IAAC Literary Festival 2026

Sanjay Srivatsa, born in India graduated with a BS in Chemical Engineering, ACTech Madras and MS ChE, IIT Chicago. He joined Nalco in 1979 as a Researcher and was promoted to Group Leader in 1984. Sanjay earned Researcher of the Year awards in 1981 and '82. In 1986, he was promoted to Market Development Manager for the Light Industry Market. In 1989, Sanjay was awarded Marketer of the Year. In 1991 Sanjay joined Sales and was promoted to District Manager in 1997 after successive years of sales accolades, achieving 'All Pro' status, District Salesman of the Year as well as Chairman's Club award. In 1998, Sanjay was promoted to General Manager and Country Manager of Nalco India. Sanjay returned to the US in 2002 retiring from Nalco in the subsequent year. In the next 8 years, Sanjay worked for Tyco (Earthtech), Ecovation and GWE developing his skills in Anaerobic Design and infrastructure management. In 2011 Sanjay returned to Nalco to develop Integrated Water Management services focusing on clients' sustainability goals. After retiring from Nalco (now an Ecolab company) in 2020, Sanjay joined Solecta as Vice President offering process membrane solutions 'Co-Creating' sustainable and disruptive applications. Today Sanjay runs a consultancy Kisan Organics LLC, to help industry improve carbon, water, energy footprints, providing technical/Capex risk assessments. For his work in facilitating a remote IIT campus in Bangalore, India, Sanjay was awarded the International Alum of the Year in 2004. Sanjay served on the board of ISBT (Bevtech) since 2021-25. Sanjay enjoys composing music, producing and public speaking. He is the author of two books, the prior published in 2010: A 'Mischievous Chicken'.

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This Novel is the culmination of my father's undisclosed wartime story. From 1941 to 1947, my father, K.R. Srivatsa, born 1920 as a citizen of Colonial India, escaped concentration camps in occupied Singapore after it was bombed in '41 and secreted passage to Japan. As a Radio broadcaster in Tokyo for the Indian Independence League (IIL), he witnessed live, the bombings in Singapore and Japan. He later served with the US Eighth Army (SCAP Occupational Services) in Tokyo and Okinawa. He was wrongfully captured by the British accusing him of false propaganda and co-conspiracy and was repatriated to Calcutta to be sentenced to death. The book engages the reader spanning two centuries documenting his ancestral life. It is targeted towards enthusiasts of WWII, conspiracy buffs, and Indian Independence efforts with associated intrigues. Further, the book is a cultural reference delving into the various religious and traditional practices part of the rich fabric in Southeast Asia, China and Japan today. As a narrative of the protagonist, the story provides the reader an opportunity to appreciate how these cultures existed and evolved during that tumultuous period.

Manil Suri is the author of three internationally acclaimed novels including The Death of Vishnu, and a book on popular mathematics, The Big Bang of Numbers. His work has been translated into 27 languages and received several honors, including winning the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize, and being longlisted for the Booker Prize.

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Manil Suri is the author of the memoir, A Room in Bombay, three internationally acclaimed novels, The Death of Vishnu, The Age of Shiva and The City of Devi, and a book on popular mathematics, The Big Bang of Numbers. His work has been longlisted for the Booker Prize, shortlisted for the PEN/Faulkner, Lambda Literary, and PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Awards, and won the McKittrick Prize and the Barnes & Noble Discover Award, among others. He has served as a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and is an emeritus professor of mathematics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Book Reviews
"Drawing on the 2,711 letters that his mother cherished, Suri has created a probing memoir about his family, especially the deep bond between him and his mother; his homosexuality; and the uncanny hold the apartment exerted on them all. . . . an empathetic portrait of his parents’ entrapment, and a candid account of his struggle to be responsible to them, and to himself." ― Kirkus

"In the Hindu epic, The Ramayan, Shravan exemplifies a devoted son, caring for his aging blind parents. That renowned novelist Suri mentions Shravan’s story in his moving memoir reflects the guilt he struggles with as he immigrated to the U.S. . . . Suri emerges as a Shravan for our times, demonstrating extraordinary patience and service to his parents under severely trying circumstances." ― Booklist

"Suri expertly parallels the apartment's combination of claustrophobia and coziness with his conflicted feelings about his aging parents . . . His portrait of [his mother] is clear-eyed and prismatic, highlighting both her sweetness and her intensity. Readers will find this a moving consideration of the ties that bind." ― Publishers Weekly

"In an effort to make the distance between himself and his parents more bearable, Suri writes letters -- more than 2,700 of them, all addressed to Prem. They show the richness, honesty and humor of his life. You will remember A ROOM IN BOMBAY long after you put it down as you consider your own understanding of home." ― Bookreporter

"Drawing from thousands of letters sent over three decades, Suri’s memoir revisits the single room in a crumbling, crowded apartment in Bombay (now Mumbai) that his family shared. Part prison, part haven, the room is imbued with deeper meaning as Suri wrestles with his enduring love for his mother." ― New York Times

"Rooms in Bombay are not big in size, but huge in heart. Manil Suri’s memoir will make you want to hug your mother. Written in clean, direct prose and without sentimentality, it explores all the dimensions of the complicated bond between parent and child―while also being laugh out loud funny. If you were born of a mother, read this book." ― Suketu Mehta, author of Maximum City: Bombay Lost and Found

I have dedicated my career to the study of Indian aesthetics, philosophical traditions, and the cultural heritage of Kashmir. After serving in senior academic positions at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA), New Delhi, INDIA for about three decades, I have continued to publish extensively. The title of my first book published in 1987 is, “Buddhist Savants of Kashmir and their Contributions Abroad". My recent works include the edited volume, "Asian Aesthetic Theories and Art Forms" published by IGNCA & D K Printworld (jointly) in 2021 and my latest book, लल्लेश्वरी के वाख़ was published by the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi in 2024. It includes the Hindi verse translation of a collection of Kashmiri Vakhs of the14th century Saiva Yogini of Kashmir -Lalded.

Most recently, I conceptualized, curated and edited the commemoration volume titled, “Kapila Jnanagarbha: Knowledge Unfolding Wisdom – Offerings in Memory of Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan". It was Published in February 2026 by one of the leading publishers of Indological book known as Dev Books. The first copy of this volume was presented to His Holiness the Dalai Lama on April 27th at his residence in Macleod Ganj. The Dalai Lama used to address Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan as ‘Mataji’. A formal release and panel discussion on this volume was held at the India International Centre (IIC), New Delhi on May 21st. The volume serves as a comprehensive document reflecting the vision and contributions of Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan, one of India’s leading visionary personalities whose contributions have been immense in the restoration and preservation of India’s holistic art and culture at various levels.

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Kapilā Jñānagarbhā is the bouquet of variegated hues presented in the form of a volume of offerings to Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan by eminent personalities, expert scholars and artistes, also her family to keep the fragrance of her vision and contributions fresh and vibrating to inspire future generations. The title, Kapilā Jñānagarbhā: Knowledge Unfolding Wisdom, in itself celebrates the core qualities of the personality whom we have seen in constant search for knowledge till her last breath. Through her wisdom she made use of her acquired knowledge at various levels and in innumerable ways for reviving and saving India’s holistic traditions of knowledge. In achieving her goals, it was her education in the West, that provided her the critical tools and the ability to analyse things from multiple points of view and the learning in India equipped her at the experiential level. Her contributions are immense. Present volume is divided into two parts. Part I has two sections. The section A contains the Tributes by eminent persons and section B has ten papers by eminent scholars highlighting Dr. Kapila Vatsyayan’s vision and contributions. Part II contains academic papers by the scholars, experts in their respective fields, who have remained closely associated with Dr. Vatsyayan and have got benefited or influenced by her knowledge and wisdom by one way or the other. Part II is arranged in the Sections: C on Veda: The Source of Knowledge; D on Sastra/Theory and Prayoga/Praxis; E on Kashmir Śaivism; F on Indian Aesthetics; and G on Culture and Civilization.

Brinda Charry was born and raised in Bangalore, India. She came to the United States as a graduate student in 1999 and has lived here since. Brinda's earlier work in fiction included a number of short stories published in magazines and newspapers and broadcast over radio, as well as two novels (THE HOTTEST DAY OF THE YEAR and NAKED IN THE WIND) and a collection of short fiction (FIRST LOVE AND OTHER STORIES, which were published by Penguin (India) and Harper Collins (India). After these publications, Brinda took a break from creative work to focus on academic writing and published a number of books and articles in her field of research (the works of Shakespeare and contemporaries). In 2020 she decided to return to fiction. Her novel THE EAST INDIAN, on the first South Asian on record to arrive in North America (in 1635) was published in 2023 by Scribner (USA), Scribe (UK), Harper Collins (India). HOCUS POCUS (forthcoming, August 2026) is her second novel to be published in the USA. Brinda has won several awards and recognitions for her fiction: these include the Katha Award For Creative Fiction (twice), a prize in the BBC short story contest, Commonwealth Broadcasting Association Prize, Hindu-Picador prize, India Plaza Golden Quill award. THE EAST INDIAN was longlisted for the JCB Prize, the Mark Twain Voice in American Literature Prize, shortlisted for the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize and the Crossword Prize, and won the Society of American Historians Prize (formerly James Fenimore Cooper Prize) for Historical Fiction. Brinda now lives in New Hampshire.

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A young magician travels across the world seeking fame and fortune all the while hiding a secret, in a novel based on the renowned, real-life Indian stage magicians performing in the United States in the 1800s Samuel Thomas, a young magician of uncertain parentage journeys from India to the fog-shrouded streets of Boston in 1816, the infamous Year Without a Summer. In this season of unrelenting cold, Samuel arrives in a city alive with ambition, contradiction, and tension. Enter Walter Mepham, proprietor of the New Boston Museum which is on the brink of bankruptcy. Walter thinks Samuel is the ideal fit for the first live addition to the collection. While the perfect solution to each other's problems, the relationship between the two men quickly becomes complicated. Richly detailed and vividly conjured, Hocus Pocus is a story about art, ambition, and desire, and captures the crackling energy and wonder of a bygone era through the eyes of a young performer.

Makarand R. Paranjape has been Professor of English at Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, for over twenty-three years. He also served as the Director, Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. The author/editor of over 50 books and hundreds of academic papers, he is also a poet, novelist, columnist, and public intellectual. His latest books include JNU: Nationalism and India’s Uncivil War (Rupa, 2022), Identity’s Last Secret (BluOne, 2022), and Swami Vivekananda: Hinduism and India’s Road to Modernity (HarperCollins, 2020). He has been in touch with the works of Sri Aurobindo and modern India’s spiritual masters for over forty years.

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Hindutva and Hind Swaraj: History’s Forgotton Doubles | The Battle of Ideas in Indian History and Politics | Hindu Identity, Nationalism, and Democracy

Makarand R Paranjape A close reading of the persistent antagonisms in Indian history, Hindutva and Hind Swaraj focuses on the ideological clash between Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, representing the broader ideological, political, and cultural factions within Hindu and Indian society. The central argument is that this antagonism continues to influence national life, both politically and personally, reflecting two contrasting ideologies: Hindutva and Hind Swaraj.

Divided into three parts, the first part addresses the lack of historical records in ancient India and the importance of creating a national history to reclaim India’s past. In the part second part, the author examines the discovery of India’s cultural and historical identity, the impact of colonialism, and the need for a balanced discourse that acknowledges the complexity and diversity of Indian society. While the third looks at the e contemporary political landscape, the rise of Hindutva, and the ongoing struggle between Gandhi’s vision of non-violent resistance and Savarkar’s advocacy of armed rebellion. It highlights the unresolved tensions between these two ideologies and their implications for India’s future.

The book emphasizes the need for a new approach to understanding and reconciling these differences, suggesting that a balanced discourse and a deeper inquiry into the nature of nationalism, democracy, and Indian society are essential for creating a new India.

Sandip Das lives in Gurugram. He has had a distinguished corporate career spanning over three and a half decades across telecommunications, automobiles, and consumer durables. He was a decorated CEO of Hutchison Essar Telecom, Maxis Communications Berhad, Malaysia and Reliance Jio, having worked across geographies internationally. Currently he sits on the boards of listed companies and is a senior advisor to London-based global consultancies. He has a mechanical engineering degree from the National Institute of Technology, Rourkela; an MBA from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi; and an AMP from Harvard Business School, Boston. He is an avid reader, writer, sports enthusiast, and an eminent corporate public speaker, with active interest in literature, arts, music, photography, cartography, history, and technology.

Alka Jena is a Bhubaneswar-based food writer, photographer, and stylist. She is recognized for her efforts in preserving and promoting Odisha’s culinary heritage. Through her blog CulinaryXpress and food pop-ups across India, she brings forgotten recipes and everyday traditions to modern tables. Her storytelling blends heritage with heart, making food not just a meal but a memory. Growing up, she discovered that recipes are more than instructions; they are stories of love, patience, and resilience passed down through generations. With her lens and words, she captures this essence, reviving seasonal rituals, festive dishes, and everyday meals with equal reverence. Beyond the kitchen, Alka is a senior officer from the Odisha Planning Service, currently serving as deputy director in the Planning and Governance Department, Government of Odisha. With over twenty-five years of experience in public policy and development, she combines her professional insights with her love for food to create a unique voice, one that connects tradition with progress, and heritage with hope.

Pallavi Das lives in New York as a freelance communication strategist and brand consultant, and is part of associate faculty at Columbia University in New York. She has a Bachelors in Fine Arts (BFA) degree from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Providence, USA, majoring in film, animation and video, following which she graduated with a Master of Science (MS) degree from the School of Professional Studies (SPS), Columbia University in strategic communications. She has worked with Huffington Post New York, Leo Burnett, OYO, Born, and NDTV, where she was a breaking news reporter. Pallavi is a gifted writer, artist, photographer, public speaker, and singer.

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In the cradle of India’s eastern coastline lies a land where civilization learned to pray through food. Odisha, or ancient Kalinga, has witnessed dynasties rise and tides retreat, yet its essence endures in the quiet dignity of its kitchens.

The Orissan traces this unbroken lineage of taste and tradition. Each recipe is a fragment of history, born in temple offerings, royal feasts, and humble hearths, carried forward by generations who understood that nourishment is both art and devotion. Interwoven with personal recollections, myths, and forgotten lore, these pages become a chronicle of identity―a journey through time where flavours are the language of memory and every meal a hymn to the land.

To open this book is to rediscover an unsung state―glorious, graceful, and eternal.

Book Reviews
“A fascinating and immersive exploration of Odisha’s culinary culture, where heritage is deeply interwoven with food traditions.” Padma Bhushan Pratibha Ray

“A proud moment for Odisha—this premium edition carries our traditions to a global readership with dignity and sophistication.” Shri Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo

“To call it a book would be gross injustice. Great body of work.” Chef Sanjeev Kapoor

“The Orissan is a unique kind of cultural autobiography that charms, entertains, and informs about the finest things in life.” M.J. Akbar

Beautiful Celebration of Odisha’s Heritage. Deeply Researched.
“A beautiful celebration of Odisha’s heritage, culture, temple traditions and culinary heritage, beautifully bringing history alive through food. A wonderful book for anyone interested in Indian history, culture, food and heritage.” Divya Ohri

Gorgeous heirloom quality of a book.
“A gorgeous book with fantastic commentary, storytelling, visuals and selection of dishes. The research is well done and beautifully presented—a rich and heritage-filled coffee table book. So proud of this book. Congratulations to the team!”A. Mishra

A magnificent tribute to Odisha’s culinary soul
“The Orissan is much more than a cookbook—it’s a beautifully crafted cultural archive bringing together history, temple traditions, regional food, folklore and authentic recipes with remarkable depth and elegance.” Sameer

For every foodie, aesthete and lover of India
“The Orissan deserves every glorious word of accolade it is getting. A beautiful book tracing Odisha’s rich civilization through its unique cuisine, with delightful recipes, stories, exceptional production quality and attention to detail.” Nilima B

Neeraj Khemlani is former president of CBS News, overseeing 60 Minutes, 48 Hours, Evening News, CBS Mornings, Sunday Morning & Face the Nation. He managed Hearst's cable partnerships with Disney (ESPN and A&E Networks) and later its newspapers. Khemlani ran Yahoo! News and editorial for Yahoo! Finance. He produced award-winning stories for 60 Minutes II, 60 Minutes and ABC News. He is married to author and former ABC News correspondent, Heather Cabot, and they are the proud parents of college-aged twins, Samantha & Ian.

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Here's the text edited to under 1000 characters: --- What if you bought a handful of stocks and left them alone — like stashing valuables in a coffee can? Pick the right ones, and you might wake up with life-changing wealth. Neeraj Khemlani introduces this philosophy through portfolio manager Matt Ankrum, who studied 100-baggers — stocks that multiplied a hundredfold over decades — searching for common traits. He now hunts tomorrow's breakout companies, planning to gift his children a portfolio worth half a billion dollars. *The Coffee Can Investor* lays out Ankrum's process, his stock picks, and the power of compounding and patience. It reveals that many 100-baggers are business-to-business companies, not just consumer-facing names. Khemlani also shares his own coffee can portfolio built for his kids. For anyone who wants to invest in enduring companies for the long term.

Book Reviews
"The Coffee Can Investor is a gem of a book that combines good journalism with strong storytelling. It’s an incredible story of two fathers’ love for their children and their desire to leave them a future as big and bright as the Texas sky." Dan Rather, journalist and former anchor of CBS Evening News

"Don’t view The Coffee Can Investor as telling you what to think, but rather as providing an example of how to think. It describes a logical process for stock selection, to be applied through rigorous implementation and ultra-long-term investment in a limited number of holdings. These are exactly the right elements, and for that reason I heartily recommend Neeraj Khemlani’s book to any would-be stock-picker. There’s just one more thing, though: The process has to prove out. This one just might." Howard Marks, cofounder and cochairman, Oaktree Capital Management, and author of The Most Important Thing: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor and Mastering the Market Cycle: Getting the Odds on Your Side

"A fascinating approach to growing wealth through the stories of companies that are expected to achieve outsized investment returns. Financial analysis and storytelling make this a must-read for investors." Tapan Bhat, former president and general manager, Yahoo Finance

"This is a wonderful and incredibly useful book. When you turn the final page, you will be awed by the wisdom of one modest Kansas City dad, you will learn valuable lessons about how to invest, and you will admire Neeraj Khemlani for vividly sharing this tale." Ken Auletta, New Yorker writer and best-selling author of Googled: The End of the World As We Know It

"It’s a great book. It’s a fun read. Buy it and read it." The Brian Memorandum

KARAN MAHAJAN is the author of The Association of Small Bombs, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, winner of the NYPL Young Lions Fiction Award, and named one of the 10 Best Books of the Year by The New York Times Book Review. His debut novel, Family Planning, was a finalist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize. He has been selected as one of Granta’s Best Young American Novelists, and his writing has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vanity Fair, The New York Review of Books, and other venues. He is an associate professor in Literary Arts at Brown University.

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In a sprawling complex in Delhi, the sons and daughters of SP Chopra, one of India's political architects, live together vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man's legacy. By the late 1970s, his descendants are scrambling to define their own futures in a still-young nation on the brink of transformation.

Sachin Chopra leaves for America, with his bride Gita following not long after, as the newlyweds are eager to forge their own lives beyond the pressures of the family compound. Yet Delhi remains an inescapable force, one that keeps pulling them back, even as Gita is menaced by Sachin’s predatory uncle, Laxman. A man of restless ambition, Laxman ascends through the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, caught between his political aspirations and his personal transgressions. Meanwhile, Vibha, his sister, tries to keep the peace and the reputation of the family intact even as she wrestles with her own exile.

As India erupts in violence and long-buried secrets come to light, the embattled Chopras must reckon with the cost of power, the weight of tradition, and the shifting nature of love and allegiance. Equal parts brilliant family saga and piercing political drama, The Complex is a virtuosic novel of revenge and redemption, ambition and undoing, loyalty and love, by one of the most lauded voices in contemporary fiction.