Writers

Dr. Swarna Rajagopalan

Dr. Swarna Rajagopalan is a political and security affairs analyst and writer. She is the Founder of  Chaitanya – The Policy Consultancy and the Managing Trustee of the Prajnya Trust. Dr. Swarna Rajagopalan’s complete bio is availablehere.

Read Dr. Swarna Rajagopalan’s monthly column Swarna Speaks

Aishwarya Subramanian

Aishwariya is an aspiring journalist who is currently doing her masters in journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication in Pune. She has already done her graduation from journalism from MOP Vaishnav College for Women in Chennai. She loves cricket, books and The Hindu. In her spare time she likes to laze around or talk incessantly about American Idol, politics, sensex, cricket and Harry Potter. She also sometimes writes – about American Idol, politics, Sensex, cricket and Harry Potter.

Anusha Balasubramanian

Anusha is an HR professional at an academic institution who juggles a career that involves managing people and maintaining her home. Born and raised in Chennai and having studied her masters in the east coast in US and now living in the west coast, she believes that as a woman life is constantly challenging and changing. During her leisure time, she blogs at www.mitrideas.blogspot.com

Ayesha Aleem

Ayesha Aleem is a writer, blogger and self-confessed gourmand. She loves writing and people, so she opted for a career in journalism. After a liberal arts degree from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore, Ayesha is currently finishing a master’s degree at Boston University. She loves being a woman but has been fortunate to have some great men in her life too. So she prefers being called a “humanist” rather than a “feminist.” She dreams of writing a book and having her own restaurant one day. Visit her blog at www.ayeshaaleem.blogspot.com

Dr. Crystal David

Dr. Crystal David is a member of the Economics Faculty at Stella Maris College in Chennai and an eco-feminist.

Dhanasree Jayaram

Dhanasree Jayaram is a student of English Literature at Stella Maris College and is an aspiring journalist. Ironically, she enjoys non-fiction more than fiction. Though English Literature transcends fancy and imagination to delve into social and political issues as evident in essays, (auto)biographies, travel writing and so on, purists are still unconvinced about the role of non-fiction in the sphere of English Literature. Urvashi Butalia’s amazing account of partition – “The Other Side of Silence” was the first non-fiction work that changed her flawed perception of non-fiction. Besides reading, she loves politics and polemical writing pertaining to politics. Obsessed with Indian elections – Centre or State – she has an unrelenting fascination for psephology. She is a strong advocate of protection of environment and therefore, regards eco-feminism as a formidable force. She wishes to specialize in South Asian Affairs (including literature) and explore the conflict-ridden areas of South Asian countries. She devours sports (mainly soccer, cricket and tennis) and has an uncanny tendency to support the underdogs (even when India is one of the teams on the ground)! Music, especially Carnatic, Hindustani and Instrumental (violin) is very close to her soul! She likes reading “The Hindu” and “The New York Times” occasionally. She watches all movies except fantasies; She cannot digest fantasies including the ‘legendary’ Harry Potter!!

Dharithri

Based in Bangalore, 20-something Dharithri fancies herself a writer. Besides ranting on any issue that catches her fancy, in whatever means she can, she loves to read and write–a lot. She also constantly travels in her head and often otherwise, dreams of turning a farmer someday and living the outdoors-y life. She can rarely resist the pull of a paper and a pen, mainly because writing is cheaper than therapy! Dharithri is, beneath her layers of complexity, just someone who likes expressing what the various voices in her head tell her.

Eshita Jayaswal

Eshita Jayaswal is a bundle of contradictions, chaos and sarcasm. You’ll usually find her shouting her head off at pedestrians and two-wheelers on Delhi roads while whizzing past you in her bright red car. She’s twenty three and intends to live up every moment of her crazily busy life. She dreams of snorkeling over the coral reef, bungee jumping over the sea and/or backpacking across Europe for two whole months. She’s an animal lover and can entertain herself (and passers-by) for umpteen hours by conversing with random stray dogs or supercilious masticating cows! She detests people who litter, spit on the road or throw stones at animals. She’s scarily obsessed with accurate spelling and grammar. Some of her other quirks include dishing out almost-perfect corn-cheesy-Maggi, constantly walking while on the phone, crosswords at coffee shops and watching a movie every weekend. Reading books and writing are activities that fulfill her and help her retain her streaks of insanity.

Eta Ryan

Eta Ryan loves books – preferably ones featuring psychotic, serial killers – movies that include fairytale weddings, cricket and spicy food. She would rather spend her evening watching Cool Gadgets & How They Work on Discovery Channel than MTV Roadies, her vacation exploring an out-of-the-way trail in Ooty than shopping at UB City Mall, Bangalore. Yes, spot on, she is your typical, everyday, all-round geek, and loving it.

Janani Ganesan

Janani’s fascination for Economics landed her in a BA Economics course at Stella Maris College, Chennai and she is currently in her final year. After a long internal conflict she has acknowledged her passion for writing and deciding to pursue this passion for life, she is now an aspiring journalist. To sustain the momentum she freelances and at times just blogs on her mind as she gazes at the world from a speeding train or her bedroom window. When she is not writing she is either curled up with a book or is in the middle of a debate. She believes that reporting is one strong way to create an active citizenry and is all set to prove it.

Jen Paton

Jen, a history graduate from Yale is currently working in marketing and communications in London. She is interested in writing about media representation and public and sexual health concerns. She blogs athttp://jenpaton.wordpress.com

Lakshmi Giridharan
Blogger, a reluctant chef and programmer.

When Laksh is not staring at the monitor developing software, she is hunched over her laptop sharing her life on Musings or typing away recipes for posterity. She believes the glass is always half full and more often than not can be found sporting a big grin.

Madhuri Shekar

Madhuri is 22 years old, and is almost done with her M.A. in Global Communication at USC in Los Angeles. One of her greatest experiences in life till date has been smelling Paris Hilton. (She really exists, guys!!)

Read Madhuri  – M for Madness

Maya Pillai

Maya graduated with a B.A. in Politics in 2007 from Mount Holyoke College, a women’s college in the U.S. Maya has never proclaimed herself to be a “feminist”, but her personal and educational growth in college have made her reflections very much so.  She discovered this after leaving college for the real world: teaching  in a Business polytechnic in Singapore and now, working in Bombay with a social enterprise, “Under The Mango Tree.” Maya is looking forward to writing on Sa, especially since she’s always wanted to catch the blogging fever!

Nayantara Mallya

Nayantara is a Master’s graduate in Biotechnology from University of Pune (http://www.unipune.ernet.in). Previously a college lecturer, she presently writes Web content with Chillibreeze (http:/www.chillibreeze.com). A ‘repeat’ NRI brought up in Iraq and Kuwait, she left as a refugee courtesy Saddam. She has volunteered with the American Red Cross and with an Atlanta school library.

Her passions are writing, volunteering for her support group SuDatta (http:/www.sudatta.org) and blogging. She hopes to become a counsellor working with youngsters and women.She believes in celebrating difference, and the value of conscious parenting.

Paroma Ray

Paroma is a law graduate from Pune and studied International Law from George Washington University Law School. She has a passion to fight for women’s rights and is currently associated with an NGO that works for women empowerment. She can often be seen lost in books, thoughts and on the roads of the NCR. These days she has paid heed to her inner voice and started writing. She blogs at http://rayparoma.wordpress.com
Pavithra Srinivasan

I’m 18 and self-avowedly pan-Indian. I am a student of English Honours at Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi. I love reading, writing, and dancing, and have been trained in Bharatantatyam for ten years. The beaten track bores me, as do reality shows. ‘Metamorphosis’ is my favourite word and I’d have it tattooed on if I weren’t so paranoid about the process. I adore P.G.Wodehouse, Chandni Chowk, Simon and Garfunkel, Nabokov, American sitcoms and perfectly spelt text messages, though not necessarily in that order. I hope to become a journalist and write a novel. Or seven.

Shailaja Dixit

I am currently employed as (an enthusiastic) baseball player, football coach, cook, chauffeur, therapist, human trampoline, ER attendant – yes, I am a full-time mother of two – Advait (6 years) and Vedant (3 years). In my past life (discarded 4 months ago), I was an Ass. VP for custom research – but that was too uni-dimensional. I also teach devotional songs to children. In exchange I  receive baleful looks, bored-to-death tears- and even an occasional thank you. I am married to a wonderfully liberated person- Sridharan- causing me to vent in a piece called ’The Frustrated Feminist.’

Sonali Gupta

Sonali is passionate about one thing- making the world a better place. Her passion had led her to various fields from training, coaching and social work. Sonali works as the Project Manager at Grassroutes which is a start-up non-profit that works with youth to sensitize them towards the rural sector through a ten day road-trip. She has worked on various projects aimed at inspiring young people towards entrepreneurship during her college days. She has graduated from Christ College, Bangalore in 2008.

Suresh Menon

Suresh is a research engineer at North Carolina State University.

Vaishnavi Kandhadai

Vaishnavi is 24yrs old. She was a correspondent at The Times of India. Her interests include painting, playing around with Photoshop and writing (for profession and pleasure). She loves gymming and her long time ambition is to write a book. She is going to do her higher studies soon, hopefully in writing…

Vasugi Kailasam

Vasugi Kailasam is a Master’s student in Comparative Literature (Asia/Africa) at SOAS. She is passionate about the field of postcolonial literary studies and was an exchange student under the IDP Peace Scholarship Program to Australia during her undergraduate studies in Stella Maris College. She is particularly interested in the field of subaltern studies, neocolonialism and the relation between decolonization and women. She enjoys trying out different things and worked with Google’s online advertising venture – AdWords. An avid reader, she blogs at www.mysimulacrum.blogspot.com

Artist

Abhisikta Dasgupta

Abhisikta is a final year student pursuing masters in economics from BITS- Pilani, Goa Campus. She is an aspiring artist and love to express my ideas and thoughts through my paintings and sketches. She was also the festival coordinator for the art department of my college for this year’s cultural festival Waves ’summer’, ‘09. She also has a keen interest in film making and have worked on a few projects. She was also a grassroutes fellow and worked with the weavers of Pochampally as a part of it.