पाठ्यपुस्तकातही त्यांच्या लेखनाचा समावेश आहे.

Meher Mirza

Writer
Meher Mirza is a Mumbai-based writer and editor whose work has appeared in The Guardian, BBC Travel, CNN Travel, Saveur, Literary Hub, Condé Nast Traveller India and Roads & Kingdoms among others, and in books by Lonely Planet and Fodor’s. Presently the Senior Editor of The Moment, she writes at the intersection of food, culture and history, with a particular interest in Mumbai and the food traditions of her Parsi community. Sea, Salt And Spice: A History of Mumbai Through Food, published by HarperCollins India, is her first book.
Published Books
Sea, Salt And Spice: A History of Mumbai Through Food (HarperCollins India)

Hamid Dabholkar

मानसोपचारतज्ज्ञ, लेखक आणि महाराष्ट्र अंधश्रद्धा निर्मूलन समितीचे सक्रिय कार्यकर्ते
डॉ. नरेंद्र दाभोलकर यांच्या विवेकवादी आणि परिवर्तनशील विचारांवर काम करत ते वैज्ञानिक दृष्टिकोन, धर्मचिकित्सा, सामाजिक न्याय आणि विवेकवादी समाजनिर्मितीसाठी कार्यरत आहेत. परिवर्तन ट्रस्टच्या माध्यमातून ते मानसिक आरोग्य, व्यसनमुक्ती आणि समुदायाधारित मानसिक आरोग्य सेवा या क्षेत्रांत काम करतात. मानसिक आरोग्याविषयी जनजागृती, युवकांचे प्रश्न, कला आणि संस्कृतीच्या माध्यमातून सामाजिक परिवर्तन तसेच अंधश्रद्धा निर्मूलन या विषयांवर ते सातत्याने लेखन, संवाद आणि प्रबोधन करतात.
Published Books
प्रश्न मनाचे सहलेखक डॉ नरेंद्र दाभोलकर
विवेकाच्या वाटेवर
भावनिक प्रथमोपचार घरच्या घरी

Rahul Ranade

Musical Composer

Chandramohan Kulkarni

भारतीय चित्रकार, शिल्पकार आणि ग्राफिक डिझायनर
साहित्यातील योगदान: समकालीन मराठी साहित्याला दृश्य रूप देण्यामध्ये त्यांचा मोठा वाटा आहे. त्यांनी शेकडो दर्जेदार पुस्तकांची मुखपृष्ठे (Book Covers) आणि आतील चित्रे रेखाटली आहेत. राजहंस आणि ज्योत्स्ना प्रकाशनासोबतच त्यांनी प्रतिष्ठित ऑक्सफर्ड युनिव्हर्सिटी प्रेससाठीही काम केले आहे.
प्रसिद्ध कलाकृती: मानवी जीवन आणि सामाजिक वास्तवावर भाष्य करणाऱ्या ‘बँडवाला’ (Bandwallah) आणि ‘ये शहर किसने बनाया’ या त्यांच्या चित्रमालिका प्रचंड गाजल्या.
शिल्पकला: चित्रकलेसोबतच त्यांची ‘पेपरवाला’ आणि ‘//READER//’ ही शिल्पेही नावाजली गेली आहेत. ‘पेपरवाला’ शिल्पाची निवड राष्ट्रीय ललित कला अकादमीच्या प्रदर्शनासाठी झाली होती.
आंतरराष्ट्रीय गौरव: लंडनच्या जगप्रसिद्ध ‘इम्पेरियल वॉर म्युझियम’मध्ये त्यांच्या कलाकृतींचा समावेश करण्यात आला असून, त्यांना प्रतिष्ठित ‘सत्यजित रे पुरस्काराने’ देखील सन्मानित करण्यात आले आहे. पारंपारिक कॅनव्हाससोबतच डिजिटल आर्टमध्येही त्यांनी स्वतःचा एक वेगळा ठसा उमटवला आहे.

Anish Gawande

Writer, Translator, and Politician
Anish Gawande is a writer, translator, and politician currently serving as the National Spokesperson for the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar). A Rhodes Scholar, he holds degrees in comparative literature from Columbia University and in intellectual history and public policy from the University of Oxford.
Anish is the founder of Pink List India, the country’s first archive of politicians supporting LGBTQ+ rights, and a recognised advocate for inclusion and equal rights.
As a translator, he has brought the poetry of Ramchandra Siras from Marathi to English. He continues to write and speak on contemporary art and literature, while also curating exhibitions at prominent art galleries across India.

Nita Kulkarni

Journalist & Author
She has worked full-time for The Economic Times, Business Today, and for A&M magazine. At the start of her career she freelanced for the Deccan Herald, Bangalore, and later contributed to major national publications like The Times of India, Sunday Express, The Telegraph and The International Indian. Several of her short stories for children were published in the Sunday section of The Deccan Herald.
Published Books
Her debut novel The Hawa Mahal Murders won the script-writing competition at the Pune International Literary Festival (PILF) in 2019 was thus launched by Javed Akhtar.. The prize was a publishing contract with Vishwakarma Publications. The Rajwada Poisonings is her second novel, published in May 2026. This novel is also published by Vishwakarma Publications.

Dr. Bal Fondake

Author
डाॅ. गजानन उर्फ बाळ फोंडके हे विज्ञान साहित्यातील एक अग्रगण्य मराठी लेखक आहेत. मराठी साहित्यात विज्ञान कथा लेखन प्रकाराची सुरुवात करण्याचे श्रेय डाॅ. जयंत नारळीकर यांच्यानंतर त्यांना दिले जाते . त्यांनी 1962 ते 1983 पर्यंत भाभा अणु संशोधन केंद्रात अणुजीवशास्त्रज्ञ म्हणून काम केले. 1983 ते 1989 पर्यंत, ते टाइम्स ऑफ इंडियामध्ये होते, जिथे त्यांनी सायन्स टुडे मासिकाचे संपादक आणि टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया वृत्तपत्राचे विज्ञान संपादक म्हणून काम पाहिले . नंतर त्यांनी सायन्स रिपोर्टरचे मुख्य संपादक , तसेच सीएसआयआरच्या ( वैज्ञानिक आणि औद्योगिक संशोधन परिषद ) प्रकाशन आणि माहिती संचालनालयाचे संचालक म्हणून काम पाहिले आणि १९९९ मध्ये ते सेवानिवृत्त झाले.
सेवानिवृत्तीनंतर त्यांनी विविध विद्यापीठांमध्ये मार्गदर्शक म्हणून काम केले आणि अनेक प्रकाशनांसाठी विज्ञानविषयक लेखही लिहिले. बाल फोंडके यांनी गणितासोबतच्या मनोरंजनावरही पुस्तके प्रकाशित केली आहेत.

Deepali Patwadkar

Author, Speaker, Artist, and Independent Researcher
After spending many years in the USA and two decades in a global IT job, she returned home to India. She discovered a deeper calling through the study of Dnyaneshwari and then pursued an MA in Indology. She writes books, delivers talks, and creates art to make India’s cultural heritage accessible to younger generations. Her work explores the timeless wisdom, stories, and global footprints of Bharatiya Sanskruti. Through her work she reconnects the youth to Indic culture, one story at a time.
Published Books
Sugriva’s Atlas – co-authored with Shri Nilesh Oak
The Epic Footprint: Ramayana Beyond Borders
Rajmata Kunti – The Champion of Kshatriya Dharma
Ahilyabai Holkar: The Guardian of Indic Civilization
Swadhyaya: My Journal of Self Discovery
Chitra Dnyaneshwari

DR. Ajay Joshi

Theater Researcher, Author, Translator
Dr Ajay Joshi is a practicing dentist, with a Ph.D in Theatre Criticism, Masters in Journalism and Mass Communication and diploma in Gender and Women’s studies. He has been associated with theatre in India and abroad, for well over two decades, in multiple capacities as a professor, media person, curator, festival organiser, jury, researcher, translator, workshop facilitator, critic, compeer and guide. He has travelled to many countries- USA, Argentina, Istanbul, Tbilisi , Spain, UK, Sri Lanka, Greece,Italy amongst others, for theatric activities. He has designed and conducted numerous courses –both for theatre and interdisciplinary, presented theatre related papers in India and abroad , translated plays from Marathi to English, and written extensively on theatre and Culture, in local and international publications. He teaches in different institutes, lectures on invite, while being a core group member of various theatre related organisations. He is the recipient of many prestigious awards. He is a published author of 7 books and chapters in numerous books, magazines and journals and has been the recipient of the esteemed Fulbright Fellowship for 2018-19, teaching theatre at Rutgers University, USA. In February 2023, he was awarded the FULBRIGHT ALUMNI AWARD, for his project titled,’ THE SCIENCE AND ARTS NEXUS: EXPLORING ARTS INTERVENTION IN CLASSROOM PEDAGOGY’, which is a work in progress.

Milind Joshi

Writer, Orator, and Civil Engineer
Prof. Milind Joshi is a renowned writer, orator, and civil engineer who serves as the youngest Working President in the history of Maharashtra Sahitya Parishad.123 An acclaimed columnist and speaker, he has delivered hundreds of lectures across India and internationally while earning several prestigious literary awards.

Dnyanda Naik

Author
सुप्रसिद्ध ग्रामीण कथालेखक कै. व्यंकटेश माडगूळकर व अभिनेत्री बेबी विमल यांच्या पोटी २१ एप्रिल, १९५० रोजी ज्ञानदा यांचा जन्म झाला. त्यांनी तत्त्वज्ञान विषयात पदवी व मराठी विषयात पदव्युत्तर शिक्षण घेतले आहे. महाराष्ट्र राज्य पाठ्यपुस्तक निर्मिती व अभ्यासक्रम संशोधन मंडळ , पुणे तर्फे प्रसिद्ध होणाऱ्या किशोर मासिकाच्या कार्यकारी संपादक या पदावरून २९ वर्षांच्या सेवेनंतर त्या २०१०मध्ये सेवानिवृत्त झाल्या. पाठ्यपुस्तक मंडळात जनसंपर्क अधिकारी म्हणूनही त्यांनी १९९२ ते २०१० या काळात काम पाहिले. कम्युनिटी एड अ‍ॅन्ड स्पॉन्सरशिप प्रोग्रॅम , भारतीय जैन संघटना आणि टिळक महाराष्ट्र विद्यापीठ या संस्थांमध्येही त्यांनी विविध पदांवर काम केले आहे. आतापर्यंत त्यांची ५० पुस्तके प्रकाशित झाली आहेत, त्यांपैकी ४० बालवाङ्‌मयातील आहेत. बालवाङ्मय : नवी इसापनीती , रूव्या बुरूज आणि धाडसी चमू , बागेचे रहस्य , बाबी पत्रकार झाली , क्लाराज डायरी (भाषांतर), रेडी-स्टेडी गो याशिवाय अमेरिकेच्या अंतरंगात , कलावंत विचारवंत , महाराष्ट्रातील प्रतिभावंत कलावंत , आदिशक्ती , ही पुस्तके विशेष गाजली.
मुंबई पत्रकार संघाचे उत्कृष्ट संपादनासाठीचे केशवराव कोठावळे पारितोषिक (२००३), उत्कृष्ट बालसाहित्य लेखिका यासाठी, ग. ह. पाटील पारितोषिक (१९९८) तसेच माय व्हिलेज साठी दूरदर्शन केंद्र, नवी दिल्लीच्या ने उत्कृष्ट माहितीपट पारितोषिक अशा विविध पुरस्कारांच्या त्या मानकरी आहेत. व्यंकटेश माडगूळकर प्रतिष्ठानच्या कार्यकारी विश्वस्त म्हणून २००५पासून काम पाहत आहेत.

Dr. G.V. Pavan Kumar

Scientist, Essayist and Podcaster

Dr. G.V. Pavan Kumar is a professor of physics at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Pune. He is a scientist, essayist and podcaster. His research includes light-matter interaction and the history and philosophy of physics. His writings, including long-form essays, have appeared in various international and Indian publications, including Nature Communications, Journal of the Optical Society of America, Resonance, The India Forum and others. He has been blogging on science and its history and philosophy since 2008, and his podcast, Pratidhvani-Humanizing Science, has been consistently rated as one of the top Indian podcasts on science and its history and philosophy.

Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran

Author
Medha Deshmukh Bhaskaran is the author of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s bestselling biography, Challenging Destiny. She is also the author of Frontiers: The Relentless Battle Between Aurangzeb and Shivaji and Life and Death of Sambhaji, which have been translated into various Indian languages. Her latest, Queen Tara – Kali of the Deccan is about the seven years of war Chhatrapati Shivaji’s daughter-in-law fought with the Mughal Badshah Aurangzeb and defeated him. It was the beginning of the end of the empire. All the above historical fiction and the biography are about how India’s three warriors designed their defence systems and dealt with Aurangzeb from 1656 to 1707. Medha’s books on Mughal Maratha wars are full of politics of war and indestructible spirit of the Marathas.
Her other books are on medical and social subjects. One of them, ‘Up Against Darkness’ has won the FICCI (special jury) award 2024.
Published Books
Unveiling Jazbaa: A History of Pakistan Women’s Cricket
Chasing Like Dhoni: Exploring the Underbelly of Indian Cricket
The Boom Effect: Decoding the Magic of Jasprit Bumrah

Adinath Chavhan

Journalist
आदिनाथ चव्हाण हे गेली पस्तीस वर्ष पत्रकारीतेत आहेत. सकाळ माध्यम समूहात बातमीदारपदापासून सुरू झालेली त्यांची वाटचाल या समूहाच्या ‘ॲग्रोवन’ या कृषिविषयक दैनिकाच्या संपादक संचालक पदापर्यंत पोहोचली. कोल्हापूर जिल्ह्यातील शिरोळ हे त्यांचं मूळ गाव. इथूनच त्यांचा बहुआयामी वाचनप्रवास सुरू झाला. पत्रकारितेच्या प्रदीर्घ कारकिर्दीत त्यांना अनेक मानसन्मान, पुरस्कार लाभले. देशाचे पहिले कृषिमंत्री डॉ. पंजाबराव देशमुख यांनी स्थापन केलेल्या भारत कृषक समाजातर्फे कृषी पत्रकारितेतील उल्लेखनीय कार्याबद्दल विशेष पुरस्कार देऊन गौरव करण्यात आला. त्याचबरोबर त्यांच्या नेतृत्वाखाली ‘ॲग्रोवन’ला राष्ट्रीय पातळीवरील विविध सन्मान, पुरस्कार लाभले. अलंकारिकता टाळणारी साधी प्रवाही भाषा, मनात घर करणारी चपखल शब्दयोजना हे त्यांच्या लिखाणाचं वैशिष्ट्य.

Bhushan Korgaonkar

Writer, Researcher, Theatre Director, and Translator
He has worked closely with Lavani artists since 2002, which led to his award-winning book Sangeet Bari (Rajhans Prakashan, 2014). He has translated Shahu Patole’s Dalit Kitchens of Marathwada (HarperCollins India, 2024).
His fiction often explores themes of sexuality and crime. His food writing has appeared in Loksatta and Mint Lounge, while his erotic stories on Storytel enjoy a wide readership. Through B Spot Productions, he has created acclaimed shows including Lavani Ke Rang andLove & Lavani, along with several workshops. He has also written Marathi and Hindi songs for short films and documentaries.

Prakash Pawar

Author
लेखक प्रा. डॉ. प्रकाश पवार हे शिवाजी विद्यापीठ, कोल्हापूर येथे राज्यशास्त्र विषयाचे प्राध्यापक आहेत. त्यांनी राज्यशास्त्र विषयाचे विभागप्रमुख म्हणून २०१६ ते २०१८ या काळात काम पहिले आहे. शिवाजी विद्यापीठातील ‘गांधी सेंटर’ तसेच ‘दत्ता देशमुख अध्यासन केंद्रा’चे समन्वयक म्हणून ते काम पाहतात. आधुनिक भारतीय राजकीय विचार आणि राजकीय प्रक्रिया, महाराष्ट्रातील राजकारण हे त्यांचे प्रमुख अभ्यासविषय आहेत. त्यांनी शिवाजी महाराजांच्या काळातील मराठा राज्यसंस्थेचे अभ्यासपूर्ण पुनर्विवेचन केले आहे. समाज प्रबोधन पत्रिका, नवभारत, साप्ताहिक सकाळ आदी नियतकालिकांमधून त्यांनी राजकीय विषयांवर वैचारिक लेखन केले आहे. त्यांना राज्यातील विविध संस्थांनी पुरस्कार देऊन सन्मानित करण्यात आले आहे.. अध्यापन आणि संशोधनाचा २९ वर्षांचा अनुभव. सध्या राज्यशास्त्र विषयाचे प्राध्यापक आणि विभाग प्रमुख म्हणून शिवाजी विद्यापीठ, कोल्हापूर येथे कार्यरत. भारतीय राजकीय प्रकिया, नवहिंदुत्व, राजकीय विचारप्रणाली, आघाडीचे राजकारण, स्थानिक शासन संस्थांचे राजकारण आदी विषयांवर अभ्यासपूर्ण लेखन. राजकीय सत्तासंघर्ष व मूल्यसंघर्ष यांविषयीचे त्यांचे आकलन महत्त्वाचे मानले जाते. ‘आयडिया ऑफ इंडिया’, ‘सतराव्या शतकातील राजकीय विचार आणि प्रक्रिया’ हे अभ्यासविषय. जात आणि राजकारण, स्वराज्य संस्थांचे राजकारण, महाराष्ट्र विधानसभा निवडणूक, लोकसभा निवडणूक, राज्यांचे राजकारण आदी विषयांवर तज्ज्ञ म्हणून महाराष्ट्रांतील प्रमुख नियतकालिकांतून लेखन. डिजिटल माध्यमांतून राजकीय विश्लेषणपर चर्चांमध्ये सहभाग. राजकीय संशोधनपर विविध पुस्तकांमध्ये संपादन आणि लेखन सहभाग; विविध चर्चासत्रे आणि परिषदांमध्ये संशोधनपर निबंध वाचन तसेच चर्चांमध्ये सहभाग; विविध राजकीय विषयांवर व्याख्याने प्रकाशित पुस्तके : महाराष्ट्राचे शिल्पकार : डॉ. बाबासाहेब आंबेडकर (२०२३); भारत : संकल्पना, विचार आणि मागोवा (२०२३); भारतीय राज्यसंस्था आणि सामाजिक न्याय (२०२०); काँग्रेसपुढील आव्हाने आणि भाजपचा उदय (२०१६); भारतीय राजकारण आणि नेतृत्वाची वाटचाल (२०१४); समकालीन राजकीय चळवळी : नवहिंदुत्व आणि जातसंघटना (२०१०)

Jibu Elias

AI governance, Policy Researcher and Author
Jibu Elias is an AI governance and policy researcher and author focused on the social, cultural and geopolitical impacts of AI. He co-created India AI, where he led content and research from 2018 to 2023, and is currently India Lead at Mozilla Foundation, a Global Partnership on AI expert, and Responsible AI Fellow at the Stimson Center. He has contributed to AI initiatives at the OECD, UNESCO, World Economic Forum and International Science Council.
Published Books
The New Divide: Power, Control and the Cost of AI (Westland, 2026), examines AI’s political economy and its consequences for the Global South.
The New Divide: Power, Control & the Cost of AI ( Westland Books 2026)
Successful Technology Clusters in the 21st Century (De Gruyter, 2026). – Chapter Contributor

Natasha Sharma

Author
Natasha Sharma writes fiction and essays. Her novels are The Seventh Swar (Pan Macmillan, 2026) and Beneath Divided Skies (Vishwakarma, 2024), and her story “The White Noise Lullaby” won the inaugural Asian Prize for Short Stories in 2024. Her Substack, Silence Unrescued, covers grief, history, culture, and the odd domestic absurdity. She lives in Pune.
Published Books
Beneath Divided Skies, Vishwakarma Publications, 2024
The Seventh Swar, Pan Macmillan India, 2026
The Ninth Circle. Pan Macmillan India, 2026 end)

Mrunalini Vanarase

Author and Educational Facilitator
मृणालिनी वनारसे यांनी पुणे विद्यापीठातून तत्वज्ञान हा विषय घेऊन पारंगत ही पदवी मिळवली आहे. तसेच टिळक महाराष्ट्र विद्यापीठातून संस्कृत तसेच भारतीय विद्या (इंडॉलॉजी) या दोन विषयात देखिल त्यांनी पारंगत पदवी संपादन केलेली आहे. इकॉलॉजीकल सोसायटी या संस्थेचा नैसर्गिक साधनसंपत्तीच्या जोपासनेचा अभासक्रम त्यांनी पूर्ण केला आहे.
गेली सुमारे 20 वर्षे निसर्गशिक्षण आणि नैसर्गिक साधनसंपत्तीचे व्यवस्थापन या क्षेत्रात त्यांनी काम केले आहे. निसर्गातील प्रत्यक्ष कामावर आधारित संशोधनासाठी ‘एन्व्हायरनमेन्टल इक्विटी अँड जस्टीस पार्टनरशिप, फोर्ड फौंडेशन’ या दिल्ली येथील संस्थेची पाठ्यवृत्ती त्यांना मिळालेली आहे. अनेक वर्तमानपत्रे आणि नियतकालिके यातून त्यांनी नियमितपणे लेखन केले आहे. अनेक स्वयंसेवी संस्था, शैक्षणिक संस्थांबरोबर त्यांनी काम केले आहे.
महाराष्ट्र राज्य पाठ्यपुस्तक निर्मिती व अभ्यासक्रम संशोधन मंडळाच्या इयत्ता ११वी व १२वी च्या तत्त्वज्ञान विषयाचे पाठ्यपुस्तक बनविण्याच्या समितीचे अध्यक्ष म्हणून त्यांनी काम पाहिले आहे.
त्यांची आजवर नऊ पुस्तके प्रकाशित झाली आहेत ज्यात ‘प्रतीक’ आणि ‘घाटमाथा’ या कादंबऱ्या आणि ‘आपली भूमी आणि आपण’ हे पारिस्थितिकी विषयाधारित पुस्तक यांचा समावेश होतो. लहान मुलांसाठी लिहिलेल्या ‘प्रश्नांचा दिवस’ या पुस्तकाला बालसाहित्याचा राज्य पुरस्कार लाभला आहे. प्रथम बुक्स या नामांकित संस्थेसाठी त्यांनी लहान मुलांसाठी अनेक पुस्तके भाषांतरित देखील केलेली आहेत.
तूर्तास त्या विज्ञान आणि तत्त्वज्ञान यांचा मेळ घालणारा AWARE नावाचा एक आंतरविद्याशाखीय उपक्रम राबवतात. वैज्ञानिक दृष्टीकोन आणि जीवन हा त्यांच्या संशोधनाचा विषय आहे.

Neha Dixit

Journalist & Author
In nearly two decades of reporting, she has explored intersections of gender, politics, and social justice in South Asia. She has also received the CPJ International Press Freedom Award, Chameli Devi Jain Award, Kurt Schork Award, and Ramnath Goenka Sahithya Samman, among others.
Published Books
The Many lives of Syeda X

Dr. Vidula Mhaiskar

विज्ञान प्रसारक, खेळणी निर्मात्या आणि लेखिका
डॉ. विदुला म्हैसकर या पुण्यातील एक प्रसिद्ध विज्ञान प्रसारक, खेळणी निर्मात्या आणि लेखिका आहेत. त्या कचऱ्यातून किंवा टाकाऊ वस्तूंपासून शाश्वत आणि पर्यावरणपूरक शैक्षणिक खेळणी बनवण्यासाठी ओळखल्या जातात. सोपी, सुंदर, विज्ञान खेळणी बनवूया हातात कौशल्य असणं ही मोठी समाधानाची बाब असते. ते मिळवत, विज्ञानाची तत्त्व, दैनंदिन व्यवहारातल्या अनुभवांशी जोडत, सहकार्याने खेळणी बनवूया. कार्यशाळेत निरनिराळ्या काठिण्यपातळीची 10 खेळणी तयार करू.

Alok Nirantar

एडिटोरियल कार्टूनिस्ट
आलोक 2011 पासून सकाळ मीडिया ग्रुपचा एडिटोरियल कार्टूनिस्ट आहे. वयाच्या पंधराव्या वर्षी त्याच्या व्यंगचित्रांचं पाहिलं पुस्तक आलं. त्या पुस्तकाची प्रस्तावना आर के लक्ष्मण, अमिताभ बच्चन, एपीजे अब्दुल कलाम यांनी लिहिली! वयाच्या सोळाव्या वर्षी आलोक रोटरी क्लबच्या युथ एक्सचेंज प्रोग्राम अंतर्गत कॅनडाला गेला. कॅनडाच्या राजकारणावर त्याने काढलेली व्यंगचित्रं बघून कॅनडाच्या पंतप्रधाननी त्याला पत्र लिहिले. बेंगलूरू येथील कॉलेज ऑफ फाईन आर्टस् मध्ये त्याने विज्युअल आर्टचे शिक्षण घेतले. त्याचबरोबर न्यू इंडियन एक्सप्रेस वृत्तपत्रासाठी कार्टूनिस्ट म्हणून काम केले. 2013, 2016 आणि 2018 चा माया कामत ‘एक्सेललेंस इन पोलिटिकल कार्टूनिंग ‘ हा नामांकित पुरस्कार त्याला मिळाला. पुणे, बेंगलूरू, कॅनडामध्ये आलोकच्या व्यंगचित्रांची प्रदर्शने भरली. त्यातील दोन प्रदर्शनाचे उदघाटन त्याचे गुरु आर के लक्ष्मण यांनी केले. ब्रश हा तलवारीपेक्षा प्रभावी आहे असं त्याचं मत आहे. पण ब्रशचा वापर जमेल तितका फक्त गुदगुल्या करण्यासाठीच केला पाहिजे असंही तो म्हणतो.

Shriram Pawar

पत्रकार व राजकीय विश्लेषक
श्रीराम पवार हे प्रसिद्ध पत्रकार व राजकीय विश्लेषक असून, त्यांनी पत्रकारिता क्षेत्रातील विविध पदांवर २८ वर्षे काम पाहिले आहे. सध्या सकाळ माध्यम समूहाचे संपादक संचालक म्हणून ते कार्यरत आहेत. त्यांनी राज्य आणि राष्ट्रीय स्तरावरील महत्त्वाच्या घटना-घडामोडींचे, तसेच देशभरातील निवडणुकांचे दीर्घकाळ अभ्यासपूर्ण वार्तांकन केले आहे. राजकीय, सामाजिक, सहकार, आर्थिक क्षेत्रांसह नागरीकरण, पर्यावरण, दहशतवाद आदी विषयांवर ते सातत्याने लेखन करत असून, शोधपत्रकारिता आणि विश्लेषणात्मक लेखनासाठी ते परिचित आहेत. श्रीराम पवार यांनी ‘मंथन’, ‘जागर’, ‘पॉवर पॉइंट’, ‘करंट अंडरकरंट’इत्यादी वृत्तपत्रीय स्तंभांसाठी केलेले अभ्यासपूर्ण स्तंभलेखन वाचकप्रिय ठरले आहे.धुमाळी- ‘करंट- अंडरकरंट’, राजपाठ ‘वेध राष्ट्रीय घडामोडींचा, ‘जगाच्या अंगणात’ – वेध आंतरराष्ट्रीय घडामोडींचा’, ‘मोदीपर्व’, ‘ड्रॅगन उभा दारी’ या राज्य-राष्ट्रीय-आंतरराष्ट्रीय स्तरावरीलघटना-घडामोडीचे विश्लेषण करणाऱ्या पुस्तकाचे लेखन तसेच, ‘संवादकांती’ या तंत्रज्ञानावर आधारित नवमाध्यमांतील आशयनिर्मितीवरील पुस्तकाचे संपादन त्यांनी केले आहे.

Amish Raj Mulmi

Author
Amish Raj Mulmi is the author of All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China, selected by the Guardian as ‘Books that Explain the World’ in 2021. He has written for think-tanks such as the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, and for publications including the New York Review of Books, History Today, Al Jazeera, Mint Lounge, Himal Southasian and The Kathmandu Post. He is a contributing editor at Himal Southasian and a visiting fellow at Centre for Social Innovation and Foreign Policy. He is consulting editor at Writer’s Side Literary Agency. He is currently working on historical mobility in the Himalaya.
Published Books
All Roads Lead North: Nepal’s Turn to China (Context India/Hurst UK/Oxford University Press US)
Chapters in:
Where the Gods Dwell: Thirteen Temples and their (Hi)stories, Himalayan Arc: Journeys South of South-East
Shared Bonds, Strategic Interests: India-Nepal Relations in a Strategic World

Rajiv Tambe

लेखक, कवी, नाटककार आणि पत्रकार
राजीव तांबे हे बहुपुरस्कारप्राप्त लेखक, कवी, नाटककार आणि पत्रकार आहेत. ते सातत्याने मुलांसाठी काम करत असून त्यांच्यासाठी लेखन करणे, अभिनव पद्धतींनी त्यांना शिकवणे, शिक्षकांना मार्गदर्शन व प्रशिक्षण देणे, तसेच पालकांशी संवाद साधून त्यांचे समुपदेशन करणे अशी विविध कामे ते करत आहेत.
त्यांच्या पद्धती वैशिष्ट्यपूर्ण आणि नाविन्यपूर्ण आहेत. त्या पुस्तकातील कोरड्या आणि साचेबद्ध सिद्धांतांवर आधारित नसून त्यांच्या समृद्ध आणि विविध अनुभवातून विकसित झालेल्या आहेत. त्यांच्या कार्यात प्रामाणिकपणा जाणवत असल्याने श्रोते आणि वाचक त्यांच्याशी सहजपणे जोडले जातात.

Harinidh Kaur

Author, Investor and Cultural Critic
Harnidh Kaur is an author, investor and cultural critic whose work explores women, ambition, power and the systems shaping modern life. She is the author of The Girls Are Not Fine, a Penguin title on the hidden costs of ambition, careers and becoming, and two poetry collections, The Inability of Words and The Ease of Forgetting. Formerly Head of Fund at WTFund, she has built products at Swiggy and worked across India’s startup ecosystem. A Schwarzman Scholar, Harnidh has spoken at Harvard Business School and the University of Michigan. Essays and commentary reach readers across social media and her newsletter.
Published Books
The Girls Are Not Fine: The Cost of Ambition, Careers and Becoming — Penguin, 2026
The Ease of Forgetting — Thought Catalog Books
The Inability of Words — Writers Workshop India, 2016

Anurang Minus Verma

Writer, Artist, Filmmaker and Cultural Critic
He is the author of The Great Indian Brain Rot: Love, Lies and Algorithms in Digital India, published by Bloomsbury. His essays and commentary have appeared in The New York Times, BBC World, The Indian Express, The Times of India, Mint and Newslaundry. He hosts the Anurag Minus Verma Podcast, a show exploring politics, culture and internet life. He teaches visual culture as visiting faculty at IIM Lucknow.
Published Books
The Great Indian Brain Rot: Love, Lies and Algorithms in Digital India
Moon Pizza

Probal Dasgupta

Author
A former infantry officer with 11 Gorkha Rifles, DasGupta’s books bring a storyteller’s eye to the worlds of war, power and personality. His recent book General Brasstacks: The Sundarji Story revisits the life of one of India’s most unconventional generals and the turbulent landscape of the 1980s. His first book Watershed 1967 recovers India’s little-remembered victory over China, while Camouflaged illuminates the human stories behind the battlefield. A columnist and institution builder, DasGupta is also the founder of MaxCity Literature Festival, bringing literature into conversation with history and ideas.
Published Books
General Brasstacks: The Sundarji Story
Watershed 1967: India’s Forgotten Victory over China
Camouflaged: Forgotten Stories from Battlefields

Nitin Thorat

कादंबरीकार, कथालेखक आणि माजी उपसंपादक
आपल्या वेगळ्या लेखनशैलीने आणि ऐतिहासिक तसेच सामाजिक विषयांवरील पुस्तकांमुळे त्यांनी मराठी वाचक जगतात स्वतःची एक वेगळी ओळख निर्माण केली आहे.

ऐतिहासिक व सामाजिक कादंबऱ्या: उंबरखिंड, लाल महाल, शंभू, साधू, खंडोबा, अंबालक्ष्मी, कांचनबारी, कोप, खजाना, दख्खनचा राजा – ज्योतिबा.
कथासंग्रह आणि मालिका: सोंग, पुढचं सोंग, पेटलेलं मोरपीस (भाग १ आणि २), खुशबू, कल्पी
ऑडिओ बुक्स क्षेत्रात योगदान:
छापील पुस्तकांसोबतच नितीन थोरात यांचे साहित्य डिजिटल माध्यमातूनही लोकांपर्यंत पोहोचले आहे. Storytel आणि Audible सारख्या मोठ्या प्लॅटफॉर्म्सवर त्यांची ‘नितीन थोरात लय जोरात’, ‘गण्या लव्हज कॅरोलिना’, ‘Umbarkhind’ आणि ‘Petlela Morpis’ ही ऑडिओ बुक्स कमालीची लोकप्रिय ठरली आहेत.

Mitra Desai

Journalist & Author
World history is missing its sources. Mitra Desai spends her working life putting them back, across decolonisation, the history of medicine and technology. Straddling India and Australia, she challenges received accounts with meticulously researched evidence. She is the author of Sitala: The Indian Roots of Vaccination, foreword by Dr Anand Ranganathan, and The Flag of Ananta: In Sugriva’s Footsteps, foreword by Nilesh Nilkanth Oak, both from Sakal Publications. She contributed a chapter to the Maharshi Sushruta Compendium: Father of Surgery. Her documentary The Forgotten Father won a national award in 2026. She writes at Tejomaya Bharat.
Published Books
Sitala: The Indian Roots of Vaccination, Sakal Publications. Foreword by Dr Anand Ranganathan
The Flag of Ananta: In Sugriva’s Footsteps, Sakal Publications. Foreword by Nilesh Nilkanth Oak
Contributed chapter, “Recognition and Inquiry: Sushruta in Medical History”, Maharshi Sushruta Compendium: Father of Surgery, ed. Prof Chandra V. N. Cheruvu

Sanjay Dhole

विज्ञान कथा-कादंबरीकार, लेखक आणि सावित्रीबाई फुले पुणे विद्यापीठात भौतिकशास्त्र – वरिष्ठ प्राध्यापक आणि संचालक (विद्यार्थी/माजी विद्यार्थी कल्याण विभाग)
आण्विक भौतिकशास्त्र (Nuclear Physics), अ‍ॅक्सिलरेटर, रेडिएशन फिजिक्स आणि नॅनो मटेरियल्स या क्षेत्रात त्यांनी मोठे संशोधन केले असून ३०० हून अधिक शोधनिबंध प्रकाशित झाले आहेत.
डॉ. संजय ढोले यांनी मराठी साहित्यात विज्ञान कथा आणि विज्ञान लेखनाला एक वेगळी उंची प्राप्त करून दिली आहे:
‘डिंभक’, ‘अंतरातील मृत्यू’, ‘अश्मजीव’, ‘अवकाशातील दूत आणि इतर कथा’, ‘झाडाचं गुपित आणि इतर कथा’ आणि ५०० हून अधिक विज्ञानविषयक लेख आणि ६ विज्ञान-कथा पुस्तके प्रकाशित झाली आहेत. त्यांच्या साहित्याला महाराष्ट्र शासनाच्या पुरस्कारांसह एकूण ११ साहित्य पुरस्कार मिळाले आहेत.

Sujay Jadhav

Rapper, Poet, Author, Screenwriter, Playwright, Lyricist, and Actor
Sujay Jadhav, who raps under the name Sujay Jibberish, is a rapper, poet, author, screenwriter, playwright, lyricist, and actor working across literature, cinema, theatre, and music. His work blends unconventional storytelling, a distinct Marathi sensibility, and an experimental creative voice. He is the author of Jibberish Katha, a collection of eleven short stories, and has contributed to films including Chitthi, Ye Re Ye Re Paisa 3, and YKN. From Marathi hip-hop to theatre and screenwriting, Sujay explores diverse forms of expression, bringing curiosity, irreverence, and a willingness to challenge conventional narratives to his work.

Neeraja

कवयित्री, कथालेखिका, स्तंभलेखक, कादंबरीकार,संपादक
आपल्या लेखनातून स्त्रीवादी तसेच सामाजिक व राजकीय भान व्यक्त करणारी कवयित्री, कथालेखिका, स्तंभलेखक, कादंबरीकार,संपादक.
इंग्रजी विषयात पदव्युत्तर शिक्षण घेतलेल्या नीरजा यांची एकूण एकोणीस पुस्तकं प्रकाशित आहेत.
‘थिजलेल्या काळाचे अवशेष’ या कादंबरीबरोबरच सहा कवितासंग्रह, पाच कथासंग्रह, चार ललितलेख संग्रह.,आणि तीन संपादित पुस्तकं प्रकाशित झाली आहेत.
आजपर्यंत कवयित्री व लेखिका म्हणून एकूण कामगिरीसाठी तसेच विविध कवितासंग्रह व कथासंग्रह, कादंबरी यांना महाराष्ट्र राज्य शासनाचे एकूण सहा तसेच महाराष्ट्र फाऊंडेशन , केशवराव कोठावळे , लोकमत, मास्टर दिनानाथ मंगेशकर, शाहीर अण्णाभाऊ साठे इत्यादी २८ पुरस्कार प्राप्त. विविध साहित्यिक, सामाजिक कार्यक्रमात तसेच संस्थात कार्यरत.
या आधी सानेगुरुजी राष्ट्रीय स्मारक ट्रस्ट च्या विश्वस्त व अध्यक्ष म्हणून तसेच शिक्षक साहित्य संमेलन संस्थेच्या अध्यक्ष, ग्रंथाली प्रकाशनाच्या विश्वस्त म्हणून काम केले आहे. सध्या साने गुरुजी राष्ट्रीय स्मारक ट्रस्ट च्या आंतरभारती अनुवाद सुविधा केंद्राच्या अध्यक्ष आहेत.
विविध संस्थानी घेतलेल्या एकूण आठ साहित्य संमेलनाचे अध्यक्षपद भूषविले आहे. काही कथा, कविता तसेच कथासंग्रह, कवितासंग्रह विविध विद्यापीठांच्या अभ्यासक्रमात समाविष्ट केले आहेत. तसेच कथा कवितांचे विविध भारतीय भाषांत अनुवाद झाले आहेत.

Pamela Puja Kirpalani

Author
Pamela Puja Kirpalani- recognized among Southeast Asia’s Top 10 NLP Coaches- is a sought-after NLP Life Coach & Trainer as well as the acclaimed author of two books WHOLE: 11 Universal Truths for An Inspired Life & The Book of Daily Brilliance. She is an influential voice in behavioural psychology and neuro-behaviour.
Since 2014, her Singapore-based consulting firm, Inner High Living, has worked across a wide spectrum of corporates, government institutions and private peer networks. Her client portfolio includes Changi Airport Group, WeWork, The Coffee Bean, the Singapore Police Force, and global communities such as YPO, WPO and YEO. In India, she has delivered engagements across FMCG, IT Consulting, Manufacturing, Fitness and F&B sectors.
Pamela is certified by the ABNLP (Australian Board of Neuro-Linguistic Programming), is an IEMT (Integrated Eye Movement Technique) Practitioner, and is a member of both APSS Singapore and the NLP Association of Singapore. She is also certified by Harvard Business School in “Power & Influence for Positive Impact.”
Her distinctive style of facilitation and workshop design has earned her mainstream media recognition. She has been featured by BBC World, Forbes India, Channel NewsAsia Radio, BIG FM, Expat Living, The Straits Times, Entrepreneur.com, The Economic Times, Vogue, Cosmopolitan and more.

Rajan Gavas

कादंबरीकार, कवी, समीक्षक आणि विचारवंत
डॉ. राजन गवस हे मराठी साहित्यातील एक साहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार विजेते नामवंत कादंबरीकार, कवी, समीक्षक आणि विचारवंत आहेत. ग्रामीण जीवन आणि सामाजिक प्रश्नांवर प्रखर भाष्य करणारे लेखक म्हणून ते ओळखले जातात.
Published Books
तणकट: या प्रसिद्ध कादंबरीसाठी त्यांना २००१ चा साहित्य अकादमी पुरस्कार मिळाला.
चौंडकं आणि भंडारभोग: देवदासी व जोगती प्रथेचे भीषण वास्तव मांडणाऱ्या या त्यांच्या अत्यंत गाजलेल्या कादंबऱ्या आहेत. त्यांच्या भंडारभोग कादंबरीवर आधारित ‘जोगवा’ या मराठी चित्रपटाला राष्ट्रीय चित्रपट पुरस्कार मिळाले आहेत.
इतर कादंबऱ्या: धिंगाणा, कळप, ब-बळीचा.

Kalyani Sardesai

Journalist, author, biographer, social chronicler, feminist reteller of myths and history writer
Kalyani Sardesai wears many hats with ease, combining a reporter’s inquisitiveness with a storyteller’s aplomb. She ranges from social issues in Child of My Heart: A Comprehensive Guide to Adoption in India and When Love is Lost: Cases from the Family Courts of a Changing India, to management lessons in Mom-Made with Love, to history in the bestselling Punyakatha: Pune’s Story of a Million Years, to a bigger canvas in Gift of the Sahyadris: The Story and Glory of Maharashtra, tracing its unbroken journey from 1st century CE to May 1960. Twenty-four years in journalism and degrees in economics, literature, advertising and journalism make versatility her calling card.
Published Books
Gift of the Sahyadris: The Story and Glory of Maharashtra
When Love is Lost: Cases from the Family Courts of a Changing India
Child of My Heart: A Comprehensive Guide to Adoption in India (second edition)
Punyakatha: Pune’s Story of a Million Years
Mom-Made with Love: Recipes on Life, Business and Enterprise (co-authored with Gaurav Gite)
Enable: An Occupational Therapist’s Journey (co-authored with Dr Aruna Tole)
From Being to Becoming: A Son of Nature
Dog Knows: Golden Words of Canine Wisdom

Siddhesh Gautam

Mixed-media artist, designer, writer, poet and Ambedkarite
Siddhesh Gautam is a Delhi-based multidisciplinary mixed-media artist, designer, writer, poet and Ambedkarite. Working across illustration, text and visual storytelling, his practice centres on the visual documentation of the anti-caste movement, while engaging with questions of climate justice, gender equality, memory, and identity. His work challenges dominant narratives and imagines worlds rooted in dignity, equality, liberty, and fraternity. His writings and artworks have appeared in publications including the BBC, The Wire, and The Hindu. He is the author of The Blue Book: An Anti-Caste Graphic Novel and The Day I Crossed the Mighty Ramganga.
Published Books
The Blue Book: An Anti-Caste Graphic Novel — Penguin Random House India.
The Day I Crossed the Mighty Ramganga — Duckbill, an imprint of Penguin Random House India.

Christopher C. Doyle

Author
Christopher C. Doyle is an author whose research-based fiction explores themes from the Mahabharata and ancient history.
In addition to his bestselling series, he creates acclaimed audio shows based on historical mysteries and mythology.
Published Books
The Mahabharata Quest series
Book 1: The Alexander Secret (2014)
Book 2: The Secret of the Druids (2016)
Book 3: The Khandavaprastha Conspiracy (2022)
The Pataala Prophecy series
Book 1: Son of Bhrigu (2018)
Book 2: The Mists of Brahma (2019)
Book 3: Sword of Fire (2025)

Prequel to The Mahabharata Quest series: The Mahabharata Secret (2013)
Mahabharata: The Itihasa series
Book 1: The Curse of the Kurus (2026)
AUDIBLE ORIGINALS
The Magadha Mystery (2022)
The Pandava Riddle Season 1 (2025)

R. Raj Rao

Writer
R. Raj Rao ironically calls himself a G7 writer, i e. a writer whose work is known in all the G7 countries of the world, comprising the UK, USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan. He is credited with many firsts. His novel The Boyfriend is India’s first gay novel. The film BomGay, based on his poems, is India’s first poetry film. His biography of Nissim Ezekiel is the first ever biography of a post-independence Indian English poet. And his co-translation of transgender activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi’s autobiography, titled Me Hijra, Me Laxmi, is only the second hijra autobiography in English, after Revathi’s The Truth About Me: A Hijra Life Story. Rao has been a literature professor for close to half a century, and is former head of the English department at Savitribai Phule Pune University. In recent months, Rao has been a vocal supporter of the Cockroach Janta Party, writing one of the first op-ed columns on the movement, and following it up with several other editorial and guest columns.

Mayur Didolkar

Author, screenwriter and entrepreneur
Mayur Didolkar’s interests range from stand up comedy to political commentary and from endurance sports to history of the 20th century. Mayur has published five novels, two novellas and over forty short stories. In fiction writing he likes to explore the ever blurring boundaries between mysteries and supernatural, between thriller and horror. He resides in Pune.
Published Books

Kumbhpur Rising
The Dark Road- first book in the Prasanna Killedar series
Tears for Strangers
A Bad Place
The Storyteller- second book in the Prasanna Killedar series.

Arun Shevte

Poet, Writer, and Editor
Published Books
त्यांनी ‘कावळ्यांच्या कविता’, ‘तळघर’, ‘राजघाट’, ‘सई मालवणकर’, ‘पंतप्रधानांना पत्र’, ‘सफिया बेगम’, ‘कालिंदी’, ‘पाऊस’, ‘ऋतुरंग’, ‘संदर्भ’, ‘आईच्या कविता’, ‘कवितेच्या कविता’, ‘फुलवेडी’, ‘राधेचा पाऊस’ आणि ‘शर्वरीच्या कविता’ हे कवितासंग्रह लिहिले आहेत.

Ankit Kawade

Author
Ankit Kawade is a PhD student at the Department of Political Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. He broadly works in the field of comparative political theory, and he is mainly interested in modern Indian, European, and American political thought. He completed his MA and MPhil from the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. He is also a Graduate Associate at the Association for Global Political Thought, Harvard University.
Published Books
The Ambedkar–Nietzsche Provocations: The Genius of the Chandala and the Gospel of the Superman (Navayana, 2026)

Dr. Sangeeta Barve

Poet & Author

कवितासंग्रह
मृगतृष्णा (१९९७) – पद्मगंधा प्रकाशन
दिवसाच्या वाटेवरून (२००७) – पॉप्युलर प्रकाशन
अंतरीच्या गर्भी (२०१९) ज्योत्स्ना प्रकाशन
सर्जनात्मक हस्तक्षेप( 2025)अनुवाद – ज्ञानपीठ पुरस्काराने सन्मानित कवी केदारनाथ सिंह यांच्या 50 कवितांचा अनुवाद – संस्कृती प्रकाशन
बालसाहित्य
प्रांजूच्या गोष्टी
गंमत झाली भारी
उजेडाचा गाव
रानफुले
झाडआजोबा
खारुताई आणि सावलीबाई
हुर्रे हूप
मिनूचे मनोगत
भोपळ्याची बी – चित्रकथा
बांबूच्या बनात चित्रकथा
नलदमयंती आणि इतर कथा
पियूची वही
माझं आजोळ (पियूची वही -भाग दोन )
पाठ्यपुस्तकातील कवितीचा रसास्वाद ( पाचवी ते दहावी सहा पुस्तकांचा संच )
कचऱ्याचा राक्षस आणि ग्रीनी
अदितीची साहसी सफर (अनुवादित )
मुकुट कुणाचा? (अनुवादित )
झिपरु
बच्चों की फुलवारी- हिंदी
व्हिसीडी, ध्वनीफिती
थोडे धुके थोडे ऊन
या रे या सारे गाऊ या
गंमत झाली भारी
बच्चों की फुलवारी व इतर

Prafulla Wankhede

Author, Founder and Chairman. Kelvin Energy Solutions
गेल्या दोन दशकांपासून औष्णिक ऊर्जा, विविध इंधनांचे सुरक्षित ज्वलन, ऊर्जा संवर्धन या क्षेत्रांतील एक सुपरिचित नाव…. ‘केल्हिन व लिक्विगॅस सह पाच कंपन्यांचे संस्थापक व अध्यक्ष, भारतात आणि १८ देशांत त्यांच्या कंपन्या व्यवसाय करतात. सर्वसामान्य मराठी कुटुंबात जन्मलेल्या प्रफुल्ल यांच्याकडे उद्योगाचा परंपरागत वारसा नव्हताः भांडवल उभे करायला कुठले बळ नव्हते. अशा आव्हानात्मक आणि विपरीत परिस्थितीतही संधी शोधत प्रफुल्ल यांनी उद्योग उभा केला, वाढवला. टाटा, महिंद्र, वेदांता, बजाज, एलअँडटी, गोदरेज, सिमेन्स, केलॉग्स, मर्सिडीज बेंझ, आयटीसी, ब्लूस्टार आयशर व्होल्वो, आर्सेलर मित्तल, पार्ले, कमिन्स, ब्रिटानिया, सिप्ला, कोलगेट, डाबर, बाटा हिल्टन तसेच एचपीसीएल, आयओसीएल या इंधन क्षेत्रातील बलाढ्य अशा भारतीय आणि मल्टिनॅशनल कंपन्या त्यांचे नियमित ग्राहक आहेत.. इंधन ज्वलन क्षेत्रातील आंतरराष्ट्रीय तंत्रज्ञान, नियम व मानदंड भारतात प्रस्थापित करण्यात प्रफुल्ल यांचा महत्त्वाचा वाटा आहे. ते केंद्र सरकारच्या BIS कमिटीतील मेकॅनिकल इंजिनिअरिंग विभागाच्या तांत्रिक समितीचे, तसेच जागतिक एलपीजी असोसिएशनचे सदस्य आहेत. सोशल मीडियाच्या जगात जिथं लोक मनोरंजनात व्यग्र आहेत तिथे प्रफुल्ल आर्थिक साक्षरता आणि उद्यमशीलतेचे धडे देत असतात. ‘लेट्स रीड’ या सशक्त वाचन चळवळीचे ते प्रणेते आहेत. योग्य पद्धतीने पैसा मिळवणं, वाढवणं आणि समृद्ध जगण्यासाठी तो खर्च करणं यासाठी मूल्य, संस्कार रुजवण्याचे काम प्रफुल्ल वानखेडे अथक करत असतात.

Shyam (Samuel) Konnur

Trailblazing LGBTQ+ and Human Rights Activist
He battled with his sexuality as a teenager amidst a lack of awareness and a society where acceptance and visibility were scarce.
He eventually accepted his identity, realizing the importance of being true to oneself and recognizing the struggles of others facing similar challenges.
Awards and Recognition
Winner of Entrepreneurs Today 40 Under 40 Awards 2022.
Lokmat LGBTQ Digital Influencer Award Winner (2022).
Pune Mirror Hall of Fame Award for Sustainable Work in LGBTQ Empowerment.
World HRD 101 Diversity & Inclusion Award.

Safeena Husain

Author
A social impact leader and author, Safeena Husain is the Founder of Educate Girls, an Indian non-profit that mobilises communities to improve access to education for girls in some of India’s most underserved regions.
For nearly two decades, she has championed community-led solutions that have helped enrol more than 2.2 million out-of-school girls and improve learning outcomes for over 2.5 million children. She also pioneered the world’s first Development Impact Bond in education and led Educate Girls to become Asia’s first organisation selected for TED’s Audacious Project.
In 2026, Safeena published Every Last Girl: A Journey to Educate India’s Forgotten Daughters, which chronicles the journey of building Educate Girls and the movement to ensure every girl has access to education. The same year, she was named one of TIME Women of the Year. In 2025, she led Educate Girls to become the first Indian non-profit to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 2024, she received an honorary doctorate from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and in 2023, she became the first Indian woman to receive the WISE Prize for Education.
Her vision is to empower 10 million learners over the next decade through scalable, community-driven solutions.

Tejashree Ingwale

Shona Urvashi

Artist
Shona Urvashi is a multidisciplinary artist working in film, theatre, dance, photography, writing prose and poetry. Her work explores transformation, identity, and the pulse of modern life. She brings a cinematic lens and emotional precision to her writing. Her written word inhibits the threshold between science and spirit, sensuality and stillness, She seeks the human experience inside every paradox she explores. She has previously written and directed two Bollywood feature films, Saas Bahu Sensex for Warner Bros India and the independent success Chupke se. Her first book as a poet, “Chocolate and Spare Change- Guilty pleasures of the city soul” is soon to be published through Penguin Publishing. She has previously also been a curator of film at Waves Mumbai and Waves NFDC Bazaar Goa. As well as an advisor to the Hydra Art and Cinema Festival.
Published Books
Chocolate and Spare Change- Guilty pleasures of the city soul

Sameena Dalwai

Law Professor and Writer

Subodh Javdekar

Science Fiction Writer
सुबोध प्रभाकर जावडेकर हे मराठी भाषेत लिहिणारे एक विज्ञान कथा लेखक आहेत. पुण्याच्या फर्ग्युसन महाविद्यालयातून इंटर झाल्यावर त्यांनी मुंबई आयआयटी मधून १९७१ साली रसायन अभियांत्रिकीची पदवी मिळवली. त्यांनतर एसीसी, हिंदुस्तान लिव्हर, स्टँडर्ड अल्कली व जेकब्स या कंपन्यांमध्ये सदतीस वर्षे नोकरी करून २००८ साली जनरल मॅनेजर या पदावरून ते निवृत्त झाले.
त्यांनतर एसीसी, हिंदुस्तान लिव्हर, स्टँडर्ड अल्कली व जेकब्स या कंपन्यांमध्ये सदतीस वर्षे नोकरी करून २००८ साली जनरल मॅनेजर या पदावरून ते निवृत्त झाले.जावडेकरांनी सुमारे शंभरएक विज्ञानकथा लिहिल्या आहेत.
जावडेकरांच्या विज्ञानकथा विज्ञानाच्या भक्कम पायावर उभ्या असतात आणि तरीही रूढ विज्ञानकथांपेक्षा वेगळ्या असतात. त्या माणसांच्या कथा असतात. अरुण साधूंच्या शब्दांत ‘त्यांत विज्ञान, तंत्रज्ञानाने प्रगत झालेल्या परिसरातील व्यक्तींमधील नातेसंबंधाला नव्याने दिलेल्या परिमाणांचे चित्रण असते. आपल्या कथांमधून भोवतालच्या वास्तवाचे नेमके पण भेदक दर्शन घडवत असतानाच जावडेकर भविष्याचा, येणाऱ्या घटनांचा अचूक वेध घेतात. नवकथा आणि विज्ञानकथा यांच्या संकरातून साकार झालेली सुबोध जावडेकरांची वेगळा मार्ग शोधणारी कथा आहे.
त्यांच्या काही कथांमध्ये संगणकांचे आक्रमण मानवी जीवनावर कसे होत आहे त्याचे कल्पकतापूर्ण चित्र येते. त्यातून निर्माण होणाऱ्या नैतिक समस्याही ते हाताळतात. ‘आकांत ही त्यांची कादंबरी भोपाळ येथे झालेल्या वायू दुर्घटनेवर आधारित आहे. त्यांचा विज्ञान विषयक व्यासंग आणि सामान्यांना त्याचा खुसखुशीत पद्धतीने परिचय करून देण्याची हातोटी यांचे दर्शन या पुस्तकांतून घडते.[८]अचूक वैज्ञानिक माहिती आणि प्रभावी कल्पनाशक्ती ह्यांचा उत्तम मेळ त्यांच्या लेखनात घातलेला असतो.
मेंदूविज्ञान आणि मानवी वर्तन या विषयावर त्यांनी अनेक व्याख्याने दिली .सुबोध जावडेकरांची २०१८ सालापर्यंत १९ पुस्तके प्रसिद्ध झाली आहेत.

Pavan Nalat

Poet
संपूर्ण देशात मानाचा मानल्या जाणाऱ्या साहित्य क्षेत्रातील भारत सरकारचा युवा साहित्य अकादमी हा राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार विजेते ते विदर्भातील पहिले आहेत .
त्यांच्या “मी संदर्भ पोखरतोय” या कवितासंग्रहासाठी त्यांना हा पुरस्कार मिळाला आहे .
शिक्षण: डी.एड,एम.ए ,एम.फिल, नेट-सेट संत गाडगे बाबा अमरावती विद्यापिठाच्या बी.ए प्रथमवर्ष साठी कवितेचा समावेश . (मराठी)
कवितासंग्रहाला मिळालेले पुरस्कार
  • साहित्य अकादेमी युवा पुरस्कार २०२२, राष्ट्रीय पुरस्कार,नवी दिल्ली
  • यशवंतराव चव्हाण सेंटर यांचा मनाचा यशवंतराव चव्हाण राज्यस्तरीय युवा पुरस्कार २०२२ -२०२३
  • विदर्भ साहित्य संघाचा उत्कृष्ट वाड्मय निर्मितीसाठी साहित्य लेखन पुरस्कार २०२१
  • महाराष्ट्र साहित्य परिषद,पुणे,शाखा पाचोराआणि प्राचार्य डॉ.किसन पाटील ज्ञानपरंपरा यांचा मानाचा प्राचार्य किसनराव पाटील राज्यस्तरीय वाड्मय पुरस्कार २०२१
  • काव्यरसिक मंडळ, डोंबिवली चा स्व.अनिल साठ्ये स्मृती सर्वोत्कृष्ट काव्यसंग्रह पुरस्कार २०२२
  • महाराष्ट्र साहित्य परिषद पुणे,शाखा- सिन्नर .यांचा सर्वोत्कृष्ट काव्यसंग्रह राज्यस्तरीय वाड्मय पुरस्कार २०२२
  • बेळगावचा प्रतिष्ठेचा कृ.ब निकुंब काव्यसंग्रह पुरस्कार २०२१
  • अभिव्यक्ती वैदर्भीय लेखिका संस्था, नागपूर यांचा सर्वोत्कृष्ट कवितासंग्रह पुरस्कार २०२२
कवितासंग्रह
मी संदर्भ पोखरतोय – राजहंस प्रकाशन ,पुणे २०२१

Parth MN

Journalist
Parth MN, Independent journalist based in Mumbai. He predominantly writes on human rights for various Indian and International publications. For his work, he’s received over 20 journalism awards and fellowships, including European Commission’s Lorenzo Natali Media Prize and Editor’s Guild’s Prem Bhatia Award.

DR. Rupali Shinde

Professor
डाॅ. रूपाली शं. शिंदे या पुणे येथील फर्ग्युसन कॉलेज मधील मराठी विभागाच्या प्रमुख आणि सहयोगी प्राध्यापक आहेत. मराठी अभ्यास मंडळाच्या अध्यक्षा आहेत. त्यांनी सावित्रीबाई फुले पुणे विद्यापीठातून एम.फिल.आणि पीएचडी पदवी प्राप्त केली आहे. त्यांना साधारणपणे २८ वर्षांचा अध्यापनाचा अनुभव आहे.
त्यांचा मुख्य अभ्यास आणि संशोधनाचा भर मराठी साहित्य, स्त्रीवादी साहित्य आणि संत साहित्य आहे.

Amrita Tripathi

Author and Award-winning Former Journalist

Amrita Tripathi is an author and award-winning former journalist, with over 20 years of experience in the Media and Tech. Tripathi is the founder of a new imprint and interdisciplinary thought leadership studio, Say Again Press, the founder of The Health Collective, a pioneering platform that focuses on storytelling and mental health with an India lens, and the former head of Content Partnerships for Twitter India.
She has authored 3 novels, most recently The Other Sister, and has co-authored 4 works of non-fiction in the mental health space, focused on young mental health, depression, anxiety, and India’s suicide crisis.
She hosts the podcast, Say Again and is also a member of FICCI’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) Taskforce.

Ravikant Kisana

Author
Ravikant Kisana, author of the book Meet the Savarnas, podcasts and performs under the moniker ‘Buffalo Intellectual’. His expertise lies in cultural studies and ethnographic research grounded in critical caste studies. He is closely associated with grassroots organizations that work with students from oppressed caste and tribal backgrounds. He has previously taught at FLAME University, Woxsen University, IIM Kozhikode, and NLSIU Bangalore, among others.
Published Books
Meet the Savarnas

Sundeep Waslekar

Author, Thought Leader

Sundeep Waslekar is a thought leader on the global future. He has worked with more than 70 countries, the United Nations and the European Council under the auspices of the Strategic Foresight Group. He is the author of A World without War published by HarperCollins India (2022) in French as Entre Guerre et Paix by CNRS Editions (2023), in Spanish as Un mundo sin guerra by Nola Editores (2025), and in Marathi as Yudhha Nakarnare Jag by Rajhans Prakashan (2025). He is the author of Eka Dishecha Shodh, a bestselling book with 25 editions and translations in Hindi and Urdu.

Dr. Aruna Dhere

Poet, fiction and creative non-fiction writer, and critic
कवयित्री, कथा व वैचारिक ललित लेखिका, समीक्षक म्हणून अरुणा ढेरे यांची ओळख आहे. लेखनातून त्या मानवी जीवनातील विविध नातेसंबंध आणि मानवी वर्तन यांमागची मानसिकता उलगडतात.
मराठी साहित्यविश्वात स्वतःचे स्वतंत्र स्थान असलेल्या डॉ. अरुणा रामचंद्र ढेरे या सुप्रसिद्ध संशोधक आणि लोकसाहित्याचे गाढे अभ्यासक डॉ. रामचंद्र चिंतामणी ढेरे यांच्या ज्येष्ठ कन्या. १९७९ साली एमए मराठी विषयात, पुणे विद्यापीठात सर्वप्रथम येण्याचा मान त्यांनी मिळवला आणि तेरा पारितोषिके पटकावली. १९८६ साली पुणे विद्यापीठात, डॉ.भालचंद्र फडके यांच्या मार्गदर्शनाखाली ‘स्वातंत्र्योत्तर मराठी कथा-कादंबर्‍यांचा आदिबंधात्मक अभ्यास’ (जी.ए. कुलकर्णी आणि चिं.त्र्यं. खानोलकर यांच्या विशेष संदर्भात) या विषयावर प्रबंधलेखन करून त्यांनी पीएच.डी. मिळविली.
१९८३ ते १९८८ या काळात पुणे विद्यापीठाच्या शैक्षणिक माध्यम संशोधन केंद्रात अध्यापक-निर्माती म्हणून त्यांनी काम केले. १९८९ ते १९९१ दरम्यान राज्य शिक्षणशास्त्र संस्थेत साहित्य विभागप्रमुख आणि ‘पसाय’ या मासिकाची संपादिका म्हणून काम केले. त्यानंतर त्या पूर्णवेळ लेखन आणि संशोधनकार्य करीत आहेत. अखिल भारतीय मराठी साहित्य संमेलनाचे अध्यक्षपदही त्यांनी भूषवले आहे. सध्या सावित्रीबाई फुले पुणे विद्यापीठातील ज्ञानेश्वर अध्यासनाच्या प्रमुख म्हणून त्या कार्यरत आहेत.
महाराष्ट्र शासनाचे, तसेच विविध मान्यवर संस्थांचे अनेक पुरस्कार डॉ. अरुणा ढेरे यांना मिळाले आहेत.

Tanuj Solanki

Author
Tanuj Solanki is the author of five books of fiction. His last two novels, The Machine is Learning and Manjhi’s Mayhem, were both longlisted for the JCB Prize for Literature in their respective years of consideration. In 2019, he was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar for his short-story collection, Diwali in Muzaffarnagar. He is also the founder of The Bombay Literary Magazine (bombaylitmag.com), where he is now involved in establishing a new Criticism vertical.
Published Books
Neon Noon (HarperCollins, 2016)
Diwali in Muzaffarnagar (HarperCollins, 2018)
The Machine is Learning (Pan Macmillan, 2020)
Manjhi’s Mayhem (Penguin India, 2022)

AMISH TRIPATHI

Author, Former Diplomat, Broadcaster and Entrepreneur

Amish is a bestselling, award-winning author, broadcaster, film producer, gaming entrepreneur, and former Indian diplomat. His books have sold over 8 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 21 languages. A graduate of St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and an MBA from IIM Calcutta, he has also received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of York.

Saikat Majumdar

Novelist, Critic and Educator
Saikat Majumdar is a novelist, critic and educator.He has published four books of nonfiction and criticism, most recently, Open Intelligence: Education between Art and Artificial (2026) which outlines possibilities for education in the age of Artificial Intelligence, and The Amateur (2024), a book on self-taught and amateur reading and writing practices. He is currently Professor of English & Creative Writing at Ashoka University.
Published Books
The Remains of the Body (2024)
The Scent of God (2019)
The Firebird (2015)

Shahu Patole

Central Government officer, Author & journalist
Shahu Patole is a retired Central Government officer, author, and journalist holding master’s degrees in Economics and Journalism. He began his media career early during his student years, working as a correspondent and sub-editor for district-level Marathi dailies, followed by a stint with the Indian Railways. In 1991, he was selected for the Indian Information Service (IIS), Group B, through the UPSC. Over an extensive civil service career, he held key postings across major national media divisions, including the Press Information Bureau (PIB), Public Relations Officer (Defence), Directorate of Field Publicity (DFP), and the All India Radio News section in Kohima, Nagaland, eventually retiring from the News section of Doordarshan Kendra, Mumbai.
A prolific writer, Patole has authored six published books in Marathi, beginning with a diary-style debut. Beyond his administrative and literary work, he participated in the historic 1984–85 ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ led by renowned social activist Baba Amte, cycling the entire distance from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
Published Books
Bharat Jodo Usawalele Divas
Ann he Apurnbrahma ( translated in English : Dalit Kitchens of Marathvada)
Khilgaa (A collection of selected articles from the columns I wrote for Marathi newspapers.)
Kuk Na LIM (on socio-economic Nagaland)
Kadusa (A collection of selected articles from the columns I wrote for Marathi dailies ).
A book on Manipur in Marathi, ‘ Manipur Samjun Ghetana.’ ( Under standing Manipur)

Preeti Shenoy

Author
Preeti Shenoy is one of India’s highest-selling English-language authors, with over two million copies sold across eighteen books. Her writing explores mental health, relationships, and gender inequality with empathy and a sharp understanding of human nature. She is also a columnist, speaker, and artist.
Preeti has addressed audiences at Rashtrapati Bhavan and been profiled on BBC World. She has represented Indian literature at international festivals in Birmingham, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi, where she was Guest of Honour, and has appeared at major literary festivals across India, including the Kerala Literature Festival, Times of India Litfest, and The Hindu Lit for Life. Her work has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Hindu, The Times of India, Condé Nast, and Verve.
Her accolades include the Popular Choice Fiction Award at the Times of India AutHer Awards (2021), Amazon India’s Most Popular Self-Help Book (2021), the Indian of the Year Award, and the Business Excellence Award from the New Delhi Institute of Management. A sought-after corporate speaker, she has addressed organizations including Walmart, Infosys, ISRO, KPMG, and Accenture. She is also known for her signature journaling workshops. She writes a monthly column for The Indian Express and has contributed to The Financial Chronicle. Beyond writing, she is a half-marathon runner and avid traveller, bringing the same discipline and curiosity to everything she doe
Published Books
34 bubblegums and candies (2008) republished as Love a Little Stronger (2018)
Life is what you make it (2011)
Tea for Two and a piece of cake (2012)
The Secret Wishlist (2012)
The One You Cannot Have (2013)
Happens For A Reason(2014)
Why We Love The Way We Do (2015)
It’s All in the Planets (2016)
A Hundred Little Flames (2017)
The Rule Breakers (2018)
Wake Up Life Is Calling (2019)
When Love Came Calling (2020)
The Magic Mindset (2021)
A Place Called Home (2022)
All the Love You Deserve (2023)
The Homecoming (2024)
When Love Came Calling Graphic Novel (2026)
People We Love (2026)

Jacob Koshy

Journalist, Science Editor
Jacob Koshy is Science Editor, The Hindu. He writes on policy around science, environment, climate and clean energy. He has previously written for Mint, The Week, Newsweek and The Economic Times. He has degrees in electrical engineering, journalism and political economy.
Published Books
The Nitrogen Bomb

Dr. Meena Kandasamy

Poet and Provocateur
Dr Meena Kandasamy FRSL is a poet and provocateur who has spent two decades triggering the far right. She’s been translated into over 20 languages. Her previous novel, When I Hit You, was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize, Jhalak Prize and Hindu Literary Prize. It was also Book of the Year in the Financial Times, Observer, Daily Telegraph and Irish Times. Her poetry collection, Ms Militancy, went viral across South Asia. In 2022, PEN Germany awarded her the Herman Kesten Prize for being ‘a fearless fighter for human rights.’ Meena has two sons. Her latest novel is Fieldwork as a Sex Object.
Published Books
NOVELS
The Gypsy Goddess, Atlantic Books (London) / HarperCollins (New Delhi), April 2014.
When I Hit You: Or, A Portrait of the Writer as a Young Wife, Atlantic Books (London), Juggernaut (New Delhi), April 2017. Europa Editions (USA, 2020)
Exquisite Cadavers, Atlantic Books (London)/ Context (Westland, New Delhi), Nov 2019.
Fieldwork As A Sex Object, Brazen Books/ Hachette (London)/ HarperCollins India (New Delhi)/ Soft Skull Press (New York), 2026.
POETRY
Touch, Peacock Books (Mumbai) 2006: out of print. Ms Militancy, Navayana (New Delhi) 2010.
Tomorrow Someone Will Arrest You, Atlantic Books (London) 2023; Juggernaut (New Delhi), Feb 2024.
NON-FICTION BOOKS (ESSAYS & THEORY)
The Orders Were To Rape You: Tigresses in the Tamil Eelam Struggle, Navayana (New Delhi), 2021.
A Wise One, A Warrior, Objects Talk Back Series, Diaphanes (Zurich), Feb 2025.

Uma Shirodkar

Translator and Editor
Uma Shirodkar is a literary translator and editor based in Mumbai, working between Marathi and English. Her interests lie in underexplored genres in Marathi literature including women authors, and the critically neglected canon of weird and uncanny fiction. She serves as the Translations Editor (Fiction) at Bombay Literary Magazine. She was a 2022 South Asia Speaks Fellow. Her English and Marathi translations have appeared in Hammock Magazine, Guernica Magazine, Hakara Journal, Gulmohar Quarterly, and On Eating.
Published Books
English translation of Deepa Pawar’s Poladi Baaya, forthcoming from Zubaan

Natasha Joshi

Director
Natasha Joshi is the Director of The Deodar Prize – a platform aimed at discovering emerging voices in Indian fiction. She is a seasoned development sector professional who also anchors and curates Manotsava, India’s national mental health festival. Natasha holds a degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University. Her writings have appeared in various publications such as Stanford Social Innovation Review, Alliance Magazine, Juggernaut, Mint Lounge, The Economic Times and Papercuts by Desi Writers Lounge.

Manjul

Cartoonist
Manjul started struggling to draw cartoons in 1989 and, more than three decades later, has yet to get the hang of it. He spent years working with Dainik Jagran, The Indian Express group, India Today group, The Times Group and DNA, apparently without learning when to stop. His cartoons have appeared in major newspapers across India and in publications in Europe and the US, giving his questionable ideas an unexpectedly wide audience. He contributed to The India Today Book of Cartoons, a UN collection on the girl child, and a collection of cartoons on democracy published by a German publisher, proving that even his drawings occasionally make it between book covers.
When he isn’t struggling with cartoons, he dabbles in illustration, print design, animation and book covers, spreading his creative confusion across several media. Since 2017, he has been running MANJULtoons independently, having apparently decided that struggling alone is preferable to struggling with an editor. Every November–December, he brings out an annual cartoon calendar. It has sold out for the past five years, suggesting that either the cartoons are good or people have remarkably questionable taste. He continues to draw cartoons, occasionally gets them right, and remains stubbornly optimistic about the next one.

Narayani Basu

Author
Narayani Basu is the award-winning author of A Man for All Seasons: The Life of K.M Panikkar (winner of Best Non-Fiction at Auther Awards 2026). A historian and foreign policy analyst, her current area of interest focuses on the less known but key players in the story of Indian independence. Her other works include V.P. Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India (2020) and Allegiance: Azaadi & the End of Empire (2022). She lives in New Delhi.

Kishor Kadam

Actor, Poet
किशोर कदम हे एक प्रसिद्ध मराठी कवी आणि अभिनेते आहेत. ते साहित्यात ‘सौमित्र’ या टोपणनावाने कविता आणि गाणी लिहितात.
कवी सौमित्र यांचा ‘गारवा’ हा गीतसंग्रह अत्यंत लोकप्रिय आहे. त्यांच्या कवितांनी मराठी रसिकांच्या मनावर गारूड केले आहे. त्यांनी मराठी आणि हिंदी चित्रपटांमध्ये सशक्त भूमिका केल्या आहेत.नटरंग, जोगवा, फँड्री, बालक पालक, झुंड हे त्यांचे गाजलेले मराठी चित्रपट असून हिंदीतील ब्लॅक फ्रायडे, स्पेशल २६, अँथनी पिंटो को गुस्सा क्यों आता है?.हे चित्रपट विशेष गाजले आहेत.
त्यांना त्यांच्या अभिनयासाठी महाराष्ट्र राज्य चित्रपट पुरस्कार, फिल्मफेअर पुरस्कार (मराठी) आणि राष्ट्रीय चित्रपट पुरस्कारांसारखे मानाचे पुरस्कार मिळाले आहेत.

Arshia Sattar

Translator and Writer
Arshia Sattar works with the epics and storytelling traditions of the Indian sub-continent. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago and has translated the Valmiki Ramayana from Sanskrit into English. She has written several books of commentary and interpretation on this ancient text. More recently, she has retold myths and classical stories for younger readers. Her book, “The Mahabharata for Children” won the Children’s Literature Award from the Sahitya Akademi (National Academy of Letters.) Arshia writes, speaks and teaches about classical Indian literatures at home and abroad. Along with DW Gibson, she founded and runs the Sangam House International Writers’ Residency Program in Bangalore, India. In 2023, the Government of France honoured Arshia with the rank of Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for her contributions to Indian Literature.
Published Book
The Mahabharata for Children

Mehdi Khawaja

Writer, Translator and Literary agent
Mehdi Khawaja is a writer, translator, and literary agent from Kashmir. He is the winner of the 2025 Armory Square Prize for Translation and PEN Presents x SALT, awarded by the English PEN. His translation of the Kashmiri novel To Each Their Own Hell by Akhtar Mohiuddin will be out in the US from Open Letter Books and Penguin Random House India in 2027.

Vijay Gokhale

Writer
Mr. Vijay Gokhale graduated from Delhi University in 1980. He joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1981. He was India’s Ambassador to Malaysia, Germany and China. He served as the Foreign Secretary to Government of India from 2018 to 2020.
Since his retirement from public service, Mr. Gokhale teaches at Symbiosis International University in Pune. He is Non-resident Senior Fellow at Carnegie India. He has authored six books, including ‘The Long Game: How the Chinese Negotiate with India’ which was awarded the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism (Non-Fiction books), 2021.
Published Books
China’s Wars: The Diplomacy & Politics Behind Its Military Coercion
On China: Reflections of Chinese Statecraft

S Anand

Author, Publisher and Journalist

Banu Mushtaq

Writer, Advocate
Banu Mushtaq was born and brought up in Hassan, Karnataka. She began her literary journey in the 1970s, becoming a strong voice in Kannada literature with stories and poems focusing on women and marginalized communities. Alongside her writing, she trained and worked as a lawyer, practicing for over 30 years in Hassan.
Her early work gained recognition within the Bandaya (protest) literary movement. In 1999, she received the Karnataka Sahitya Academy Award for her contributions to literature. She was honoured with the Suvarna Karnataka Rajyotsava Award in 2023, one of the state’s highest honors recognizing her outstanding service to Kannada literature and culture. In 2024, she received the prestigious Daana Chintamani Attimabbe Award, given to distinguished women writers in Karnataka.
Between 2020 and 2025, her international acclaim grew. In 2024, the English translation of her stories won the PEN Translates Award. Then in 2025, her translated collection Heart Lamp, translated by Deepa Bhasthi, won the International Booker Prize — the first Kannada work to win this prestigious award.
Banu Mushtaq has served on literary bodies such as the Karnataka Sahitya Academy, the Central Sahitya Academy, and as State Secretary of the Kannada Sahitya Parishad. The Karnataka State Information and Publicity Department also produced a documentary on her life and achievements.
She continues to live and practice law in Hassan, where she remains committed to advocating for women’s rights and social justice through both her writing and legal work.

Akshat Gupta

Author, Poet, Screenwriter, Lyricist, and Motivational Speaker
Akshat Gupta is an award- winning, nationally bestselling, multilingual author and the most- viewed author on the internet in Bharat. He is also a poet, screenwriter, lyricist, and motivational speaker known for his gripping narratives rooted in Indian history and cultural mysteries. His debut series, The Hidden Hindu trilogy, has sold over one million copies, while his another series, The Naga Warriors duology, continues to receive great response from the readers, establishing him as an undisputed powerhouse in contemporary Indian fiction.

Ramachandra Guha

Historian & Author
Ramachandra Guha is a historian, biographer and writer whose work spans modern Indian history, environmental history and the social history of cricket. Based in Bengaluru, he is currently Distinguished University Professor at Krea University and has previously taught at institutions including Stanford, Yale, the University of Oslo and the London School of Economics. His books include India After Gandhi, Gandhi Before India and Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World, alongside works on environmentalism and cricket. His honours include the Sahitya Akademi Award, the Fukuoka Prize and an honorary doctorate from Yale University.
Published Books
India After Gandhi
Gandhi Before India
Gandhi: The Years That Changed the World

Vivek Shanbhag

Author & Translator
Vivek Shanbhag is a Kannada author whose thirteen works of fiction include the internationally acclaimed novel Ghachar Ghochar, translated into more than 20 languages. He is also the co-translator of U. R. Ananthamurthy’s Hindutva or Hind Swaraj into English. An engineer by training, Shanbhag is a Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at Ashoka University and the founder of Hyphen, a literary journal, website and publishing house dedicated to bringing Indian-language literature to English readers. He lives in Bangalore.
Published Books
Ghachar Ghochar — English & Marathi
Sakina’s Kiss — English

Vikrant Pande

Author & Translator
Vikrant Pande is an author and translator who has published four books and fourteen translations across history, business, travel and Indian literature. His books include Shivaji the Great Maratha, The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation, which won the Gaja Capital Best Business Book Award in 2019, and In the Footsteps of Rama: Travels with the Ramayana, a travelogue exploring lesser-known stories from the Ramayana. His work also includes Akashvani: A Century of Stories from All India Radio, The SBI Story: 200 Years of Banking and Desi Disruptors: Timeless Lessons from Iconic Indian Brands. An engineer and IIM Bangalore graduate, Pande brings together research, storytelling and a keen interest in India’s history and institutions.
Published Books
Shivaji the Great Maratha
The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation
Rau Bajirao Mastani

Vandana Shukla

Writer & Journalist
Vandana Shukla writes on art, culture and gender, with interests spanning travel, world poetry and music. Her work combines journalism with multidisciplinary research, including her study of the social transformation of Ladakh, which became A Monk Postpones Nirvana, published in 2018 with support from The Fetzer Institute. She holds a PhD from Banaras Hindu University for her research on the history of communalism in the Indian subcontinent and literature around the Partition of India. With over two decades in print media, she lives in Panchkula.
Published Books
A Monk Postpones Nirvana
Unclaimed

Dr. Meeran Chadha Borwankar

Author & Former IPS Officer
Dr. Meeran Chadha Borwankar is a former IPS officer whose career in policing spans leadership roles across Maharashtra and at the national level, including Commissioner of Police, Pune, and Director General of the Bureau of Police Research and Development and National Crime Records Bureau. A law graduate with a doctorate in Organisational Management, she has also worked on criminal justice reform and research on gender in the Maharashtra Police. She writes extensively and is the author of three books that draw from her experiences and observations of the world around her.
Published Books
Leaves of Life
Inspector Chougule
Madam Commissioner