Writer
Dr Srishti Srivastava, recipient of best thesis award in psychology for her Ph.D. thesis on “Self Esteem of Women Slum Dwellers”, still takes great pains to work for under privileged women living in the slums. A well known debater during her college time, she uses her debating skills to serve the society by giving talks on radio, FM and television on the subjects concerning mental well being and psychological counseling. Her programme Sangini for today’s women on ETV Uttar Pradesh is quite popular and appreciated. She regularly contributes in various news papers and magazines. Besides being on the panel of examiners in various Universities including I.G.N.O.U, she is invited as expert in training programmes of well known organizations like Judicial Training and Research Institute ( JTRI), Lucknow. She is on the panel of experts with many organizations like HelpAge India, Bharat Petroleum and Search Foundation etc..
Presently she is working in NKV PwG College, Luckno as Associate Professor and Head of Psychology department.
Writer / Dastango
Sudeep Nagarkar is the author of three bestselling novels – Few Things Left Unsaid (2011), That’s the Way We Met (2012) & It Started With a Friend Request (2013). Sudeep’s books are inspired from real life incidents and have sold more than lakh copies. They have been translated into regional languages and continue to top the bestseller charts since release. He also received ‘Youth achievers’ award in August 2013 for writing three bestselling novels back to back and for being one of the highest selling romance author in India. He has a degree in Electronics Engineering from Mumbai University and is currently pursuing management studies from Welingkar Institute of Management. He is also a motivational speaker and has given guest lectures in various institutes and organizations.
Psychoanalyst / Writer
Sudhir Kakar is a psychoanalyst and writer who took his Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Gujarat University, his Master’s degree (Diplom-Kaufmann) in business economics from Mannheim in Germany and his doctorate in economics from Vienna before beginning his training in psychoanalysis at the Sigmund-Freud Institute in Frankfurt, Germany in 1971. He has been 40th Anniversary Senior Fellow at the Centre for Study of World Religions at Harvard (2001-02), a visiting professor at the universities of Chicago (1989-93), McGill (1976-77), Melbourne (1981), Hawaii (1998) and Vienna (1974-75) and a Fellow at the Institutes of Advanced Study, Princeton and Berlin. Since 1994, he is Adjunct Professor of Leadership at INSEAD in Fontainbleau, France. Currently, he is also Senior Homi Bhabha Fellow, Fellow, Centre for Advanced Study in Humanities, University of Cologne and D.D. Kosambi Visiting Research Professor, Goa University. A leading figure in the fields of cultural psychology and the psychology of religion, as well as a novelist. Sudhir Kakar is author of seventeen books of non-fiction and four of fiction. His books have been translated into twenty one languages around the world.
Dr. Surachna Trivedi, Assistant Professor, Sanskrit in Bhagwan Deen Aryakanya Post Graduate College, Lakheempur. She has been writing poems and short stories in Sanskrit and Hindi (Khadi Boli and Awadhi). She has presented her research papers in several national and international seminars and conferences. She is a regular columnist in several magazines and newspapers. She has been writing a monthly column ‘Urja’ in Dainik Jagran since 2009. She is also associated with Yojna, Seva-Chetna, Sahitya-Amrit and Manas Chandan magazines. She is also associated with Akashvaani for various talks and poems in Hindi and Awadhi. Dr. Trivedi is also member in various government and non-government organisations like: Akhil Bhartiya Awadhi Samaj, Hindi Seva Samiti, Sanskrit Parishad Lakheempur etc.. She received the title of Sanskrit Bharti and Vidyottama by Akhil Bhartiya Sanskrit Paricharini Parishad, Kanpur. She was awarded by Sushma Saraswat Samman by Hindi Sabha, Sitapur, and received award from Uttaranchal Sanskrit Akademy for her short stories. She has also received Lokbharti Uttar Pradesh. She is selected as Sanskrit Assiciate by Bhartiya Uccha Adhyan Sansthan, Rashtrapati Niwas, Shimla (H.P.) for three years.
Poet
Dr. Suresh is the name of a tradition of Hindi Geet. He is widely appreciated not only in India but also the whole Hindi world like, Middle East and England. He is also known for his creative works. ‘Ham to thehre yaar banjaare’ is the land mark creation of Dr. Suresh which was highly appreciated. During Recitation of the poetry he makes his own magnetic field and connects with his listeners . Great Hindi poet Sohan Laal Dwivedi launched Dr. Suresh on the Kavi Sammelan Stage for the first time. Since then he has been showing his versatility.
Journalist
Dr. Syed Sulaiman Akhtar, Editor, Urdu SPAN is a seasoned journalist. He looks after Urdu SPAN’s web presence and oversees SPAN’s outreach programs too. Before joining American Embassy he worked for various news channels of Sahara India Parivar in different responsible position. His last posting in Sahara was with Aalami Sahara (Sahara’s Urdu News Channel) as Senior Producer. He also oversaw launching of Sahara’s news website. i e. Samaylive.com . He freelanced for Doordarshan both as news editor and anchor. He was associated with All India Radio’s News Services Division and External Affairs Division for many years. He has been writing for magazines and newspapers off and on and is active in the field of journalism since 1995. Delhi Urdu Academy awarded his book, “Electronic Media ki Tareekh” in 2011.
Dr. Tariq Qamar is one of the most prominent young poet of our country no doubt he holds a unique position among the best young poet of modern literature. Besides having master degrees in three respective subjects English, Urdu and Mass communication he has also completed his Doctorate under the title of Imagination in modern poetry. Poetry comes to him as ancestral heritage as his grandfather was a great scholar n cleric of Persian and Tariq’s father Syed Aqil Sambhali was also a well renowned poet having four books in his account. Tariq started writing poetry quite early in his life he got national poetic award from BBC Urdu Service (London)at the age of sixteen. Dr Tariq Qamar is very particular about language and diction. While his diction rooted in the classical tradition he touches modern subjects and this blending makes his poetry remarkable. His poetic collections Shajar Se Lipti Hui Bel and Patton Ka Shor got tremendous response from great critics of Urdu world. Tariq Qamar has represented ant recited his poetry in more than 15 countries. He is also known as sound and matured journalist at present he is working in ETV group as a senior editor of Urdu channel.
Author/Translator
Japanese author and translator Tomoko Kikuchi who wears her Indian heart on her sleeves. She has been living in India for last 21 years – half her lifetime. So strong was her fascination that she decided to move here for good. She studied and mastered the Hindi language, and is today an authority on translating Japanese works into Hindi and Vice-Versa. She writes and translates both in Hindi and Japanese. Her famous translation works are Parvat Pita, Barish Ka Prakop Jhelkar and Vanaspati Ka Doctor. She also writes for many Hindi newspapers and magazines about literature, culture and world peace. Her famous works are Mahadevi Varma Ki Vishwadrishti, Hiroshima Ka Dard. She dubbed the Japanese animation film The Hiroshima Story in Hindi as Saras Par Chadh Kar. She was also honored in the ninth World Hindi Congress on September 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa and awarded by U.P. Hindi-Urdu Sahitya Award Committee. She says purpose of her writing is to speed up cultural exchanges between India and Japan.
Writer, Columnist & Screenwriter
Tuhin A. Sinha is among the best-selling authors in India, a columnist and a screenwriter.
Starting in 2006 with his first book, That Thing Called Love, an unconventional romance set in a Mumbai monsoon, Tuhin has written five novels. They include The Captain (formerly 22 Yards), Of Love And Politics, The Edge of Desire and The Edge Of Power. Tuhin is acknowledged among the most prolific Indian writers with a maverick knack to experiment with new genres. While his first book was an offbeat romance, The Captain was a cricket thriller that explored the underbelly of modern cricket. Of Love And Politics was a political thriller. His last two books which comprise the Edge series can be called socio-political thrillers with a strong feminist skew. Tuhin is a screenwriter of several popular TV shows, the most noteworthy being Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai on Star Plus. Apart from his fiction novels and scripts, Tuhin is a keen political observer. His columns on Indian politics appear regularly in India’s leading dailies. Tuhin has a regular blog on ibnlive.com. He also appears frequently on news channels on discussions around politics and cricket.
Umesh Chauhan, full name, Umesh Kumar Singh Chauhan, is an I.A.S. officer of 1978 batch(Kerala Cadre). Presently he is the Joint Secretary in Khadya Mantralaya, Government of India, New Delhi. He had a keen interest in Hindi and Awadhi Literature since his student life. Several poems, stories and articles are published time to time in Hindi and Malayalam Magazines and newspapers. He has written many books and got it published by different publications among which Gaanth mein loon baandh thodi chandani(2001) , Daana Chugte Murge(2004), Akkittam Ki Pratinidhi Kavitaaein(2009), and Jinhein dar nahin lagta(poetry collection published in 2012) are very famous. he received Abhay Dev Smarak Bhasha Samanavay Puraskar by Bhasha Samanvay Vedi in the year 2009 and Raj Bhasha Samman by IFCO in the year 2011.
Historian / Writer
Urvashi is an Indian feminist and historian. She is the Director and Co-founder of Kali for Women, India’s first feminist publishing house. Her writing has appeared in several newspapers including The Guardian, The Statesman, The Times of India and several magazines including Outlook, the New Internationalist and India Today. Her main areas of research are partition and oral histories. She has also written on gender, communalism, fundamentalism and media. Recently, she was also conferred a Padmashree by for her contribution to the nation.
Urvashi Butalia started Zubaan, a renowned publishing house in 2003. Zubaan is an imprint of Kali for Women.
Historian / Writer
Lucknow’s native historian, Veena Talwar Oldenburg, has done pioneering work on the colonial impact on Lucknow’s gracious nawabi city. Her book, The Making of Colonial Lucknow (published by Princeton University Press and later by Oxford University Press in their Lucknow Omnibus) is an in-depth study of the aftermath of the bloody and heroic siege of the Residency by the rebels against the British forces in 1857. She has written on the transformation in fabric, governance and the cultural eths of the city. Her work on the Courtesans of Lucknow was both pioneering and trend-setting has been anthologized in many collections. Her anthology, Shaam e Awadh: Writings on Lucknow is part of the prestigious city series published by Penguin. She is the author of several other scholarly works, a specialist on gender and women’s history and the author of her critically acclaimed work on the history of dowry titled, Dowry Murder: The Imperial origins of a Cultural Crime, published by Oxford and penguin in two separate editions. She is a professor of history at the City University of New York and is currently writing a book on the history and astonishing growth of the Mellenium city: Gurgaon.
Writer
Dr. Vijay Kumar Karn is Associate Professor and Head of the Department, Sanskrit in a reputed college of Lucknow. He has been working for the promotion of Sanskrit language among people. His famous books are- Vyavahaarik Sanskrit Parshikshak, Karn Ek Vishisht Vyaktitva, Sanskrit Ratna(All the 4 parts), Semiconductor Shabdawali and Prasaar Bharti Shabdaawali. He has been the Editor of Shaikshik Sankalp(Monthly), Seva Chetna(six monthly), Gyaanayni(3rd monthly) and Parisheelam. He has written a numerous of research papers in national and international conferences and seminars and a number of them were published in newspapers, journals and magazines . His several programmes were broadcasted on Aakashwani, Lucknow viz. Kavyaganga, Deepawali, Paryavaranam Mahatyam, Vidwaan Sarvatra Poojyate and many more were broadcasted on Gyaanvaani like, Aadi Bhasha Sanskrit and Sanskrit Bhasha Mein Ritu Varnan. He has received several awards like Sarvshreshtha Shikshak Sammaan(2004), Yuva Sahityakaar Samman(2005), Sanskrit Seva Samman(Hariyana Sanskrit Akademi), Sanskrit Seva Samupasak Samman(Dilli Sanskrit Akademi) etc.
Vikram Mani Tripathi Science Teacher, Director/Producer-Awadh Darshan program (Nepal Television), Member of Awadhi Book writers team (Nepal), Member of Awadhi grammar writers team, Awadhi Language Teacher’s Trainer (Nepal). Degree of proficiency and excellence in Awadh, Nepali, English, Hindi languages. he has authored 16 books in Awadhi language,6 in Nepali.He was the Individual Consultant, UNESCO, Kathmandu, Nepal from 11 May 2010 to 30 December 2010, In view of improving the quality of literacy programs for Awadhi speaking people, in the context of education for all and with in the framework of the project entitled “Literacy for All : Empowerment and Poverty reduction in Post Conflict Nepal (Second Phase)”.
Vinod Tiwari is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Hindi, University of Delhi, Delhi and has been a visiting professor to Ankara University, Turkey for two years. His linguistic skills have elevated to the extent of showcasing themselves in his publications and his occupation as a critic and an editor. He has been the editor of Bahuvachan – Issue-12&13and Pakshdhar. His publications include Parampara, SarjanaurUpnyas(A Criticism), NayiSadikiDahleej Par(A Criticism) , Vijaydev Narayan Sahi (A Monograph for Sahitya Akademi, Delhi), AcharyaRamchandraShuklakeshresthaNibandh (Edited Version), and Nibandh : VicharaurRachna (Edited Version).
Poet
William Letford has worked as a roofer, on and off, since he was fifteen years old. He has received a New Writer’s Award from the Scottish Book Trust and an Edwin Morgan Travel Bursary which allowed him to spend three months in the mountains of northern Italy helping to restore a medieval village. He has an M.Litt in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow, Scotland, UK. His poems were featured in the bestselling poetry anthology New Poetries V and his debut collection Bevel was published by Carcanet. ‘The pleasure I have gained from William Letford’s poems… will, I am confident, stay with me for ever.’ – Nicholas Lezard, The Guardian
listed Lucknow Literary Festival among
the TOP 6 Lit Fest of India
