Authors

Abdul Kader Mukadam, as a protagonist of progressive ideology and values, has always been actively associated with a number of social organisations committed to the propagation of these values. He is associated with the Muslim Satya Shodhak Mandal, the first progressive movement of Muslims in India, and is a founder-member of Muslims for Secular Democracy. He regularly contributes articles to newspapers and periodicals on the subject of the problems of Indian Muslims and has participated in debates on this subject on All India Radio and on television. He has presented research papers at seminars organised by Bombay University, Pune University, and Surat University. His areas of interest include Sufism and the politics of the Middle East. He is the author of several books in Marathi: Problems of Indian Muslims, The story of Indian Muslims, and Chandrakorichya Chhayet (In the Shade of the Crescent). A compilation of some of his articles, which have appeared in newspapers and periodicals, has also been published.

Ajay Kalra is a personal growth writer, life coach, therapist, counsellor, Yoga teacher, and mindfulness practitioner. He enjoys facilitating emotional healing, self-inquiry, and authentic self-expression for individuals and groups. Having spent years aspiring to an extraordinary life, he is now content with the simple and ordinary. Visit www.ajayakalra.com to know more about him and to read his works.

Amit Joshi is a successful trainer with 13+ years of experience in Language and Soft Skills Training, Profit Centre Operations, and Accounts Management, who has facilitated and coached clients from various industries through diverse trainings.

Annemarie Postma was the first professional model in Europe with a disability, appearing in Playboy in 1995. Since then she has appeared on TV talk shows, documentaries and become a well-known campaigner and writer specialising in self-esteem. Annemarie has also been a columnist for 7 years for the daily Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad. She has written a number of books, including The Deeper Secret and The Secret Within. The clear, direct and accessible writing style with which she manages to bring depth to issues is completely unique to her, Annemarie’s no-nonsense approach to the subject of spirituality makes it more accessible and inviting. Annemarie is a spiritual teacher of our time; she demonstrates that spirituality is not about just “floating”, but it has a deep root in our making as human being. She demonstrates in her books and lectures the necessity and urgency of spirituality in our lives.

Anonna Guha has a double doctorate—in Sociology with a fellowship from Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), and in Human Relations. She is a corporate trainer in behavioural sciences and imparts training pertaining to Human Relations, Emotion Management, Communication, Personality Development, and Stress Management. Anonna is trained in dance, music and drama and is a national level performing artiste. She is also MD, Nrityanjali Management Services.

Arjuna Ardagh is the author of The Translucent Revolution, The Last Laugh, Relaxing into Clear Seeing, and more. He is the founder of the Living Essence Foundation in Nevada City, California, a non-profit organization dedicated to the awakening of consciousness within the context of ordinary life. For more information on Arjuna and his work, go to www.livingessence.com,www.translucents.org and www.awakeningintooneness.org.

Aroon Tikekar (1944 – 2016) was an Indian scholar and authority on Mumbai, as well as a journalist. He worked as a college teacher for some years, then became the Language and Literature Expert and Acquisitions Specialist at the US Library of Congress Office in New Delhi. His career in newspapers started with a job as Reference Chief with the Times of India. He then became a Senior Assistant Editor with the Maharashtra Times. He was appointed editor of the Marathi newspaper Loksatta, published by the Indian Express Group, and held that position from 1991 to 2002. He was the recipient of several literary and journalism awards. He has written more than twenty books in Marathi and in English. His PhD thesis The Kincaids: Two Generation of a British Family in the Indian Civil Service was published as a book, exploring the lives of the civil servants and authors Charles Augustus Kincaid and his son, Dennis Kincaid. His Marathi books include Jana-Mana and Sthal-Kaal. His lectures given at the University of Mumbai on Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade were published as a book, Ranade: The Renaissance Man. In 2006 he published The Cloister’s Pale: A Biography of the University of Mumbai which interweaves the history of the university with the history of the city.

Arun Babani has a Masters degree in Eastern Philosophy from Mumbai University. He is a journalist and a writer. He has written a book of spiritual essays titled Return to Innocence and two books of poems in Sindhi. His articles have been published in many newspapers and magazines including Debonair, Weekend and DNA. He lives in Mumbai with his wife and son.

Dr. Arundhati Hoskeri is Management Representative at an IB school in Mumbai and a freelance journalist contributing to leading newspapers and journals. She is a soft skills trainer, with stress management being her forte. She conducts workshops for corporate and private groups. She has published a book of poems titled Mindscapes. Her interests include reading, writing short stories, poetry, painting, dramatics, astrology, yoga, homeopathy, naturopathy and alternative medicine. She is fluent in English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Konkani, Tamil, and Bhojpuri.

Arundhati Khandkar was formerly Professor of Philosophy at S.I.E.S. College, University of Mumbai. She has written several books including Baja, the translation of Machiavelli’s The Prince; Tarkateertha: Prajnyapravah, a biography of Laxmanshastri Joshi; and Adi Shankaracharya: Life and Philosophy. She has translated the book Spiritual Materialism by Tarkateertha Laxmanshastri Joshi from Marathi into English.

Arvind Mambro is a well-known writer of essays and short stories in Konkani. He has won numerous awards from the governments of Maharashtra and Goa, as well as from the Sahitya Akademi. He was principally responsible for setting up the Tata Archives and served there in a senior capacity for many years. He is the editor of the book JRD Tata: Letters and Keynote published in 2004.

Ashita Saxena is a Healer, Counsellor, Tarot Reader, Writer and a certified Paranormal Investigator with expertise in Reiki, Aura Reading, Chakra Cleansing and many other alternate therapies and occult sciences. She can be contacted at ashitasaxena@yahoo.co.in. Her website: www.ashitasaxena.com

Ashok Chopra began his journalistic career in 1973 as a sub-editor with The Tribune in Chandigarh. In June 1975, he joined the Indian Express group as its Himachal Pradesh correspondent based in Shimla. He left journalism for book publishing in April 1978. Over the years Chopra kept a foot in both camps writing book reviews, features and opinion pieces regularly for India Today, The Times of India and Indian Express as also some Western newspapers and journals. During the course of his publishing career, he has published an illustrious list comprising some of the biggest and most distinguished authors including Louise Hay, Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre,  Deepak Chopra, Dr Wayne Dyer, Doreen Virtue, Dr Brian Weiss, Robin Sharma, Sylvia Brown, Wilbur Smith, Patrick French, Christopher Krammer, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Rajiv Mehrotra, Nani  A. Palkhivala, Fali S. Nariman, Khushwant Singh, Shobhaa Dé, Dom Moraes, Salman Khusrshid, Mani Shankar Aiyar, as also the legendary Indian actors Dilip Kumar and Anupam Kher. Chopra is the co-chairman and director, Khushwant Singh Literary Festival, held annually at Kasauli.

Balraj Krishna began his career as a journalist with the Civil & Military Gazette, Lahore, in 1944. Post-Partition in New Delhi, he was with the Publicity Division of the External Affairs Ministry and the British Information Services. He was a special correspondent with the Hindustan Times in Kashmir. His articles, book reviews, and photo-features appeared in the Illustrated Weekly of India, the Times of India, the Economic Times, the Hindu, and Frontline, besides Eastern World, London.

Brinda Jayaraman is a well-known counsellor and trainer in Tamil Nadu with a Masters in Psychology, P.G. Diploma in Counselling and M.Phil. She was trained in Addiction Counselling, Rudolf Dreikurs and Adlerian approach. She has been a counsellor for the past twenty-fiveyears. She has co-authored a book titled Parentingin English and Tamil.

Captain Ramesh Babu, recently retired from Mumbai after serving the Indian Navy and Mazagon Dock, lives in a Kerala village, pursuing his interests in social service, heritage conservation, horticulture and writing. His published works are Calicut Heritage Trails, a guide to the medieval port city, and After You Sir, an anthology of school stories. You can reach him at captainswalks@gmail.com and www.heartandheritage.org.

Casi Raja Pundit was a mutasaddi or secretary in the service of Suja-ud-daula, Vazir of Oudh, and was present at the third battle of Panipat.

Col. Anil Athale, a former infantry soldier, is a graduate of Staff College and has a doctorate from Pune University. He was head of the War History Division, Ministry of Defence, and has co-authored the official history of the 1962 Sino-Indian war and the insurgency in the Northeast. He is the recipient of several research fellowships including Fulbright, Kennedy Centre, IDSA, USI, and Philosophical Society. He has been engaged in thirty years of research on conflicts in Kashmir, the Northeast, Ireland, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. He is also the author of seven books on military history.

David Edmunds has degrees in Philosophy and Mathematics, and works as a computer scientist. He attends a Methodist church, and has taught classes in Christian thinking for severel years, including Bible studies, studies of apocryphal early Christian writings, works by C. S. Lewis, and several studies of contemporary Christian authors. He lived in California for many years prior to returning home to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Deepak Mehta has more than twenty books to his credit, most in Gujarati. In 2014, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Maharashtra Rajya Gujarati Sahitya Akademi for his valuable contribution to Gujarati language and literature.

Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik has lectured and written extensively on the relevance of mythology to modern man. He has written several books on Hindu mythology. He is a regular in the management seminar lecture circuit. A medical doctor by education and a leadership consultant by profession, he is a mythologist by passion, and has written and lectured extensively on the nature of sacred stories, symbols and rituals, and their relevance in modern times. Devdutt lives in Mumbai, India.

Dr. Fukahori Yasukata is currently the Consul-General of Japan in Mumbai. As a diplomat of Japan, he spent over 25 years in foreign countries including Australia, Myanmar, United Kingdom, Thailand, U.S.A. (twice in Washington DC and Atlanta), Vietnam and India (twice in New Delhi and Mumbai). He holds Ph.D. in environmental economics. He is an award winner of Rakumugi Publishing Contest in Japan in 2023 with his book Japan: The Most Religiously Mature Nation.

Dr. Rainer Zitelmann, Rainer Zitelmann holds doctorates in History and Sociology. He is the author of 21 books. After working as a historian at the Freie Universität Berlin, he later served as section head at the daily newspaper Die Welt. In 2000, he founded his own company, which he subsequently sold in 2016. Today he lives in Berlin as an investor and publicist.

Dr. Usha Thakkar retired as Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai. She is President, Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Mumbai

Dr. V. Gouri Suresh obtained her Ph.D. in 1993 from Ranchi University. After thirty eight years of teaching at the undergraduate level and twenty years during the same period at the postgraduate level, she retired as Associate Professor of Botany and Vice Principal in 2012.   She has presented many research papers in National and International Conferences, and published papers in various National and International journals. She is the author of several books including Stories from Bhaagavatham published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Mumbai, in 2004, Environmental Studies and Ethics and Environmental Studies. After retirement, Dr. Gouri Suresh has taken to writing books based on scriptures and epics such as The Ten Incarnations of Mahaavishnu, and An Elderly Couple’s Pilgrimage to Holy Kailas – Manasarovar.

Devasena Desai is a clinical psychologist and has a doctoral degree in parent training from Pune University in association with Utrecht University, The Netherlands. She has twenty-four years of experience in counselling and has conducted workshops and individual counselling sessions for teenagers, gifted young adults and parents. She has co-authored a book titled Understanding Psychological Assessment.

Prof. (Dr.) Farrukh S. Waris is the vice-principal and head of the department of history at the Burhani College. She did her M.Phil (History) from A.M.U. Aligarh in 1976. She is a member of the Mumbai chapter of Taleem-e-Niswan, an organisation committed to encouraging education amongst underprivileged Muslim women. She is also the secretary of Idrak, an organisation of educated Muslims committed to creating socio-political awareness among the Muslims at large. She is also a pioneer-member of Muslims for Secular Democracy, Mumbai, and a founder-member of the study circle “Parivartan – A Need for Change” that aims to educate students on socio-political issues, independent thinking and accepting social and national commitments. Dr. Waris has presented papers at several seminars and workshops and is a member of the Indian History Congress and also of the Indian History Association. She has also initiated a Women’s Development Cell (W.D.C.) to create gender sensitisation, economic empowerment and fight all kinds of marginalisation.

Gayatri Pagdi is a full-time writer, translator, editor and professional ghostwriter of books related to Indian culture and religion, self-empowerment and alternative healing. She is a published author in the UK and her writing has been included in the South Asian Literary Review brought out by the University of Pittsburgh, USA, as a promising contemporary South Asian writer and poet. She has also received acknowledgment for her work from the prestigious Sahitya Akademi in 2007. Pagdi, who has worked on more than 30 books in the past five years in various capacities, is based in Mumbai.

Prof. Girish Joshi, M.A. in Marathi and Sanskrit, is a professor at the Acharya Marathe College and a part-time professor at SIES. He has translated into Hindi and Marathi several books such as Amma by Mehrunnisa Pervez, Saripat by Vasudha Wagh, and Spiritual Masters: Sai Baba by Sonavi Desai. He has written numerous articles in periodicals such as Kadamb, Hemangi, Vasa, and Sai Leela to name a few. He has also presented a research paper on “Moropantanchi 108 Ramayane” at an international conference in Mumbai.

Gyan Rajhans is a health and safety professional based in Canada. He has been broadcasting the only non-commercial Vedic religion radio program in North America since 1981, and a global webcast on bhajanawali.com since 1999. Rajhans is a widely published author of religious and spiritual books, which includes a translation of the Bhagavad Gita in English for the younger generation.

Harish Dhillon had his schooling at the Lawrence School, Sanawar, trained for the army and was then boarded out of the services on medical grounds. He went on to do his post-graduation and doctorate in English Literature from the Lucknow University, where he lectured for seven years. In 1995 he became headmaster at Sanawar and then moved to Yadavindra Public School, Mohali (Chandigarh), as Principal in 1999. His books include The Lives and Teachings of the Sikh Gurus, Love Stories from the Punjab, The Legend of Banda Bahadur, The Living Saint (a biography of Bhagat Puran Singh), Spiritual Masters: Guru Nanak, and Kali Saver (short stories in Punjabi). He has also written two collections of short stories in English titled After the Storm and The Song of Silence.

Dr. Indira Kher, is a retired professor of English. She was awarded a doctorate in English literature by the University of Bombay in 1970 for her thesis Lewis Carroll: Man and Writer. She has been the editor of the English edition of Sri Sai Leela magazine, Shirdi, and is the author of Avadhuta Yogi Pant Maharaj of Balekundri, published by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. She has also translated Shri Sai Satcharita from Marathi into English.

Indumati Raman, an alumna of Rukmini Devi’s Kalakshetra (Chennai), is a dancer, teacher, choreographer and writer who worked from 1993 to 2002 with the artistes of Melattur Bhagavata Mela Natya Vidya Sangam as Chairperson, Sponsor and Patron.

J.V. Naik taught history first at the Elphinstone College, then at the Govt. of Maharashtra I.Y. College and before his retirement he was professor and head, department of history, University of Mumbai. He was awarded a fellowship of the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute for research in Canada. He has lectured at some Universities in Canada and participated in international conferences in India and abroad. He was the general president of the Indian History Congress, and he has delivered several prestigious endowment lectures. He was UGC visiting fellow at the M.S. University at Baroda and at the Shivaji University, Kolhapur. He has authored several books and booklets, including one on national integration for the Central Board for Workers’ Education, sponsored by the Ministry of Labour, Govt. of India. Through his numerous research papers, which are widely cited, he has made a seminal contribution to a better understanding of the nature of 19th century Maharashtrian renaissance and the history of the quest for social justice in India. He has been a member of the Raja Rammohun Roy Library Foundation, Ministry of Culture, Govt. of India. He is presently a trustee of Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, and of the Asiatic Society of Mumbai.

Jayraj Salgaokar is the Editor, Publisher, Co-founder, and Managing Director of Kalnirnay, the world’s largest-selling multilingual publication, published in nine languages. He writes regularly in Loksatta, Maharashtra Times, and other leading Marathi newspapers. He is a visiting lecturer on newspaper printing technology and internet in various colleges and media schools. His interests include reading, spirituality, and mountaineering.

Jonathan Clements is the author, co-author or translator of over thirty books, including The Little Book of Chinese Proverbs, The Moon in the Pines, and Pirate King: Coxinga and Fall of the Ming Dynasty.

After much contemplation (and mostly lack of ideas), Joshua has decided that this will be his last book. He lives in Bangalore with his beautiful wife (he only writes non-fiction) and two superheroes masquerading as his sons.

Dr. Kamaxi Bhate is a professor of Preventive and Social medicine and has been teaching UG/PG/Nursing students in G. S. Medical College for 29 years. She is also in charge of the Patient Education Centre & Malvani Urban Health Centre. Dr. Bhate has authored several medical booklets. In collaboration with Dr. R. D. Bapat, she wrote a weekly column in the Marathi newspaper Loksatta, which was compiled and published as a book titled Swasthyavedh. She has been actively involved in preparing flipcharts, posters & training materials for KEM Hospital, UNICEF, and NGOs like Path Finder, NACO, CCDT, etc.

Dr. Laxminarayan Bolli is an eminent writer and poet from Solapur. He has written 22 books on varied subjects as well as 5 poetry books. His articles have been published in various Marathi newspapers and magazines. He has translated Telugu literature into Marathi and has received several awards for his work.

Leela B. Jois was formerly Librarian of the South Indian Education Society’s college of Arts and Science, Mumbai.

Dr. Louiza Rodrigues is Associate Professor, Department of History, Ramnarain Ruia College, Mumbai. Her area of specialization and interests are Environmental History, Genealogy and Heritage of Mumbai. She has written several research papers and has authored two books.

Prof. M. Sivaramkrishna is former Chair, Dept of English, Osmania University, Hyderabad, and has a doctorate from Osmania University in American Literature. His involvement with the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda tradition finds expression in numerous books: Ramakrishna: The Unique Phenomenon (1992), Art of Sadhana in the Stories of Ramakrishna (1995), Poet-Saints of India (1996), Pathways to Paramahamsa Ramakrishna (1997) and Re-Visioning Ramakrishna (1999). He writes regularly for journals such as Prabuddha Bharata (Advaita Ashrama, Kolkata), Vedanta Kesari (Ramakrishna Math, Chennai), and Nectar of Non-Dual Truth (Portland, Oregon, USA) among others. His diverse interests include literature, philosophy, psychology and spirituality.

M. V. Kamath (1921-2014), eminent writer, columnist and journalist, authored over 45 books. He started his career in journalism in 1946. He was the correspondent at the United Nations for the Press Trust of India, and in Bonn, Paris and Washington for the Times of India. He was also editor of Free Press Journal, and later of the Illustrated Weekly of India. A prolific writer, Mr. Kamath is the author of numerous biographies and books, which include The Pursuit of Excellence, B. G. Kher: The Gentleman Premier, Sai Baba of Shirdi: A Unique Saint, Nani A. Palkhivala: A life, and Narendra Modi: The Architect of a Modern State. In 2004, Mr. Kamath was awarded the Padma Bhushan by the Government of India. He was chairman of Prasar Bharathi, and a director of the Manipal Institute of Communications.

Writer, naturalist, photographer, M. Krishnan (1912-1996) was active at a time when environmental concern was not on the agenda of the Government or Civil Society. An outstanding field biologist, he prepared plans for some wildlife sanctuaries and was on the Indian Board of Wildlife and the Project Tiger Committee. Through his elegant prose, he could make the forest and countryside come alive. His work spanned six decades, with the distinction of having run the longest nature column in the history of Indian press—“My Country Notebook” in The Statesman, for forty-six years without a break, until his death. A recipient of the Jawaharlal Nehru fellowship and Padma Shri, he left his mark in the field of wildlife photography, of which he was a forerunner in our country. About the Editors S. Theodore Baskaran was a trustee of WWF India and an Honorary Wildlife Warden, Chennai.  His book, The Dance of the Sarus: Essays of a wandering naturalist (OUP) was published in 1999. He is the editor of The Sprint of the Blackbuck, published by Penguin. A regular contributor on conservation to The Hindu and Frontline, he also writes in Tamil and has four books on wildlife to his credit. He was a friend of M. Krishnan. Baskaran retired as Chief Postmaster General of Tamil Nadu and lives in Bangalore.   A. Rangarajan began his acquaintance with Krishnan in the mid-70s as a school boy. It was Krishnan who helped kindle an early fascination for the wilderness in him. Rangarajan has been writing in The Hindu and Frontline on conservation and wildlife, and the M. Krishnan Centenary tribute he penned was carried as an Opinion piece in The Hindu. Rangarajan serves on the committee that organizes the M. Krishnan memorial lectur

Mandar Joshi lives in Mumbai, Maharashtra.

Mandip Singh was born in Rishikesh, the home of yogic culture in India. Interested in yoga from a very early age, he spent many years learning this ancient science from gurus and experts. With the desire to benefit others from his expertise, he has been successfully teaching yoga for the past few years to individual and corporate clients in Mumbai.

Dr. Manjiri Kamat is Associate Professor, Department of History, University of Mumbai. Her field of specialisation is Modern Indian History and her research interests include urban history, history of labour and history of medicine. She holds a doctorate in History from the University of Cambridge. She has published articles in national and international journals as well as contributed chapters to edited books. She was the recipient of the Professor B.B. Chaudhuri Prize at the Indian History Congress in 2006. She is a Member of the Board of Governors of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Heritage Conservation Society, External Associate at the Centre for Global Health Histories, University of York and a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

गेली अडतीस वर्षे  मराठी साहित्य क्षेत्रात  संपादक, चित्रकार, म्हणून कार्यरत. मराठी साहित्य क्षेत्रात तीन हजारांहून अधिक पुस्तकांची मुखपृष्ठे केली आहेत. तसेच  संगीत अभ्यासक  म्हणून शास्त्रीय संगीतविषयक अनेक लेख मासिकात, दिवाळी अंकात प्रकाशित झाले आहेत.

Manoj Nair is the founder at SVM Contract Consultants, a consultancy and training company dedicated to helping clients with their contracts. He is also a visiting faculty at several management colleges teaching business law, business ethics and international business. He has worked in the field of skills training and people development since 2006 and has extensive experience in the area of Contract Management, Managing Outsourcing Contracts, FIDIC Conditions of Contract, Claims Management, Contract Drafting, Business Ethics, and Anti-Bribery Laws (US FCPA and UK Bribery Act). He is also an expert on “Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace” and has conducted several workshops across India. He travels frequently within India, South East Asia and Middle-East for training and consulting assignments. He has a bachelor’s degree in commerce (B.Com) and law (LL.B) and is a qualified solicitor at the Supreme Court England and Wales (NP) and holds an international certification in “Contract Management” and “Managing Outsourcing Contracts” from ESI & The George Washington School of Business.

Manuj Desai is a visionary who has been a part of the Information Technology Industry for over 20+ years. A result-oriented leader, with emphasis on strategies aimed at enhancing overall organizational growth, sustained profitability of operations and improved business performance for Multi-National Corporations, he is also a start-up specialist, and has acted as advisor to some of the start-up companies within India and abroad.

Marie de Hennezel is a respected psychologist and psychotherapist entrusted with the mission for raising palliative-care awareness by the Ministry of Health in France. She has written nine books about the end of life and is the author of two ministerial reports about caring for those with terminal illnesses. Her book The Warmth of the Heart Prevents Your Body from Rusting: Ageing without growing old was a Number One bestseller in France and a Top Ten bestseller in the UK.

MKB Nair was the former deputy editor of the Economic Times, and also the acting editor of the pink paper daily for a brief period.

MonishaDoley is an Indian television actress, model, life coach and a Tedx Speaker. She’s the winner of Craftsvilla Miss Ethnic India 2015. She is a regular blogger and gives talks on personal development and spirituality all across the country. To know more about the author and her work visit http://monishadoley.com/

Dr. Mridula Ramanna was formerly Associate Professor and Head, Department of History, South Indian Education Society College, Mumbai. She has authored Western Medicine and Public Health in Colonial Bombay, 1845-1895 (New Delhi, 2002) and Health Care in Bombay Presidency, 1896-1930 (New Delhi, 2012) and contributed chapters to a number of edited volumes, notable among them being Medical Encounters in British India, (2013), Science and Modern India: An Institutional History (2011), Science and Society in India: 1750-2000 (2010), History and Gender: Some Explorations (2005), Colonialism as a Civilizing Mission Cultural Ideology in British India, (London, 2004), and The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918-19, New Perspectives, (London, 2003). Her articles have been published in several journals, including recently the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, (March, 2014). She has presented papers at national and international conferences and at the Indian History Congress. She has delivered the XXVth M.A. Ansari Memorial Lecture, Jamia Milia Islamia, and has been guest speaker at foreign universities. She has been the recipient of grants from the Rockefeller Archive Center, New York, 2003; Wellcome Trust, UK, 1997 & 2001; and the Indian Council of Historical Research.

Mrinal Kulkarni is a sociologist and an independent researcher. She taught at the SNDT Womens’ University, Mumbai. Her areas of interest include colonial, maritime and cultural studies. She is the author of The History of Indian Shipping and has co-authored a book with the late journalist, M.V. Kamath, titled Tides of Time: History of Mumbai Port.

Mrs.Anjali Joshi has been a Psychologist & counsellor for more than 27 years. she has been associated with Jnana Prabodhini Institute of Psychology & has conducted several workshops for child & adults. She has conducted several workshops in parenting, premarital & workshops for corporates. She is co-Author of 2 books Jhale Mokhale Aakash, short stories on relationships & family, and Enhancement of Intelligence through Play.

Namrata Ravichandra Ganneri is Assistant Professor, Department of History, S.N.D.T. College of Arts & S.C.B. College of Commerce and Science for Women, Mumbai.

Nishad Acharya graduated from IIT Madras in 2015 with a B. Tech in Chemical Engineering, and now works with The Boston Consulting Group in Mumbai.

Prof. N.R. Madhava Menon is founder of the National Law School of India, Bangalore, where he initiated a new model of legal education—the five year integrated LL.B. programme. He has also been founder–vice chancellor of National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata. Prof. Menon is former director, National Judicial Academy, Bhopal. He was appointed by the Government of India as a member of the Commission on Centre–State Relations. He also headed the committee constituted to draft the National Policy on Criminal Justice and was a member of the Law Commission of India. He has authored several books on legal education, legal profession, legal aid, judicial training and administration of justice, including a book Rule of Law in a Free Society, a Nehru Centre publication that he has edited. He was awarded the Padma Shri for outstanding public service in 2003.

Padmakshan Padmanabhan has been involved in physical education, training, adventure activities and coaching for the past twenty-six years. He was former Chief Physical Training Instructor of the Indian Navy and has had considerable experience in the field of Sports and physical Education. He served as a Senior Physical Training Instructor at various Armed Forces Training Institutes including the Indian Navy Physical Training School—the premier Trainer’s Training School of the Indian Navy. He completed his post-graduation in Sports Management from Alagappa University and Physical Trainer, First Class, course from Indian Armed Forces (Indian Navy). He also underwent various courses in physical training and sports medicine at the Indian Armed Forces Sports Medicine Centre–Pune, Sports Authority of India`s National Institute of Sports and National Institute of Water Sports. A former national level volleyball player and a certified coach from the National Institute of Sports, he also played water polo at various levels and has expertise in aqua training and physical conditioning. He has wide knowledge and experience in the field of physical training, education, coaching, sports medicine, fitness and the Yogic method of physical well-being. He has attended several national and international seminars. He played a crucial role as an official in organizing the World Military Games in 2007 at Hyderabad, Commonwealth Youth Games at Pune and Commonwealth Games at Delhi. He is currently the Director of Sports with Mahatma Education Society’s Pillai Group of Institutions at Mumbai.

Payal Sheth has a Masters in Management Studies from Welingkar Institute and has worked with the Taj Group of Hotels, Mumbai.

Dr. Prabha Ravi Shankar is Associate Professor in the Department of History, S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai.

Dr. Prasenjit Sen considers himself to be blessed to have received the Grace of The Mother at the early age of 12, when, accompanied by his father Promode Kumar, he arrived at Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. The Mother granted him permission to join the “Group” in the playground of the Ashram. This was the beginning of six decades of a sheltered life under the Grace of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother. Prasenjit completed his education in science and technology culminating in a Ph.D and in the service career attained the post of Director IT in Air India. He is young at 75, still active, and associated with Symbiosis Centre for Information Technology in teaching and research.

Pratibha Ranade is the author of twenty-five books in Marathi. These include Badnaseeb, a novel on the last Mughal emperor Bahadurshah Zafar, Afghan Diary, a socio-political analysis and an eyewitness account of the Saur revolution in Afghanistan, Burakhya Adchya Streeya, a study of the issues faced by Muslim women, Aispais Guppa Durgabainshi, an interview with Durgabai Bhagwat, Phalani te Phalani, a book on the creation of Bangladesh, and Asmitechya Shodhat Pakistan, a book on the Pakistani search for identity. She has won several literary awards for her works. Some of her books have been translated into English. She has also presented research papers at Indian and international conferences. Her short story, “On the other side of the river”, published by Nehru Centre, London, has been included in the collection of short stories by prominent Indian women writers. Mumbai University has prescribed Smaranvela, a collection of her literary articles, for the B.A. course in Marathi literature. She has also received research grants from Ford Foundation and Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi.

Dr. Prema Nandakumar obtained her Ph.D. in 1961 for her study of Sri Aurobindo’s epic poem Savitri. Since then, she has been an independent researcher, publishing critical and biographical works. As a translator, her career spans half a century, with the UNESCO publishing her book on Subramania Bharati. Dr. Nandakumar’s translation into English of Manimekalai, the ancient Buddhist epic in Tamil, has been received with enthusiasm. She is also a creative writer in English and Tamil.

Dr. Prithwindra Mukherjee was born in Calcutta (1936) and brought up in Pondicherry (1948-66). He taught languages and literature at Sri Aurobindo International Centre of Education (1955-66). He moved to Paris when he received the French Government Scholarship (1966-70). His first thesis was on Sri Aurobindo at the Sorbonne University (1970). Later, he taught at two Paris faculties (1974-81). He received the Fulbright Scholarship for research in the United States. In 1981, he joined the French National Centre of Scientific Research. His thesis for the State Doctorate on pre-Gandhian Freedom movement in British India was supervised by Raymond Aron (1974-1982) and was published with a foreword by Jacques Attali. He has authored many books and other publications on diverse subjects. Honours and Awards: French composer Henri Dutilleux’s Correspondances opus for voice and orchestra (Berlin Philharmoniker, 2003; Deutsche Grammophon, 2012), contains as the first movement Prithwindra Mukherjee’s “Danse cosmique” in homage to Shiva Nataraja. Dr. Mukherjee’s poem on Shiva Nataraja has been translated into twelve languages of the world. The French Ministry of Culture has conferred on Dr. Prithwindra Mukherjee the rank of Chevalier (Knight) in the Order of Arts and Letters, in 2009. The French Academy has conferred on him its prestigious Hirayama Award in 2014. Publications: In addition to 12 LPs and 2 documentary films (CNRS), Dr. Prithwindra Mukherjee has published more than 60 books and 400 articles in Bengali, French and English. He is a pioneering translator from French into Bengali, and from Bengali into French for UNESCOand other publishers, and is founder-member of the Association of French Literary Translators. He is referred to as “the delicious Franco-Bengali poet” by the Figaro Littéraire (1974) for his Poèmes du Bangladesh. Some of his prominent works include French Anthology of a Thousand Years of Bengali Poetry (1991, Pocket edition 1992) (Anthologie de la poésie bengalie); The Cognitive Study of the Scales of Indian Music, with a Foreword by Pandit Ravi Shankar (2003) (Thât/Mélakartâ: Les échelles fondamentales de la musique indienne du Nord et du Sud); Bagha Jatin: Life and Times of Jatindranath Mukherjee (National Book Trust, 2010) launched by H.E. Pranab Mukherjee, the then Finance Minister; A Shade Sharp, A Shade Flat: a trilingual anthology with 108 poems by Rabindranath Tagore, launched by the President of the Société des Gens de Lettres, Paris; Les raciness intellectuelles du movement d’indépendance de l’Inde (1893-1918), PhD thesis on the pre-Gandhian freedom movement in India, Editions Codex (Foreword: Jacques Attali); and Le Spontané: a study of the sahaja-yâna quest through the 8th century Caryâ-pada and the contemporary Bâul songs, Almora Publishers, Paris.

Priyadarshi Dutta was born in the erstwhile French colony of Chandernagore (West Bengal), not far from the house of revolutionary Rash Behari Bose. He grew up in New Delhi where he still lives and works. Dutta has worked at various places notably RajyaSabha Secretariat and lately as Consultant in the Information & Broadcasting Ministry. He is a regular writer of articles on national and international affairs in The Pioneer since 2001. He has a deep interest in the history of India.

Professor Dr. Amarprakash Dwivedi, is a renowned Ayurveda academician, researcher and practitioner. He is presently with the Ayurveda department of D. Y. Patil University, as Professor and Head of ShalyaTantra (Surgery) department. He is also Vice Principal & Hospital Administrator of D. Y. PatilAyurvedic Hospital, Navi Mumbai. Dr. Dwivedi has published more than fifty research papers in international peer reviewed journals and has authored two books – NasyaChikitsa and Para Surgical Procedures in Ayurveda. He has expertise in ano-rectal surgery and is the recipient of several national and international awards.

Professor Gita Dharampal retired as Head of the Department of History at the South Asia Institute, University of Heidelberg. She is Dean of Research at the Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon (Maharashtra).

Promode Kumar Sen (1899-1952) was a patriot, journalist and a self-realised personality. He had immersed himself in the confluence of these three streams of internal inspirations. His outstanding journalistic talent manifested through the columns of well-known newspapers of the day. Forty Rupees and Patriotism – this was the mantra of his devotion. His rich and lively writings on literature, original analysis on political affairs, and patriotic articles published in the Liberty, the Advance, the Hindustan Standard and the Amrita Bazaar Patrika of Calcutta and Allahabad editions, had attracted the attention of the intellectual readership and won their appreciation. At the peak of his journalistic life he wrote Sri Aurobindo: Jeebon O Jog (Sri Aurobindo: Life and Yoga) in Bengali. The fulfillment of the spiritual aspects of his life took place in total submission at the lotus feet of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

Purnima Srikrishna has worked as a lecturer in English at the Dr. B. M. N. college of Home Science, S.N.D.T. University, Mumbai.

R.D. Pradhan (b. 1928) joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) in the erstwhile Bombay state in 1952 and had a varied and interesting career at the state and Union level and as a UN civil servant. On 1 May 1960 he joined Y.B. Chavan, the chief minister of the newly formed state of Maharashtra, as his private secretary. He went to Delhi when Chavan became the defence minister of India in November 1962. In 1965 he joined the Ministry of Commerce and handled several landmark negotiations. In 1967 he was appointed as India’s Representative in Geneva to UNCTAD and GATT and later joined the UN. In 1982 he became the chief secretary to the Maharashtra government. In January 1985 he was appointed Union Home secretary. He worked closely with Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, and was awarded the Padma Bhushan on 26 January 1986. Mr. Pradhan is a prolific writer and has several books to his credit.

Dr. R. Srinivasan was born in Mumbai in 1929 and had his school and college education in Mumbai. He did his B.A. (Hons.) in history and his M.A. in politics. He was awarded the P. A. Wadia Prize, the William Wedderburn Scholarship and the Telang Gold Medal by the University of Bombay. In 1960 he went to the University of Toronto on a Vincent Massey Scholarship for higher studies. On his return he joined the Department of Civics and Politics of the Bombay University and retired as professor in 1989. He has guided a number of students for their M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees. He has edited and authored several books. His special interests are modern Indian history, political philosophy, and political sociology.

Rajanish Joshi is the sub-editor of Sakal in Solapur. He writes on various subjects including theatre and drama. He is the author of six books and has won numerous awards.

Rajeev Katyal is an alumnus of IIM Kolkata, Delhi College of Engineering and St. Columba’s High School. A veteran of the Human Resource Development industry, he has over thirty-one years’ experience in the field of Education and Skill Development. He has written, lectured and advised on various education and training forums. He is a member of the School Education Committees of both the Confederation of Indian Industry as well as the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Today he leads a chain of schools in India and Japan called the Global Indian International Schools, virtually setting up and running schools from scratch to full functionality. Having travelled all over the world and in India, he finds no place in the world more fascinating than his own country. A man fond of intense reading and internet surfing, he finds Indian history fascinating. He is of the opinion that Indian history should be written in such a way that it develops greater national pride in young Indians and changes their perspective of India. Rajeev lives in Noida with his wife Preeti and two sons, Arjun and Shiva.

Rajgopal Nidamboor, PhD, is a Board-Certified wellness physician, Fellow of the College of Chest Physicians [FCCP], Member of the Center of Applied Medicine [M-CAM], writer-editor, independent researcher, commentator, critic, columnist, author, and publisher. His special interests include natural, integrative, and nutritional medicine, psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. Jawahar Nidamboor, MSc [Industrial Pharmaceutics, UK], PG Diploma in Drug Regulatory Affairs, and BPharm, is a researcher, teacher, life coach, writer, and author.

Raju Parulekar is a writer, researcher and political analyst of national and international issues for more than twenty-five years. His analytical and research-based writings have been published in several national as also international journals and periodicals. He has been active in the audio-visual media for the past eleven years as an anchor and researcher. He has, so far, anchored nine shows on cultural, literary and social issues and one of them, Samvad, ran successfully for ten years with more than 3,500 episodes. Other than that, he has also presented several political shows on regional as well as national channels. In the year 2005, Parulekar was awarded the prestigious RAPA Award for Excellence by the Radio & Television Advertising Practitioners’ Association of India for the show Samvad. He has also won an award from the Gandhi Peace Foundation for his research and writing work, an award in 2008 for excellence in literature, The Maharashtra Times Award, The P. K. Atre Award and several other such awards. Parulekar has been active as a writer, analyst and poet and has also written columns for several newspapers. He has penned television serials, screenplays and dialogues for films. Five of his non-fiction books and a compilation of poetry are already published; two more in English and four more in Marathi are in the pipeline. He has written in Marathi, Hindi and English. His work also appears in several international languages. Parulekar was the organiser of the First Asia Peace Forum at New Delhi in 2015 and is the Vice President of the Society for Asian Integration (New Delhi). He is also the founder of RP Excellence, a consultancy firm that assists setting up of media houses.

Prof. (Dr.) Ravindra Bapat was Professor Emeritus of Department of Surgical Gastroenterology at Seth G. S. Medical College & KEM Hospital, Mumbai. He is the former Chairman of Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd; former Governing Council member of Tata Memorial Centre; former Vice Chancellor, Mahatma Gandhi Mission University of Health Sciences; and former Vice Chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences. Dr. Bapat’s research interests are Surgical Jaundice and Pancreatitis. He is the recipient of various awards. His publications include Art of Clinical Presentation in Surgery, Companion to Surgical Pathology, Ward No.5, KEM (Marathi & English), Swasthyavedh (Marathi & Gujarati) and Postmortem (Marathi & Gujarati). He excels in sports and is associated with various sports, cultural and social organisations.

Robert Phipps is one of the UK’s best known body language experts and has given his commentary and analysis of all the major party political leaders. A renowned international platform speaker and trainer, Robert is in constant demand by both the media and business worlds. He has written and commented for almost every national newspaper and magazine in the UK.

Prof. Dr. Rohini Gawankar is the retired head of the department of political science of S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai, Maharashtra. She is the founder president of Maharashtra’s Women’s Studies Association and also Women’s Development Cell of the University of Mumbai. She was the president of Maharashtra Political Association and vice president of Mahila Dakshata Samiti. She is a grassroots activist working for the orientation and training of women members of panchayats in Maharashtra. She was appointed as a central representative of Maharashtra state on central women’s commission. She worked as editor and treasurer of Indian Association of Women’s Studies. She has seven Marathi books and one English book to her credit and is also the co-author of twelve books in English and Marathi. Her book on Rani Jhansi Regiment has been translated into Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, and English. She has received the Rao Saheb Bambardekar Award for her research on the Rani Jhansi Regiment. She was felicitated by Zonata International Indira Gandhi Award for her social work at the grassroots level and has achieved many more awards for her work in this area.

K. Kulkarni was in the Indian Audit and Accounts Service (I.A.& A.S.) and is presently the Director of Finance and Administration at the Nehru Centre, Mumbai. Shri Kulkarni is a prolific writer. He has written columns for two Mumbai newspapers, the Daily and Free Press Journal and for a monthly magazine, One India One People. His writings cover a wide range of topics—social, political, and foreign relations—and have been highly appreciated by readers as reflected in their responses. He is the author of several books including Hinduism: Triumphs and Tribulations, Women in Hindu Society, The Art of Ageing, and Indian Democracy.  

S.M. Edwardes (1873-1927) passed into the Indian Civil Service in 1894, and was posted to the Bombay Presidency. He intimate acquaintance with conditions among the native population of the city which he soon acquired, and his profound knowledge of its history, on which he was widely recognised as the foremost authority, were employed to full advantage in his census volume of 1901, the additional volumes of the Gazetteer which he compiled between 1906 and 1910, and his Rise of Bombay and By-ways of Bombay.

Saiyid Safdar Abbas Zaidi, an associate member of the Indian Institute of Bankers (IIBF) Mumbai, is a retired banker with almost four decades of banking experience in local and international banks. He has written extensively on varied subjects and his articles on management have been compiled in a book titled Managerial Skills. He is the author of a bestselling book Anti-Money Laundering/Anti-Terrorism Financing and Know Your Customers—Bankers Handbook. He was also a columnist for Moneylife. He retired from Commercial Bank of Dubai, UAE, as Head, Career Development, where he successfully implemented the Mentoring and Emiratization (Localization) policies.

Dr. Sanjay Ranade is associate professor at the Department of Communication and Journalism, University of Mumbai. He has translated Mehmood: Man of Many Moods from Hindi to English. His novel Where Ends Collide won the third prize in the international novel writing competition conducted by oxfordbookstore.com in 2000. His Marathi play Archimedes was judged the best in the All India Radio National Playwright Competition 1999.

Shantashree Shetty is a content developer and editor. She has authored several educational text-books, guides and workbooks for a reputed publishing house. Shantashree is based in Mumbai.

Shreyas Nair is a Chemical Engineering graduate from IIT Madras in 2015, and now works with McKinsey & Company in Chennai.

Dr. Shrikant Paranjpe is Professor in the Department of Defence and Strategic Studies, and Director, Yashwantrao Chavan National Centre of International Security and Defence Analysis (YC–NISDA), University of Pune. He was a Fulbright Fellow (Post-Doctoral, Research) at the George Washington University, Washington D.C. in 1984-85 and a Visiting Professor at Colorado College, Colorado Springs. He has published several books and papers in the area of national security, strategic studies, and South Asian security issues.

Dr. Shrinivas Gondhalekar is Director of the consulting and training organization Kanzen Institute Asia-Pacific Private Limited. He is also Dean (Operations Management) and member of the Innovation group at WE school (Welingkar Institute of Management Development and Research) in Mumbai, India.

Sidharth Bhatia is a journalist, commentator and author based in Mumbai. He has been in the media for over 35 years and has worked with and written for some of the leading newspapers in India and abroad. He was part of the team that set up DNA in Mumbai in 2005. He was a Press fellow of Wolfson College, Cambridge. He writes articles on current affairs and popular culture for several newspapers including the Times of India, Asian Age, Hindustan Times and Outlook. He is a regular commentator on national television channels. Bhatia has written three books including Cinema Modern, The Navketan Story and India Psychedelic: The Story of a Rocking Generation.

Dr. Sonal Mittra completed her school and higher education from Punjab University, Chandigarh. After marriage she did various courses like creative writing, film appreciation, Jyotish Acharya, Yoga and Alternate medicines. She is a freelance writer, copywriter and translator who works in English, Hindi and Panjabi languages. She has worked with leading publishers such as Indus Source Books, Harper Collins Publishers, India Star publications, Embassy Book Distributors, 24 secure publication, and many ad agencies. She has also done subtitling for movies. She does translations in almost all subjects.

Dr Sonali Pednekar is Associate Professor and Head, Department of History at V.G. Vaze College. Her area of interest and research is the History of the Marathas and Pre modern Maharashtra. She is proficient in the Modi script that was used extensively by the Maratha rulers and administrators of the 17th century.

Sonavi Desai is a publisher, writer, and editor. She is a devotee of Sai Baba of Shirdi and has strongly felt his presence in her life.

Subhamoy Das is widely known as India’s first professional blogger. Since 1999, he has been writing on Hinduism in his blog on About.com, formerly part of the New York Times Company, and one of the most popular online destinations for Hinduism. Das has several years of experience as a journalist with India’s leading media companies such as Hindustan Times, India Today Group, and Cybermedia India. He has authored a bestseller book on English literature for postgraduate Indian students, and five books on Indian culture and Hindu tradition for children.

Sudha Shah was schooled in Mumbai and thereafter got her degree in Economics from Smith College, USA. Married and settled in Mumbai, she has one son. She has spent the last eight years researching and writing her book, The King in Exile. She is currently working on her second book.  

Sulini V. Nair is a Mohiniyattam practitioner, writer, and translator. She has worked extensively in dance researching, teaching, writing, and performing. She is the founder-director of "Svatva'', a centre for women to work with movement, dance, healing, and self-empowerment. Deeply interested in art, culture, and spirituality, she has also written articles and worked in television and radio scripting and presenting programmes in these areas.

Prof. Sumita Roy is Director, Osmania University Centre for International Programmes, and Chairperson, BOS, Dept of English, Osmania University, Hyderabad. She has been teaching at the University for the last 25 years. She has guided 11 Ph.D. and 12 M.Phil scholars in American, British, Canadian, Comparative, Indian and Anglo-Indian literatures—working on poetry, drama, fiction and prose. In 2006 she won the BOOKS on BOOKS Award from the Federation of Indian Publishers, New Delhi. She has completed several Research Projects sponsored by UGC on Indian Philosophic Prose and Soft Skills. She has written/co-edited about 40 books and published more than 42 articles in national and international journals. She regularly delivers lectures at different UGC Academic Staff Colleges, academic institutions, and government and private organisations.

Sundara Bharadwaj Ph.D., after a teaching career spanning twenty-five years, is a researcher, freelance writer, consultant professor, and guest lecturer in Soft Skills to various Engineering, Arts, and Science colleges. His studies focus mainly on relating religion, philosophy, culture, and mysticism to the enrichment of human values. His research articles have been published in national and international journals.

Supriya Rai received her doctorate from Mumbai University in 2008, on Buddhist meditation. She is currently Acting Director at the K. J. Somaiya Centre for Buddhist Studies. Her areas of interest are Buddhist meditation, Central Asian Buddhism (particularly the work of Kumarajiva), Buddhist ethics, gender issues in Buddhism and socially engaged Buddhism. She is currently working on a research project that explores the Shravaka’s path based on the Visuddhimagga, the meditation manual of the Theravada school and the Sravakabhumi chapter of Asanga’s Yogacarabhumi.

Swapnil Basak is an Electrical Engineering graduate from IIT Madras in 2015, and now works with a Global Investment Bank’s Equity Derivatives Desk.

Tanvi Bhat is a freelance illustrator from Mumbai. She is a self-taught artist who loves to draw for children’s books. In the past few years she’s illustrated various books with Pratham Books, Amar Chitra Katha, Karadi Tales, Duckbill Books and Tulika Books. She has also conducted illustration workshops at various literature festivals like Kala Ghoda and Junior Writers Bug. Her illustrated books include The Magic Pakodas (Amar Chitra Katha), Little Painters (Pratham Books), Kavi Series – 4 books (Karadi Tales), Ashoka and the Muddled Messages (Duckbill Books), Fakruddin’s Fridge (Tulika Books), and What Shall I Wear Today (Pratham Books).

Tsering Namgyal is a journalist whose essays and short stories have appeared in several publications in Asia since 1996. He is currently based in the United States.

Uday Kulkarni is a well-known writer on finance and has several books to his name.

Usha Thakkar is President, Mani Bhavan Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Mumbai, and former Professor and Head, Department of Political Science, S.N.D.T. Women’s University, Mumbai. She is the author of several books.

Usha R. Vijailakshmi is Associate Professor in Patkar-Varde College, Mumbai, and specialises in the research on the migration of Historical Communities in India.

Utkarsh Patel is a corporate professional turned mythologist, and now an author. He is a professor of Comparative Mythology at the Mumbai University and has qualifications in Indian and world mythology. He is a founder-member of the Talking Myths Project (http://www.talkingmyths.com), an attempt to create an online repository of age old stories lost in the modern world. Utkarsh blogs at www.utkarshspeak.blogspot.in and is a regular speaker at various forums.

Dr. Dilip Gadgil has been practising Ayurveda since 1980 and working as Ayurvedic Consultant at Deenanath Mageshkar Hospital, Pune, and Institute of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine, Bangalore. His fields of specialization include Ayurveda and Sanskrit. He has carried out research in several areas of Ayurveda which contribute to diagnosis and treatment of diseases such as Cancer, Heart disease, and Chronic Renal Failure. He has edited and authored several books on Ayurveda which include Ayurveda Samaj Gairsamaja, and Ayurvediya Hitopadesha. He has also written books on Sanskrit grammar titled Prarambhika Paniniyama and Laghu Siddhanta Kaumudi. He is the recipient of The late Vaidya Shivnath Sharma award.

Vaishali Karmarkar is a German language expert and Intercultural Facilitator, and is a faculty member of the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan, Mumbai.

Vappala Balachandran, a former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India, had worked in Maharashtra Police for 17 years and 19 years in Cabinet Secretariat. In 1993 & 1994 he led the Indian interagency groups for annual dialogue with US agencies on terrorism. He was a member of the 2 man “High Level Committee” appointed by Government of Maharashtra to enquire into the police response on the Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks in 2008. He writes a regular column on internal security issues in Sunday Guardian, a New Delhi Sunday paper.

वीणा गवाणकर या मराठीतील नावाजलेल्या लेखिका आहेत। त्यांची आजवर अनेक पुस्तके प्रकाशित झाली असून, त्यांचा लेखनाचा मुख्य विषय असामान्य व्यक्तींचे चरित्रलेखन हा आहे।

Vijay Mukhi had been a teacher and writer of technology all his life. He was the Author of over eighty books. His last book, which was over 700 pages was titled ‘The Undocumented Internals of the Bitcoin and Ethereum Blockchain Using Python, C++ and Go

Dr. Vijaya Gupchup has been an educator and a historian, associated with premier institutions in Mumbai for several years. She is the author of several books.

Vijaya Joshi is an astrologer. She lives in Mumbai.

Dr. Vilas Gitay, poet teacher and translator, was born in Pune, Maharashtra. He took his MA in English and ‘Rashtrabhasha Pandit’ in Hindi. Fluent in Bengali, Marathi, Hindi and English, Dr Gitay started writing poetry in 1971 and has a book of poems Sandhnyechya Sandhiprakashat to his credit. Keenly interested in Rabindra Sangeet and photography, he has published 11 translations from Bengali into Marathi. Rabindranathachya Sahawasat, Vilas Gitay’s painstaking rendition of Maitreyi Devi’s famous work Mangpute Rabindranath is a highly acclaimed achievement in many ways – for its substance, its innovations and its fine alloys. The work which has earlier been honored with ‘Sangati Sahitya Puraskar’ presents the complex persona of Tagore and embeds the whole range of his poetry in its life-setting. It eminently succeeds in capturing the rich play of the original author’s homely prose, Tagore’s extended poetic quotes and lively conversations, and is therefore a celebrated addition to Indian literature in Marathi translation.

Vinny Chitluri was born in Arvankadu (Nilgaris) and was educated in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. She did her post graduation in paediatrics from Kalavati Saren Hospital, Delhi. She then went to the U.S., and was conferred the “Diploma of the American Academy of Paediatrics” on passing the board examination. While in the U.S. she reflected on the “karmic bonds” with her family. Her father worshipped Baba and she too has been doing so for over 60 years. Her relationship with Baba is that of a “best friend” who loves her unconditionally. She retired from the medical profession at the age of 50, and settled in Shirdi in 1994. She soon realised that “the more she learned about Baba, the more ignorant she felt”. It would take many lives to understand the incredible God, and so her quest is an ongoing one.

Vishwas Kher is a retired personnel executive. He is the editor of the Digest of Supreme Court Labour Law Cases. A keen student of Gandhism, he has edited for Navjivan Trust, Ahmedabad, seven collections of Mahatma Gandhi’s writings in fifteen volumes including a collection of Gandhi’s search for the Supreme in three volumes. He was a trustee of Shri Sai Baba Sansthan of Shirdi from 1984 to 1989. He is the author of Sai Baba: His Divine Glimpses and the co-author with M. V. Kamath of Sai Baba of Shirdi: A Unique Saint, Devi Ahalyabai Holkar: The Philosopher Queen, and The Story of Militant but Non-violent Trade Unionism: A Biographical and Historical Study.

Vivek Sharma, a Social Entrepreneur based in Mumbai an-alumnus of IIM Calcutta, and a author narrates his own deeply moving story in this book. Having conquered his desire to end it all, he went on to set up an NGO to help others tormented by suicidal thoughts, as one of his causes. He interviewed fifty-two people across India and picked six other inspiring stories which will compel the readers to not only choose life over suicide in tough times but will motivate them to seek a larger purpose to their lives. In so doing, they will find confidence, happiness, and peace that they seek & deserve.