Aanchal Malhotra is a writer and oral historian from New Delhi. She is the co-founder of the Museum of Material Memory, and the author of two critically acclaimed books, Remnants of a Separation and In the Language of Remembering, that explore the human history and generational impact of the 1947 Partition. The Book of Everlasting Things is her debut novel.

Akkai Padmashali is a trans rights activist, writer, singer, performer, and motivational speaker. She has been a champion for queer and trans rights, an advocate for policy change and a recipient of Karnataka government's second highest civilian honour, the Rajyotsava Prashasti. She has also received an honorary doctorate from the Indian Virtual University for Peace and Education. Founder of Ondede, a human rights organization, Akkai's was among the leading voices opposing Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalized homosexuality. She has been a strong critic of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 and the 2018 and 2016 bills that preceded it.

Alice Walker is an internationally celebrated writer, poet and activist whose books include seven novels, four collections of short stories, four children's books, and volumes of essays and poetry. She won the Pulitzer prize and the American Book Award for The Color Purple. She is the author of many bestselling novels, essays and collections of poetry including Meridian, By The Light Of My Father's Smile and The Third Life Of Grange Copeland. Her work has been translated into more than two dozen languages, and her books have sold more than fifteen million copies. Walker has been an activist all of her adult life, and believes that learning to extend the range of our compassion is activity and work available to all. She was awarded the Mahmoud Darwish Literary Prize for Fiction 2016.

Amita Prasad is a teacher and author who has played pivotal roles additionally as teacher-educator, mentor, advisor to government bodies and committees. Amita Prasad is the director of Indus Valley World School, Kolkata. She is the co-author of three series of Historyand Civics text books for Classes 3 to 8 published by Oxford University Press.

Amruta Patil, writer-painter, is India's first female graphic novelist. She is the author of Kari and the Mahabharata-based Parva duology (Adi Parva & Sauptik). She graduated from the Goa College of Art and went on to complete her master's from the School of the Museum of Fine Art, Boston, Tufts University. She is a Nari Shakti Puraskar awardee. Adi Parva was selected as one of 2012's best graphic novels by comic book historian, Paul Gravett.

Anjum Katyal is a writer, editor, translator and critic, with years of experience in curating literary festivals. She is the author of several books on theatre and performance such as Habib Tanvir: Towards an Inclusive Theatre and Badal Sircar: Towards a Theatre of Conscience. Her book on Safdar Hashmi's theatre is in process. Chief Editor of Seagull Books, Calcutta (1987-2006) and Editor of Seagull Theatre Quarterly (1994-2004), she steered two major translation projects: the New Indian Playwrights Series of post-independence regional playwriting, and the Selected Works of Mahasweta Devi. She has translated several plays by Habib Tanvir and stories by Mahasweta Devi and Meera Mukherjee. She is currently Editor, ArthArt multi-arts journal and Director, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival.

Ananda Lal, a theatre and translation specialist, retired as professor of English from Jadavpur University, Kolkata. He directs Writers Workshop, Kolkata, and runs kolkatatheatre.com.

Ananya Chatterjee is a bi-lingual poet, she is the author of the Amazon bestseller, The Poet & His Valentine, a collection of verses. Another Soliloquy, The Blind Man's Rainbow and Un-building Walls are her other poetry collections. Ananya also worked as a translator for the poems by actor and poet Soumitra Chatterjee, published in the book Forms Within.

Anchita Ghatak works with development organizations on issues of poverty, rights and gender. She has translated Sunanda Sikdar's prizewinning Bengali memoir, Dayamoyeer Katha, into English as A Life Long Ago.

Angshu Dasgupta is a computer programmer by profession. Fern Road Boy is his first work of fiction.

Anindya Hajra is a prominent transgender rights advocate working at the intersections of gender, caste and labour.

Anita Agnihotri was born in Kolkata. She joined the Indian Administrative Service in 1980 and retired after three and a half decades as a Secretary to the Government of India. She has published over thirty books, and her literary oeuvre spans poetry, novels, short stories, writing for children and critiques of development. She has won numerous literary awards in Bengal, including the Sarat Puraskar, the Pratibha Basu Sahitya Puraskar and the Bhuban Mohini Dasi Gold Medal from the University of Kolkata. Her writing has been translated into several Indian languages and also German and Swedish.

Anjana Basu is the author of a number of novels, children's books and short story collections. Some of her books for children include In the Shadow of the Leaves, Leopard in the Laboratory, Eighteen Tides and a Tiger, Hide and Seek Tiger, Lockdown Tiger and Chinku and the Wolfboy. In 2004, she was awarded a Hawthornden Fellowship in Scotland where she worked on her second novel, Black Tongue. Illustrating for children is her way of giving back the joy she had as a child.

French dancer and choreographer Annette Leday has developed a unique and pioneer approach to inter cultural contemporary creation, focusing on the dance and theatre traditions of India and France. Since 1989, she has directed some ten productions for both Indian and Western performers. Her works have been performed internationally and all over India and France.

Anuja Chauhan was born in Meerut Cantonment and educated in Meerut, Delhi and Melbourne. She has worked in advertising for over seventeen years and is credited with many popular campaigns including PepsiCo's Yeh Dil Maange More, Mera Number Kab Aayega, Oye Bubbly and Darr ke Aage Jeet Hai. She is the author of four bestselling novels (The Zoya Factor, Battle for Bittora, Those Pricey Thakur Girls, The House That BJ Built), two of which have been optioned by major Bollywood studios and one of which has been made into a prime-time daily Hindi serial on &TV.

Aparna Piramal Raje is the author of Working Out of the Box: 40 Stories of Leading CEOs. She is a regular columnist with Mint and has previously contributed to the UK's Weekend Financial Times for several years. Over the past decade, she has fostered an awareness of design, especially workplace design, in companies in India. Now, Aparna aspires to leverage her lived experience of mental health to make a difference in this sector. Her latest book Chemical Khichri: How I Hacked My Mental Health was published in 2022.

Arshia Sattar has a PhD in classical Indian literatures from the University of Chicago. She works with the Sanskrit epics and storytelling traditions of India. Her abridged translation of Valmiki's Ramayana is regarded as one of the definitive presentations of the epic in English. She has written a number of books on Hindu mythology for younger readers including the bestselling Ramayana for Children, Mahabharata for Children and Adventures with Hanuman.

Arunava Sinha translates classic, modern and contemporary Bengali fiction and non-fiction from Bangladesh and India into English. He also translates fiction from English into Bengali. Over 70 of his translations have been published so far in India, the UK and the USA. He was born and grew up in Kolkata, and lives and writes in New Delhi, India. He teaches at Ashoka University, where he is also the co-director of the Ashoka Centre for Translation, and is the Books Editor at Scroll.in.

Arunoday Singh is an Indian actor and poet. Unsung is his first collection of poems.

Auroni Mookerjee is a copywriter turned chef, with experience at Café Zoe and The Curry Brothers, Mumbai and The Salt House, Kolkata. He is currently helming Sienna Café, Kolkata, dedicated to promoting the artisanal produce of Bengal. He comes from a family of food writers and has himself contributed to and written reviews for Brown Paper Bag and LBB.

Bachi Karkaria is a game changer in India's journalism, having helped create path-breaking brands for the Times of India Group. She is a popular columnist, bestselling author, litfest curator and international media trainer. She was the first Indian board member of the Paris-based World Editors Forum, a Jefferson Fellow from Hawaii's East West Center, and recipient of the Mary Morgan Hewitt Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Barry O'Brien began his work for the Anglo-Indian community at the grassroots level, and was nominated to represent it in the West Bengal legislative assembly (2006- 11). Since 2001, he has been a governing body member of the All-India Anglo-Indian Association (founded in 1876), and its president-in-chief since 2016. His writing canvas has been wide-as a sports journalist for Sportsworld; a social commentator and columnist for The Pioneer and The Telegraph; and a pioneering author of school textbooks for leading publishers; and now, as the author of 'The Anglo-Indians: A Portrait of a Community'-all this between conducting quizzes, public speaking courses, and motivational sessions in India and overseas.

Bulbul Baksi is the secretary of Samikshani, a centre for psychoanalytical studies and mental therapy.

Christie Henry is Director, Princeton University Press. She worked earlier at the University of Chicago Press as editorial director, managing the acquisitions programs and staff for life science and science studies; economics, political science and law; and reference, which includes the print and digital versions of The Chicago Manual of Style.

Christopher Kloeble is an award-winning scriptwriter and the author of three novels, a short story collection and a memoir. He has taught at Dartmouth College, Georgetown University, Cambridge University and Hong Kong University, among others. His books have been translated into nine languages. He lives in Berlin and New Delhi. His latest book The Museum of the World is published by HarperCollins.

Cyrille Larrieu is a French Film Director.

Dahlia Sen Oberoi, a gold medallist from the Delhi University is a leading intellectual property rights lawyer. She has long been an important part of the publishing world, legally assessing manuscripts, fighting piracy and court cases for the industry. Comfortably wearing many caps at once, she is also a dancer, a poet, a songwriter, a scriptwriter for screenplays, a university lecturer and now, a yoga teacher. She is the creator of DahliaNritYog - an amalgamation of Yoga and Kathak as a path to wellness. Ashramed is Dahlia's first book and many more are already writing themselves, restless to emerge.

Debanjan Chakrabarti is Director British Council East and Northeast India. He has over 18 years of experience in leading education, development and cultural collaboration programmes in India and internationally for British Council. In his present role he leads on all of British Council's businesses and cultural relations work in East and Northeast India, covering 13 states and Bhutan. This includes partnerships with schools and higher education institutions, English language training and teaching direct and through partnerships with state governments, in the areas of arts and creative economy; with young people and sports through Premier Skills; and through examinations services and library and information services.

Debaroti Chakraborty is Assistant Professor in the Department of Performing Arts, Presidency University, India. Her research interests broadly cover an interdisciplinary approach towards performance, body, space and text.

Debasish Lahiri is an internationally acclaimed poet, academic and teacher.

Deepti Naval is an Indian actor, director, writer, painter, and photographer. A multifaceted personality, Deepti has carved a distinct niche for herself in the Indian film industry, winning critical acclaim for her 'sensitive and close to life' portrayals that emphasized the changing role of women in India. She also won the Best Screenplay award at the New York Indian Film Festival for her directorial film, Do Paise Ki Dhoop, Chaar Aane Ki Baarish, in 2010. As a writer, she has three books to her credit-her first collection of poems, Lamha Lamha, published in 1981, Black Wind and Other Poems in 2004, and The Mad Tibetan: Stories from Then and Now in 2011. Her poems are reflective, sometimes autobiographical, and 'constitute a direct and honest female voice'. Her memoir A Country Called Childhood was published in 2022.

Dhritiman Chaterji is an Indian actor. He began his acting career as the protagonist in Satyajit Ray's Pratidwandi. He has worked mostly in parallel or independent cinema and also in English films.

Divya Dutta is an actor, author and now a poet too. Noted for playing a wide variety of roles in different genres, she has featured in more than 150 Hindi and Punjabi films. She has won several accolades in the film industry, including a National Award in 2018 as well as Filmfare, IIFA and Zee Cine awards. Her memoir, Me and Ma, published in 2017, received rave reviews and was turned into an audiobook, narrated by Divya herself. Her first poem, penned about the COVID-19 lockdown, 'Jab Sab Theek Hoga Na', was much appreciated and widely shared. Her second book Stars In My Sky: Those Who Brightened My Film Journey was out in October 2021.

Doma Wang is a restaurateur and the co-owner and chef of The Blue Poppy Restaurants, Kolkata and Siliguri.

Dr. Alka Pande is one of India's leading authors, art historians and curators. Some of her prominent books are Body Sutra: Tracing the human form through art & imagination, Ardhanarishvara, the Androgyne: Probing the Gender Within; The New Age Kamasutra for Women; and Shringara: The Many faces of Indian Beauty. Dr Pande is currently the consultant art advisor and curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi. She is also the Chair of the Jury for the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize.

Dr. Kunal Basu is the author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Miniaturist and Kalkatta. The Japanese Wife, from his collection of stories by the same name, has been made into an award-winning film. He has also written novels in Bengali, and for cinema. He is also the jury member of the Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize. Born in Kolkata, he was educated in India and the United States. He lives in Oxford and Kolkata.

Doctor, nutrition expert, wellbeing advocate and columnist, Dr Nandita Iyer is the author of three bestselling books. Her fourth book, The Great Indian Thali: Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness, published by Roli Books being her latest. She has been writing on nutrition, health and food for over 17 years. Since 2006, her popular blog Saffron Trail has been a major resource for healthy food and vegetarian recipes. Nandita's newsletter Sattva is about the joys of mindfulness and the beauty of slow living. She is a student of Hindustani classical vocal music.

Durjoy Datta is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter from India. With more than 10 best-selling novels from his desk, including The Girl of my Dreams, Our Impossible Love, The Boy Who Loved, and many others, Durjoy Dutta has captivated the hearts of a section of readers across the world. Durjoy also has to his credit nine television shows and has written over a thousand episodes for television. His latest book When I Am With You was released in August 2022.

GM Kapur is Member, Governing Council and State Convenor, INTACH Kolkata.

Iryna Vikyrchak is a Ukrainian culture manager and poet. She directed and curated numerous literary festivals and events in Ukraine and Europe. She's the author of three poetry collections, of which the latest, Algometria, was published in Kyiv in 2021. She writes in Ukrainian and English.

Jael Silliman, born into the Baghdadi Jewish community of Calcutta, was educated at Wellesley College, Harvard University, and the University of Texas. She received her doctoral degree in international education at Columbia University. Her publications include the novel The Teak Almirah and two collaborative works with photographer Mala Mukherjee?Where Gods Reside: Sacred Places of Kolkata and ADDA! The College Street Coffee House.

Janice Pariat is the award-winning author of Boats on Land: A Collection of Short Stories, Seahorse: A Novel, and the international bestseller The Nine-Chambered Heart. Her latest novel Everything The Light Touches was out in October 2022.

Jawhar Sircar has served as an Indian Administrative Service officer for 41 years. Currently, he is a Member of Parliament of India who represents the State of West Bengal. He has published numerous articles and research papers on cultural, historical and anthropological subjects for several years.

Jaydeep Sarangi, Principal, New Alipore College, is a postcolonial critic, translator and poet with several seminal publications.

Jeet Thayil was born into a Syrian Christian family in Kerala. As a boy he traveled through much of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and North America with his father, TJS George, a writer and editor. He worked as a journalist for twenty-one years, in Bombay, Bangalore, Hong Kong and New York City. In 2005 he began to write fiction. The first installment of his Bombay Trilogy, Narcopolis, was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and became an unlikely bestseller. His book of poems These Errors Are Correct won the Sahitya Akademi Award (India's National Academy of Letters), and his musical collaborations include the opera Babur in London. His essays, poetry and short fiction have appeared in the New York Review of Books, Granta, TLS, Esquire, The London Magazine, The Guardian and The Paris Review, among other venues. Jeet Thayil is the editor of The Penguin Book of Indian Poets.

Jeff Deutsch is the director of Chicago's Seminary Co-op Bookstores, which in 2019 he helped incorporate as the first not-for-profit bookstore whose mission is bookselling. He lives in Chicago.

Jimmy Tangree is a DJ, RJ, Radio Broadcaster, Influencer and Motivator. He is Currently Heading 91.9 Friends FM. He has been a Dj, MC and Voice Over since 1983, been into Radio Since 1994. He is often referred as the man who changed the face of FM radio stations in Kolkata. His iconic show "Direct Dil Se" is one of the most popular programmes on radio.

John Zubrzycki is an Australian author and researcher, specialising in South Asia, in particular India. John Zubrzycki has lived and worked in India as a foreign correspondent, diplomat and tour guide. His books include the best-selling Jadoowallahs, Jugglers and Jinns: A Magical History of India and The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy. His latest book, The Shortest History of India was published in August 2022.

Jeffrey Archer is a bestselling author and a former politician. He topped bestseller lists around the world with sales of over 275 million copies, published in 114 countries and more than 47 languages. He is the only author ever to have been a number one bestseller in fiction (19 times), short stories (4 times), and non-fiction (The Prison Diaries). His latest book, Next in Line, the fifth in the William Warwick series, was released worldwide in September 2022.

Kalyani Thakur Charal is a Dalit feminist poet from India writing in the Bengali language. Thakur has published seven books - an autobiography, four books of poetry, a collection of short stories, and a collection of essays.

Kanan Boral is a Dalit female writer and social worker from Bengal.

Widely regarded as one of India's first food gurus, Karen Anand has been influencing the way people eat and perceive good food in India for over thirty years. A prolific writer, she has published numerous books and continues to write extensively about food, with columns appearing in Brunch and the Sunday Telegraph. She is the recipient of the Trophée de l'Esprit Alimentaire (Food & Spirit Award) for Culture from the French Government and the winner of the French Ambassador's Travel Writer Award. Karen also runs a successful gourmet business and consults for luxury hotels and restaurants. Between all this, she ensures there is always time to cook.

Karuna Ezara Parikh is a poet and writer, former television anchor and model known widely for her activism. She studied Journalism, Film & Broadcasting at Cardiff University. Her writing has featured in Vogue, Wire, Outlook, Tehelka, Firstpost, Open and Lonely Planet. In 2015, she co-founded the sustainable company The Burlap People. She lives in Calcutta with her husband and their dog. The Heart Asks Pleasure First is her first book. Where Stories Gather is her first collection of poetry.

Lily Halder is an established Dalit writer and poet based in Kolkata, West Bengal and a retired Indian Railways employee.

Madhurima Vidyarthi is an endocrinologist who always wanted to be a writer. My Grandmother's Masterpiece is her first book, but she is planning to write many more.

Maina Bhagat is the Director of Apeejay Oxford Bookstores Private Limited. She is also the director of Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival, an international festival reflecting the cultural and intellectual vibrancy of the city. She has been both an active participant and contributor to the life and times of the city, where she has lived for four decades.. She interacts actively with the educational and cultural sectors of the city and nationally, and, is a keen observer - and reader - of the life of a bookstore! She was also awarded for her contribution to the Book and Publishing Industry by the Governor of West Bengal.

Mallika Sarabhai is a dancer, actor and activist. As one of India's leading choreographers and dancers, she has been co-director of the Darpana Academy for Performing Arts for nearly forty years. She played the role of Draupadi in Peter Brook's The Mahabharata, performing around the world. An activist for education, human rights and women's empowerment, her numerous stage productions have raised awareness, highlighted crucial issues and advocated change, developing her own contemporary dance vocabulary to create short and full-length works that have been presented throughout India and in over fifty countries of the world. She has been a columnist, a script writer and a publisher for many years. Her memoir In Free Fall: My Experiments With Living was released in August 2022.

Mani Rao is the author of twelve poetry books including Love Me In A Hurry (Atta Galatta) and three books in translation from Sanskrit including Saundarya Lahari- Wave of Beauty about the primordial Shakti (HarperCollins). She has published poems and essays in journals and anthologies, performed at festivals and held writing residencies.

Manju Bala is one of the emerging writers in the Bengali Dalit literary world. She is a Dalit feminist as well as an activist who has been fighting for the rights of the women from the marginalised community.

Meera Ali, an architect, specialised in alternate building technology after graduation. She started a couture brand by the name of 'House of Kotwara' with her husband Muzaffar Ali in 1990 aimed at skill development and providing employment at doorstep to rural folk especially in Uttar Pradesh. She has also produced several feature films and documentaries. Her debut book 'Dining with the Nawabs' was published by Roli Books in 2017.

Minu Tharoor is Professor at the New York University. Her teachings and research interests are World Literatures, Arts and Cultures; Global Women's Writings and Rights; South Asian Cultures; Postcolonial Theories and Writings; British and World Fiction.

Monideepa Banerjie is a Kolkata-based journalist reporting on contemporary politics in West Bengal, having covered everything east for India's premier news channel NDTV for the last twenty-eight years. Monideepa began her career with The Telegraph, was one of the earliest journalists in the country to transition to television and is a Chevening Scholar (1997) and a Fulbright Fellow (2001).

Architect, Urban Designer, Artist and Theoretician, Monica Khosla Bhargava is a contemporary architect who has been innovational in the fields of Architecture, Urban Design and Interiors. She was awarded Multiwyn ADI Award, Commendation for JWT Office June 2016 by Indian Institute of Architects WB Chapter, the Women's Achiever's Award in March 2012 by the Ladies Circle of Calcutta for Excellence in Architecture and the Award of Recognition in February 2000 by the 9th International Conference on Safe Communities, ICMH, Dhaka, Bangladesh. She is the Founder and Principal Architect at Kham Consultants.

Mukul Agarwal is an architect, who believes in conserving built heritage. She is working to create awareness and find sustainable and adaptive use of architectural heritage of Kolkata, through the group - Calcutta Heritage Collective, which she founded.

Mukul Kumar is a bureaucrat, novelist and poet. His published works include three novels, 'As Boys Become Men', Seduction by Truth and Aarzoo-Arshan (e-book), and three poetry anthologies, 'The Irrepressible Echoes', 'Catharsis' and "Rhythm of the Ruins" that has recently been published in October this year. His 4th fiction is slated to come out next year. Mukul has been honoured with the National award for outstanding service to the Indian Railways, Bharat Nirman award for literary excellence by Bharat Nirman Foundation, and Poorvanchal Gaurav samman for his contributions to society as a bureaucrat and writer.

Muzaffar Ali is an Indian film-maker, fashion designer, poet, artist, music lover, revivalist and social worker. He belongs to the royal family of Kotwara. Beginning his career in advertising, he played a role in the incipient days of Air India before moving on to a successful career as a film-maker in Bollywood. His works include movies such as Umrao Jaan and Gaman, and several documentaries and short films. He has launched his own couture line, 'Kotwara', and is involved in several initiatives that celebrate art, foster the traditional handicrafts of Awadh and promote Sufism. He received the Padma Shri in 2005 and the Rajiv Gandhi National Sadbhavana Award in 2014.

Nabanita Sengupta is a poet. She is the author of Three Witches' Songs - A poetry anthology by three women.

Nandini Sengupta is a Pondicherry-based journalist and an author of historical fiction and narrative history. After a chance visit to Ajanta Ellora caves, she became fascinated with India's past in general and ancient and early medieval India in particular. Her book credits include the bestselling The Blue Horse And Other Amazing Animals from Indian History (Hachette, 2020), the Gupta Empire Trilogy-The King Within , The Poisoned Heart and The Ocean's Own (HarperCollins India, 2017, 2019 and 2021 respectively) and The Story of Kalidas: The Gem Among Poets (Eicher Goodearth Publications, 2019). Rani Durgawati is her first narrative non-fiction biography.

Naveen Kishore established Seagull Books in 1982 as a publishing programme in the arts and media focusing on drama, film, art and culture studies. He is also the recipient of the Goethe Medal and the Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and the 2021 Ottaway Award for the Promotion of International Literature. He lives and works in Calcutta.

Mr. Nicolas Facino started his career in the National Education Department as a teacher in France and then in London. In 2009, he was appointed as the Departmental Head of an organization working in the field of Youth, Education and Culture. He holds three Master's degrees respectively in Management, in training practices and an Executive MBA. He joined the Ministry of External Affairs in 2017. After 4 years at the Direction of the Alliance française de Lviv in Ukraine, since November 2021, he has been the new Director of the Alliance française du Bengale in Kolkata.

Nilanjana S. Roy is a novelist and a columnist on books and the reading life for the Financial Times. Her first two novels, The Wildings and The Hundred Names of Darkness, are award-winning works of fantasy for young adults. Black River grew out of her years of reporting on gender from New Delhi and the surrounding states for the New York Times, and from four years of exploring the capital and the Yamuna river on long walks. She has edited several anthologies on subjects ranging from the freedom movement to Indian food. She has lived in New Delhi, Kolkata and Goa. Black River is her first novel for adults.

Nita Bajoria may be best described as a lazy bookworm who utilises her moments of feeling out of place in a social gathering by observing people around her and knitting stories around relationships, emotional needs and various perceptions that build up the drama of life. Most of her short stories and travelogues have been featured in popular magazines such as Women's era, Alive and Airports India. "The casket and Besky" is her fourth publication. You can get to her blog by simply typing the word nitabajoria.com.

Oindrilla Dutt is an entrepreneur, anchor and moderator. She is the Executive Director of Open Doors, an Event Management Company. Dutt is also a qualified lawyer from the Hazra Law College, The University of Calcutta, and has worked in advertising.

Onir is an acclaimed Indie filmmaker, based in Mumbai. His first film, My Brother Nikhil, won several Indian and international awards. His film I Am won the 2011 National Award as well as several international awards, including Best Film at the London Asian Film Festival. Onir has received the Diversity Award from Film Victoria Australia and La Trobe University at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2019, and the Jury special mention for outstanding work on LGBT issues at the Indus Valley International Film Festival October 2020. Onir also writes poetry. His memoir I Am Onir and I am Gay was out on June 2022.

Paromita Chakravarti is Professor, Department of English, Jadavpur University, India, and has been Director, School of Women's Studies, Jadavpur University. She has published widely on Shakespeare as well as on women's studies. She has led national and international projects on gender representation in school textbooks, sexuality education, women's higher education, women and HIV and AIDS, single and homeless women.

Shalini Modi is an author with interest in old Indian scriptures. She has two books to her credit, Seven Immortals and Shravan, Swar, Darshan. Her unconventional approach and her effort to find symbolism in our old texts makes the read an interesting. She is an astrologer and she runs an N.G.O called Pragati Kendra, which supports underprivileged children in their education and women to become economically independent.

Shubha (Pinky) Kenworthy is a self-taught Kolkata based artist. She is acclaimed for her reinvention of Goddess Kali as a timeless woman of the new millennium, through the experimental prism of themes and forms. She is also a fashion, grooming and styling consultant.

Priti Paul is the Director of Apeejay Surrendra Group and the creative force behind the iconic century old Oxford Bookstores. She is the Founder Festival Director, Apeejay Kolkata Literary Festival celebrating books, music, art, film and more with the finest creative minds in the nation and world. She is also the creator of ABC Desi, an alphabet book with a distinct Indian flavor. She is a member of prestigious organizations like Royal Institute of British Architects, Women in Shipping and Trade Association (WISTA), England, India Committee of American Bureau of Shipping, USA, FICCI Committee of Art and Business of Art, India, Harvard Club India, MIT Club India.

Radhika Singh is Programme Director, Transformation at British Council, where she is leading an ambitious new organisational change management programme that works to enhance good practice, integrate EDI and embed new ways of working within the culture and ethos of the institution. Radhika enjoys freelancing as a creative writer and has hosted numerous literary events over the years. Radhika is also deeply interested in working for and with poor marginalised communities, especially the elderly, differently abled and vulnerable women and children.

Radhika Timbadia is the owner of Champaca Bookstore. She spends much of her time figuring out how to run an independent bookstore, while also reading and spending time with her dog, cat and plants.

Raju Raman teaches public speaking, communication, journalism, film, and German at various institutions and is an avid debater and cultural activist. He is currently the programme consultant at Victoria Memorial Hall. He is connected with several social and cultural organizations in various capacities.

Ramanjit Kaur is an award-winning theatre and film actor and director. She is the Founder and Director of The Creative Arts Academy and National Vice-President, Arts Leadership Council, WICCI.

Rick Simonson is legendary in his role as the chief bookseller at the Elliott Bay book company. Since 1976, Rick has grown and cultivated this iconic Seattle institution, which offers the best selection of new and bargain books. Perhaps more than anyone in the city, Rick fosters connections between readers and authors through his recommendations and the unparalleled schedule of readings and events he curates at Elliott Bay.

Roop Majumdar was born in Kolkata, India. His work has been published in The Poetry Review, The Manchester Review, Poetry Ireland Review, and Transect Magazine.

Sandip Roy is a writer, journalist and broadcaster based in Kolkata. He is the host of The Sandip Roy Show on Audio Express and a columnist for Mint Lounge and The Hindu. His work has appeared in various outlets such as The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, the Times of India, and the BBC. He is the author of Don't Let Him Know.

Sangeeta Datta is a writer, filmmaker, and musician working between London and Kolkata. Her award-winning documentary on Rituparno Ghosh, Bird of Dusk, has been screened extensively on the international circuit. Her book, 100 Essential Indian Films (2018, co-edited by Rohit Dasgupta) follows Rituparno Ghosh: Cinema, Gender and Art, and several essays on Indian Cinema in international journals and publications. Sangeeta has performed Tagore songs (Rabindrasangeet) in the Women in the Arts Festival, London, and, following Anant ( Zee Music), is working on further Tagore translations with Javed Akhtar. She runs SD Films, and the cross-art platform Baithak.

Sanjukta Dasgupta is a poet, critic and translator and her articles, poems, short stories and translations have been published in journals of distinction in India and abroad.

Sanghita Sanyal teaches English Literature in Loreto College, Kolkata. Tagore Studies, Gender Studies and Language Studies are some of her special interests. She is also one of the Executive Council members of the Intercultural Poetry and Performance Library, Kolkata. Sanghita takes keen interest in English and Bengali translation activities.

Sathya Saran is best known for her long association with Femina, which she edited for twelve years. She is also the author of a diverse variety of books. The Dark Side reflects her love of the short story, while the critically acclaimed biographies Ten Years with Guru Dutt: Abrar Alvi's Journey; Sun Mere Bandhu Re: The Musical World of SD Burman and Baat Niklegi toh Phir: The Life and Music of Jagjit Singh bear testimony to her love of cinema and music. Sathya's last published book is Hariprasad Chaurasia: Breath of Gold. Currently Consulting Editor with Penguin Random House India, Sathya also teaches fashion journalism at NIFT Mumbai, Kangra and Srinagar.

Sayantan Dasgupta is faculty, Department of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University, and Coordinator, Centre for Translation of Indian Literatures. His most recent book is Dalit Lekhika: Women's Writings from Bengal, a co-edited anthology of Bangla Dalit literature written by women in English translation. He has also edited books like A South Asian Nationalism Reader, and his translation of Girishchandra Ghosh's Jyaisa ka Tyaisa was published as Tit-for-Tat by the Sahitya Akademi.

Seema Goswami is a journalist, columnist and author. She began her career with the Anandabazar Patrika Group, working for Sunday magazine before moving on to become editor of Telegraph's weekend features. She currently writes a weekly column, Spectator, for the Hindustan Times' Sunday magazine Brunch, which has a large and dedicated following. Her published books include Woman on Top, Race Course Road and Madam Prime Minister.

Shaun Kenworthy is a celebrated British chef, restaurateur, F&B Consultant, food and travel writer living, eating and cooking his way around India for over 20 years.

Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan is an award-winning voice-over artist, poet, editor, and author of a dozen works of fiction and nonfiction. She is also a former non-profit development professional who spent two decades as an advocate and fundraiser for persons with disabilities. She won the 68th National Film Awards for Best Narration Voiceover for the film Rhapsody of Rains- Monsoons of Kerala in 2022. Shobha has published children's books in India and the United States, including the award-winning Indi-Alphabet (Mango and Marigold), Prince with a Paintbrush: The Story of Raja Ravi Varma (Westland), It's Time to Rhyme (Aleph), Parvati the Elephant's Very Important Day (Harper Collins) and A Treasure Trove of Timeless Tales (Red Panda/Westland). Her first book for adults, Good Innings (Penguin), will soon be translated into Malayalam.

Shobhaa De is a best-selling author of over twenty books and a widely read columnist. She is seen as a trailblazer for women's writing. She is known for her outspoken, irreverent views, making her one of India's most respected opinion shapers. Her writings have consistently chronicled her deeply felt socio-political-cultural concerns. She is also the jury member of Oxford Bookstore Book Cover Prize.

Shrabani Basu is a journalist and Sunday Times best-selling author. Her books include The Mystery of the Parsee Lawyer, Spy Princess, Victoria & Abdul (now a major Oscar-nominated motion picture starring Dame Judi Dench and Ali Fazal), For King and Another Country and Curry. Shrabani is a frequent commentator on radio and television on Indian history and Empire.

Shubhra Prakash is the writer for Priya's Mask, the fourth comic in the Priya's Shakti series. In the past she has served as co-producer and voiceover artist for earlier comics in the Priya's Shakti series. She co-wrote, produced and acted in an original play The Music In My Blood about Indian classical music that was seen by over a thousand audience members in the New York City area and the east coast in 2018. In 2019, she presented a digital art exhibition in New Delhi, India at Kaleidoscope Digital Art gallery, ""Fontwala: Stone to Mobile, what remains?"" with Rajeev Prakash Khare, which shows the evolution of Indian Devnagri script and questions how digital media impacts the journey of a complex script.

Subhaprasanna Bhattacharjee is a renowned Indian artist, born in Kolkata in 1947. His work has been exhibited extensively in India and internationally in the United States, Bangladesh, Singapore, France, Switzerland, and Germany. He has won a number of awards.

Sohini Roychowdhury Dasgupta, Indian dancer, choreographer, visionary, philosopher and professor of Natyashastra, is the founder of Sohinimoksha World Dance & Communications and Sohinimoksha Artes de La India in Madrid, Kolkata and Berlin. Sohini and her multinational Sohinimoksha troupe´s world-view, and mission, is Connecting Civilizations, and enriching lives, through art, music and dance. A premier ambassador of Indian culture for the last several years, Sohini´s performances - solo and with her multinational troupe, have been garnering tumultuous audience appreciation, and rave critical reviews all over the world.

Srinath Perur is the author of the travelogue If It's Monday It Must Be Madurai. He has translated from Kannada the novel Ghachar Ghochar (by Vivek Shanbhag) and the memoir This Life at Play (by Girish Karnad). He writes on a variety of subjects including science and travel.

Sucheta Bhattacharya is a Professor of comparative literature at Jadavpur University.

Sufia Khatoon is a multi-lingual performance poet, artist, literary translator and facilitator. Editor of EKL Review, nominated for 100 Inspiring Indian Muslim Women from West Bengal by RBTC, authored "Death in the Holy Month" shortlisted for Yuva Puraskar Sahitya Akademi 2020-22 and Ger-mi-na-tion (longlisted Ataglata Bangalore Literature Prize 23). Her lifetime project of 1 Million Peace Poetry Prayer Flag Installation, aims to collect poems and exhibit them in public places.

Sugata Bose is one of the foremost historians of modern South Asia and a former Member of India's Parliament. He is the Gardiner Professor of Oceanic History and Affairs at Harvard University. Bose's many books include A Hundred Horizons, His Majesty's Opponent and The Nation as Mother and Other Visions of Nationhood.

Sujata Sen is the CEO of Future Hope India. In March 2016 Sujata retired as Director East India and from the All-India Senior Management team of the British Council in India, where she worked for 20 years. She was the first non-British person worldwide to be appointed a Director of the British Council. Sujata holds honorary positions in several trusts and foundations. Her earlier professional career included journalism and publishing.

Suman Mukhopadhyay is an Indian film director. His first cinematic directorial debut film was Herbert which was released in 2005. Herbert won the National Award for Best Regional Indian film. Some of his other notable fims are Nazarband aka Captive (2020), Asamapta aka Incomplete (2017), Shesher Kobita aka The Last Poem (2014), Kangal Malsat aka War Cry of the Beggars (2013), Mahanagar@Kolkata (2009) and Chaturanga aka Four Chapters (2008).

Sumita Beethi is a feminist writer and one of the founding members of Sappho for Equality.

Sunil Bhandari is a poet by compulsion. He says he survives in this world because he can get to write poetry. He says he does all this for his soul; for his body he manages finance of a large conglomerate. He has written the Amazon bestseller book of poetry ""of love and other abandonments"". His latest book is ""Of Journeys & Other Ways To Get Lost"". His poetry podcast 'Uncut Poetry' is quite popular.

Supriya Newar was born and brought up in Kolkata. A student of Arts, she holds a Master's degree in International Relations and has steered noteworthy brands for two decades. A sensitive writer and poet, Supriya befriended the pen very early and has several hundred articles and travelogues published widely. An aficionado of Indian classical as well as folk music, an avid book worm and a traveller, Supriya is also a visiting lecturer and consultant. Her book Kalkatta Chronicles received much love and appreciation.

Sunandini Banerjee lives in Calcutta and works as an editor and graphic designer at Seagull Books. Translator of Mahasweta Devi's Bedanabala, she has also illustrated Thomas Bernhard's Victor Halfwit, Ivan Vladislavic's The Loss Library, Chitra Viraraghavan's Delhi Thaatha and Ngugi wa Thiong'o's The Upright Revolution.

Swati Ganguly is Professor of English at the Department of English, Visva-Bharati. Her interests include Rabindranath Tagore and his times, European Renaissance, feminist studies, women's writing, translation studies and theatre. She received the Charles Wallace Fellowship for translation studies in 1996, and has translated and co-edited The Stream Within (1999) compiling contemporary Bengali women's short stories. She has also co-edited two anthologies of essays on Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore's University: A History of Visva-Bharati 1921-1961 is her latest book.

Dr. Syeda Saiyidain Hameed is a feminist activist and author of books on Islam, Sufism, gender, development, modern Indian history and cinema. A former Member of the Planning Commission of India, she is widely recognized for her passionate engagement in public affairs and social issues. She is also the Chairperson of Khwaja Ahmad Abbas Memorial Trust - an arts and culture organization inspired by the life and works of writer, journalist and filmmaker - Khwaja Ahmad Abbas.

Tanika Gupta has written over 25 stage plays that have been produced in major theatres across the UK and has written extensively for television and BBC Radio drama. Her plays The Empress and her adaptation of A Doll's House are on the National Curriculum in the UK for GSCE school examinations. Some of her recent Theatre credits include: Out West and A Doll's House (Lyric Hammersmith); Lions And Tigers (Shakespeare's Globe); Anita and Me (Birmingham Rep); Love N Stuff (Theatre Royal Stratford East); The Empress (Royal Shakespeare Company); Sugar Mummies (Royal Court Theatre); Gladiator Games (Sheffield Crucible Theatre); The Waiting Room (National Theatre). In 2008 Tanika was awarded an MBE for Services to Drama and she has an honorary doctorate in the Arts from Chichester University.

Tilottama Shome is an architect by training and wanderer by profession. Her early childhood days were spent in Calcutta when most of her time went in reading children's fiction, both in Bengali and English. She has translated The Children's Ramayana and The Adventures of Goopy the Singer and Bagha the Drummer by Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury.

Urvashi Butalia (born 1952) is an Indian feminist writer, publisher and activist. She is known for her work in the women's movement of India, as well as for authoring books such as The Other Side of Silence: Voices from and the Partition of India and Speaking Peace: Women's Voices from Kashmir. Along with Ritu Menon, she co-founded Kali for Women, India's first feminist publishing house, in 1984. In 2003, she founded Zubaan Books, an imprint of Kali for Women. In 2011, Butalia and Menon were jointly awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth highest civilian award, for their work in Literature and Education.

Urvika Kanoi is the chef and owner of The Daily Café and Café Duco.

Usha Uthup has enthralled an entire generation of listeners with her unforgettable voice and continues to do so. Her music speaks a universal language and transcends religion, race, nationality and caste. She can sing jazz, folk, pop, rock and in Bangla, Assamese, Gujarati, Tamil, Malayalam, and in a total number of 17 Indian languages and eight foreign languages. For over 44 years now Usha Uthup has spread a message of love and unity, peace and harmony, tolerance and integrity, and happiness - through music. From discotheques to concerts, across lndia and the World, she has addressed the youth about the values of music that makes us human.

Vandana Kohli is a filmmaker and writer with an interest in the human mind, behaviour and efficiency. She is the author of HINGE: (Re)Discovering Emotional and Mental Wellness. Vandana has received acclaim for her films on anger and depression. She wrote a weekly column on mind-emotion-psych for a leading weekly magazine from 2012 until 2018, and has served twice on the jury for the National Film Awards.

Vikram Iyengar is an arts leader and connector based in Calcutta, India, and working internationally. He is a dancer-choreographer-director, curator-presenter, and arts researcher-writer. Co-founder and artistic director of Ranan Performance Collective, he also initiated and leads the Pickle Factory Dance Foundation - a hub for dance and movement practice and discourse.

Vir Sanghvi is one of the best-known Indian journalists who became the youngest editor in the history of Indian journalism. From 1999 to 2004, he was Editor of the Hindustan Times before being promoted to Editorial Director, a post he held till 2007, after which he continued at the paper as a columnist and advisor. His television career includes several award-winning shows on the Star TV Network, NDTV and CNN TV 18. Sanghvi has a parallel career as India's leading food and travel writer. His many books include the best-selling Men of Steel, Rude Food, Madhavrao Scindia, A Life and Mandate: Will of the People and his latest, A Rude Life: The Memoir.