Category: Interviews

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.

I’m Very Snobbish about the Star-rating System!

June 10, 2011February 17, 2015

Jai Arjun Singh is a freelance writer and journalist based in Delhi. He has written for Business Standard, The Hindu, Tehelka, The Sunday Guardian, Outlook and The Hindustan Times, among other publications. His book about the film ‘Jaane bhi do Yaaro’ was published by Harper Collins India in 2010. He has also edited an anthology of film writing, ‘The Popcorn Essayists: What Movies do to Writers’, for Tranquebar. In this interview, he gets talking about his thoughts on cinema, his blog and his books.

Categories: Interviews

RJ-ing is Definitely Some Serious Business!

April 15, 2011February 12, 2015

Plenty of energy, vivacity and lots of songs. That’s what hits you first when you think of RJ-ing. Well, that’s true and yet, there’s more to it than fun too! I am happy to present an interview with RJ Pavitra, touching on her job as an RJ, the fun and serious aspects of her work and more.

Categories: Interviews

I Want People to Use their Imagination!

April 12, 2011February 12, 2015

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning author and poet. Her themes include women, immigration, the South Asian experience, history, myth, magic and celebrating diversity. In this dream-come-true interview for me, she shares her thoughts on her writing journey, her books as well as some advice for aspiring authors, among many other things. Excerpts.

Categories: Interviews

I Paid Heed to the Call of My Soul!

April 10, 2011February 12, 2015

Abha Iyengar is an internationally published freelance writer and poet. Her work has appeared in several anthologies, magazines and literary journals, both in print and online. She is a Kota Press Poetry Anthology contest winner. In an interview, she talks about her poems, stories and writing in general.

Categories: Interviews

Giving Voice to Women : Urvashi Butalia

March 5, 2011February 12, 2015

Urvashi Butalia, Director, Zubaan Books, is an Indian feminist and historian. She is also the co-founder of Kali for Women, India’s first feminist publishing house, of which she was the Director. She talks about her journey with Kali for Women, Zubaan and feminist literature and publishing in India.

Categories: Interviews

Fighting Educational Inequity : Shaheen Mistri

March 5, 2011March 10, 2015

As an 18-year-old, Shaheen Mistri walked into a slum in Mumbai and began teaching. She then went on to set up Akanksha Foundation, an NGO that works primarily in the field of education. Now she is the Chief Executive Officer of Teach For India, a nationwide movement that aims to end education inequity in India. In this interview, she tells me about her personal journey with Akanksha and Teach For India, her views on the Indian education system and the relevance of social entrepreneurship in today’s world. Excerpts.

Categories: Interviews

I Don’t Believe in Writing Fearfully!

February 15, 2011November 23, 2014

Mridula Koshy is the author of ‘If It Is Sweet’, a collection of short stories released in May 2009 by Tranquebar Press. The book won the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize for 2009 and was shortlisted for the 2009 Vodafone Crossword Book Prize. In an interesting interview, she gets talking about writing, her book, and exploring relationships through writing.

Categories: Interviews

Entertainment, Enlightenment

January 5, 2011March 12, 2015

All the world’s a stage, said Shakespeare! How true that is! It’s just that we are so caught up in our fast-paced lives, that we hardly realize the simple truth behind that profound line! Quite ironically, it’s these guys on stage, the theatre folks, who more often than not, remind us of our absurdities and foibles, making us laugh at our own gaps and sometimes tell us what we could have been. Entertainment, Enlightenment and much more. My interview with Srikrishna Sridhar Murthy, Director of Version One Dot Oh, a Bangalore-based theatre group, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.

Categories: Interviews

Food Delight

January 5, 2011March 12, 2015

Bhojan! The name itself is so inviting. When I close my eyes and think of it, all I can imagine is a sumptuous meal, very Indian and tastefully and cleanly prepared! And if you are an Indian living in the U.S., close your eyes and think of this name, doesn’t it sound all the more mouth-watering? My interview with Sweta Parthasarathy and Tarandeep Narula on their love for food and cooking as well as their venture Bhojan, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.

Categories: Interviews

For the Woman by a Woman

January 5, 2011March 12, 2015

If you thought creativity was all about music, dance, writing, theatre and painting, then think again! Here’s a woman who has gone an extra mile to pursue her passion for designing jewelry. My interview with Benaazir Muhammdunni, an entrepreneur into jewelry design, as part of a special cover feature that I did for the first anniversary issue of my magazine, Spark.

Categories: Interviews