Writer. Editor
The journalist in me kicks into action with the interviews I do. I have built this portfolio of interviews consisting of authors, filmmakers, performing artistes, publishers and social activists, both well-known and up and coming, carefully over time. With each one of them, I have felt as delighted as a child who has won for herself a delicious cotton candy! These interviews have been tremendous learning experiences, throwing the doors open to the many, many things that go on in this world and that keep the world going. These interactions are my pride and I will cherish them as some of the best things that have happened to me in my journey as a writer.
Philip John co-runs a boutique creative agency in Bangalore. He is also an independent creative consultant and writer. He is the author of the Facebook page ‘Labyrinths’ that seeks to capture the mystery and the transience of modern urban life in very short stories and poems. He talks to me about his association with the written word, his writing process and what it takes to run a page that unfailingly publishes one flash story or a poem every day.
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An interview with singer, songwriter and Dean of the Subramaniam Academy of Performing Arts (SaPa), Bindu Subramaniam, and violinist and Associate Dean of SaPa, Ambi Subramaniam, about SaPa’s approach to teaching music, its vision, its curriculum and SaPa’s flagship program, SaPa in Schools (SiS).
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Anu Kumar, Author, talks to me on what it means to be a children’s author, including what fascinates her about writing for children, what’s the sort of research that goes into her books, who her favourite children’s authors are and what’s her favourite from her own body of work. Plus there is a beautiful reading list that she recommends for children too.
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Vinita Agrawal, widely-published poet and author, shares her thoughts about her poetic journey, what poetry means to her and her debut anthology of poems ‘Words Not Spoken’. An interview that I did for the 50th issue of Spark (February 2014).
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In a freewheeling chat, Raksha Bharadia, co-author of 12 titles of the Indian Chicken Soup for the Soul series, talks about the experience of putting together the various titles, the stories that moved her, and how this opportunity changed her as a person. The stories in the series are meant to ‘open the heart and rekindle the spirit’. Find out what the person behind many titles in the series in India has to say on inspiration and human life.
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Jaya Bhattacharji Rose, publishing consultant and columnist talks to me about interesting trends in the Indian publishing industry including the popularity that commercial fiction is enjoying in India these days, the growing trend of buying books online and the advent of e-books in the Indian market.
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Internationally-renowned guitarist and music composer, Prasanna, talks about his fascinating musical journey of being a guitarist, composer and the President of Swarnabhoomi Academy of Music.
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Rocky (Singh) and Mayur (Sharma) anchor the award winning, cult food and travel show ‘Highway On My Plate’ on NDTV Goodtimes. Their bestselling book ‘Highway On My Plate – The Indian Guide to Roadside Eating’, based on their show, recently won a ‘Best in the World’ Award at the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Paris. The duo answer my questions on their show ‘Highway On My Plate’ (HOMP), the book, food, their experiences on the road and dream trips.
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Drives on roads to beautiful destinations and amazing cups of chai: I speak to Rishad Saam Mehta, author of ‘Hot Tea across India,’ a compilation of road trips he has made over the years, published by Tranquebar in 2011.
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Samhita Arni is the author of “Sita’s Ramayana”, a graphic novel developed in collaboration with Patua Artist Moyna Chitrakar and published by Tara Books. The book has spent two weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List for Graphic Novels. When she was eight, Samhita started writing and illustrating her first book. “The Mahabharata – A Child’s View”, (Tara Books, 1996) that went on to be published in seven language editions, selling 50,000 copies worldwide, winning the Elsa Morante Literary Award, and receiving commendations from the German Academy for Youth Literature and Media and The Spanish Ministry of Culture. Samhita talks about her book, ‘Sita’s Ramayana’ and women in mythology, among other things, in this interview.
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