Aarti Malhotra, a resilient single mother, navigates legal complexities following her child’s tragic suicide due to sexual assault and bullying. Driven by maternal instincts, she seeks justice and advocates for a safer world for all children. Beyond legal battles, Aarti is a captivating artist, using vibrant canvases to spark conversations about societal change. 

A pillar in academia, she fosters deep relationships with students, advocating LGBTQIA+ rights. Running the NGO “Arvey Aesthetic Foundation” in her son’s memory, she supports those facing similar adversities and champions change. Her life’s tapestry interweaves art, motherhood, advocacy, and mentorship into a vivid mosaic of strength, compassion, and resilience. 

Aarti Malhotra is an embodiment of unwavering determination, utilizing her experiences to pave the way towards a more inclusive, understanding, and just society. The threads of her life weave a compelling narrative of resilience and compassion, inspiring positive change.

Aditi Maheshwari-Goyal is the CEO of the sixty years young Vani Prakashan Group that represents the legacy literary list of Vani Prakashan, Bharatiya Jnanpith and Yatra Books. She is also the Managing Trustee at Vani Foundation, the not-for-profit arm of the group. Vani Foundation established the Vani Foundation Distinguished Translator Award at the Jaipur BookMark, Jaipur Literature Festival. The award is in its eighth year now and honors the translators who work towards bridging the gaps between Indian languages. 

Aditi drafted the syllabi of the course in Publishing and Editing at the University of Delhi’s Cluster Innovation Center and taught it for three years. She teaches the same course at the Seagull School of Publishing, Kolkata.

Aditi is one of the founding members of the Jaipur BookMark, South Asia’s largest B2B publishing platform at Jaipur Literature Festival and has worked towards promotion of the Indian languages with several domestic and international forum. She is has publiahed over 500 books in a span of 12 years at the Vani Prakashan Group and has taken care of the entire block chain of book ecosystem.

A post-graduate in English literature from Hansraj College, University of Delhi, she holds M.Phil. degree in Social Sciences from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, MSc. in Business Management from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, UK. She also holds a diploma in Public Relations and Advertising. She is pursuing a diploma in Artificial Intelligence right now from Indian Institute of Technology.

Recently, Aditi has been featured in the internationally acclaimed business magazine, Business World among India’s ‘Most Valuable CEOs’. She has also been a guest editor for Rajasthan Patrika’s national edition. Her interviews have been published at the India today, Financial Express, Mid-Day etc. She has written extensively for the Scroll and the Book Review.

In July 2023, Aditi was conferred with the National Achiever’s Award for Literary Entrepreneurship by the Zee Media.

Adrija Bose is a Senior Editor at BOOM Live. She has previously worked at Firstpost, HuffPost India and CNN-News18. Her reportage of over the last 11 years focussed on gender, politics, human rights, environment and the Internet culture. She has won three UN Laadli Awards for gender sensitivity in reporting, the 2019 RedInk Awards for her reporting on Meghalaya’s coal miners and the Polestar Award for her story on Haryana’s female footballers. She leads Decode, a vertical for BOOM that covers the intersection of technology and human lives. She commissions, edits and reports on polarisation, disinformation and human rights.

Akhil Katyal is a writer and translator based in Delhi. He is the author of ‘Like Blood on the Bitten Tongue: Delhi Poems’ (Westland-Context) and ‘How Many Countries Does the Indus Cross’ (TGIPC). With Aditi Angiras, he co-edited ‘The World that Belongs to Us: An Anthology of Queer Poetry from South Asia’ (HarperCollins India).

Alankrita Shrivastava is an award-winning feature film and series director and screenwriter from Mumbai, India with a penchant for telling women’s stories. She likes to explore the interior world of women through her films. 

Most recently Alankrita has co-written the critically acclaimed, award winning and hugely popular Emmy nominated Amazon Prime Original series MADE IN HEAVEN Season 2, which released in September, 2023.  She has also directed two of the episodes. She was a co-writer and a director of Made in Heaven Season One (2019) as well. The series has been a watershed for the portrayal of LGBQT characters and exposing the deep patriarchy that lies just beneath the surface of Indian society. 

Alankrita Shrivastava has written and directed a segment of the much-loved and critically acclaimed series MODERN LOVE MUMBAI for Amazon Prime Video, that released in May 2022. 

Alankrita Shrivastava created, wrote, directed and executive produced a drama series for Netflix, called BOMBAY BEGUMS, featuring Pooja Bhatt. It released in March 20121 to critical acclaim and popular success. 

DOLLY KITTY AUR WOH CHAMAKTE SITARE, Alankrita’s third feature film as writer-director, featuring Bhumi Pednekar and Konkona Sensharma, premiered at the Busan International Film Festival (2019), and released as a Netflix Original in September 2020. 

Alankrita’s second feature film as writer-director, LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA released in India in July 2017, and was a critical and commercial success.  

The film created a huge conversation across the media, social media and film watchers about what is the real freedom of expression allowed for women, in a country that is the world’s largest democracy. 

Acclaimed critically in India and internationally, Lipstick Under My Burkha has travelled to over 80 international film festivals. It has won 18 international awards including the Spirit of Asia Prize at the Tokyo International Film Festival, the inaugural Oxfam Award for Best Film on Gender Equality at the Mumbai Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize at Films De Femmes International Festival in France to the Best Film at the Glasgow Film Festival, Best Film at the London Asian Film Festival, the Jury Prize at the Washington DC South Asian Film Festival. It has also won Awards at Cines del Sur, Granada, Spain, Cinemasia Amsterdam and the New York Indian Film Festival. It also won the inaugural TVE Global Sustainability Award for Film in London, for its contribution to gender equality. 

Alankrita Shrivastava was named one of the 50 Most Influential Young Indians by GQ magazine in 2017. 

Alankrita has previously written and directed her debut feature film – Turning 30 (2011). The coming of age of a woman as she grapples with heartbreak and a crisis in her career, in the face of her 30th birthday. 

Alankrita has also written and directed a fiction short Open Doors (featuring Tisca Chopra, on a day in the life of a woman battling marital abuse), a documentary and a music video. She has worked on many Indian feature films in different capacities, including being the Associate Director on Raajneeti and the Executive Producer on Khoya Khoya Chand. 

Alankrita Shrivastava read Journalism at Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University (2000), and Mass Communication at Jamia Milia Islamia (2003). She went to Welham Girls’ School, Dehradun (1997).

Dr Alka Pande is an art historian who taught Art History at Panjab University for more than two decades. She has also taught Art and Aesthetics at the Delhi College of Art, NID and the DJ Academy of Design, Coimbatore. Her major fields of interest are gender identity and sexuality, and traditional arts. Dr Pande, under the aegis of the Charles Wallace India Trust, conducted postdoctoral research in critical art theory at Goldsmiths, University of London. In 2006, she was awarded the Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters- an honour bequeathed by the French government to recognize significant contributions in the fields of art and literature. In 2009, she received the Australian-India Council Special Award for her contribution to Indian art. In 2015, she was awarded L’Oreal Paris Femina Women under Design and Art and Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi honours-in recognition of her distinguished contribution to art- with Amrita Sher-Gil Samman. She has extensively written and edited books on Indian aesthetics, culture and photography. Some of her prominent books includes : Body Sutra (2019), Third Eye: Photography and Ways of Seeing (2019), Panchtattvas: The Road Ahead (2017), Voices and Images (2015), Divine Gesture: The Magnificence of Mewar Spirituality (2016), Musicscapes: The Multiple Emotions of Indian Music (2016), Theatrescapes: Experience Rasas (2014), Mukhwas: Indian Food through the Ages (2013), Shringara: The Many faces of Indian Beauty (2011), Leela: An Erotic Play of Verse and Art (2009), The New Age Kama Sutra for Women
(2006), Indian Art: The New International Sensation (2008), The Collector’s Handbook (2005), Ardhanarishvara the Androgyne: Probing the Gender Within (2004), Indian Erotica (2002), From Disco Lights to Mustard Fields: A Study of the Folk Instruments and Performers of Panjab (1999) to name a few. She is the chief editor of a theme-based IHC Visual Arts Journal including Art Journal (2017-18), Land Art with special reference to Aravallis (2017), Art in Public Spaces (2016), Creative Consumerism: Art Market and Beyond (2014), Cross Culture: Enacted Aesthetic: with Special Reference to Rabindranath Tagore (2011), New Media (2009), Abhyas (2008), Notions of India (2007), Exploring Art and Perception (2006), Multiple Voices (2005), Design (2004), Photography (2003), Internationalism, Cosmopolitanism and Globalisation (2002), and

Understanding Art (2001). Dr Pande has authorised a set of books on Indian visual culture especially focused on Indian arts and aesthetics. Dr Pande has been passionately involved with the world of art for more than three decades. She has been responsible for curating several significant and perceptive exhibitions in India and abroad. Dr Pande was the artistic director of photography biennale Habitat Photosphere, a photography award instituted by India Habitat Centre. Her curatorial projects include the exhibitions, The Tree from the Seed at the Henie-Onstad Art Centre, Oslo; India Awakens Under the Banyan Tree at the Essl Museum, Vienna; and The Kama Sutra: Spirituality and Eroticism in Indian Art at the Pinacotheque, Paris, to name a few. Dr Pande was closely involved with South Central Zone Cultural Centre unique initiative project titled Documentation of Tangible and Intangible Cultural Resources. In the capacity of a curator, Dr Pande held an exhibition titled Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou Art) at IGNCA to showcase traditional arts, creative photographs, and video installations which were produced during a month-long art camp at the Simhastha Kumbh, Ujjain (2016). Dr Pande has set up the Sculpture Gallery at
the City Palace Museum, Udaipur as well as an Outdoor Sculpture Park at Fateh Prakash Palace and Lake Palace in Udaipur for the Indian Heritage Hotels. Dr Pande is responsible for setting-up museums: Bihar Museum, Divine Gesture, Udaipur City Palace, Kanha Museum, Singinawa. She is on the advisory of the Bihar Museum. Dr Pande also set up the Bihar Museum Biennale in 2021 and is now the chief curator for the Bihar Museum Biennale. Currently, Dr Pande is a consultant art advisor and curator of the Visual Arts Gallery at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi (India).

Anish Gawande is a writer and translator. He is the director of the Dara Shikoh Fellowship, an interdisciplinary arts residency, and the founder of Pink List India, the country’s first archive of politicians supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Gawande is a Rhodes Scholar and holds postgraduate degrees in intellectual history and public policy from the University of Oxford.

Anjali Gopalan is the Founder and Executive Director of the Naz Foundation (India) Trust, a Delhi-based NGO dedicated to fighting HIV/AIDS. She is also the founder of All Creatures Great & Small, an NGO that provides shelter and help to animals. She has been at the forefront of the battle to decriminalize homosexuality. While she runs a shelter home for HIV-infected orphaned children, her NGO is now creating Delhi’s first LGBTQ centre, a significant initiative for the queer community that struggles to find a safe space. 

She has been accorded a number of awards and recognitions including the Commonwealth Award, the Woman Achiever’s Award from the Ministry of Women & Child Development and The Ashoka Fellow. She was also listed by Time Magazine in 2009 as the 100 most influential People in the World and was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2005 amongst a long list of accolades.

Anjali Kirpalani is the bestselling author of 19 till I die, Written in the stars and Never say Never. Her latest novel, Tinsel Town Affair has just been launched and is already garnering rave reviews. Born in India, Anjali lived in South Africa for eight years before returning to Mumbai.  She has been an RJ, Anchor with ET NOW and Shethepeople.tv and the editor of Stylekandy.com, a fashion portal. Anjali has scripted several successful radio dramas for the SABC (South African Broadcasting Corporation) She has written for publications like O, The Oprah magazine in South Africa and Huffington Post in India, among others. Anjali is also one of three-hundred-women selected out of over ten-thousand women to get pre-incubated into the Women Startup Program run by the NSRCEL by IIM-Bangalore. Having completed her Masters in English Literature from the University of Mumbai in 2012, she lives to read, write, travel and discover new places. Anjali is also a Creative Producer with KUKU FM. 

She can be reached on anjalikkirpalani@gmail.com

Alternatively, connect with her on any of the following social media platforms:

Facebook: Anjali Kirpalani

Twitter/Instagram: anjalikir 

Ankur Paliwal is a journalist, and founder and editor of queerbeat, a journalism venture focused on covering LGBTQIA+ communities in India. In his thirteen years of journalism career, Ankur has written about science, inequity and queer people for various publications including the Guardian, Nature and FiftyTwo. He has a master’s degree in science journalism from the Columbia University.

Anurag Kundu has worked with different governments and not-for-profit organisations on public policy issues like education, health, and social protection. Previously, he served as the Chairperson of the Delhi Commission For Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR).

Dr. Aqsa Shaikh (She/Her) is an out and proud transgender woman. She is one of India’s First Transgender Doctors. She is an Associate Professor of Community Medicine at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi. Aqsa is an academician and researcher. She is part of the iHEAR initiative at Sangath India which undertakes research and project implementation for inclusion of the Transgender and Disability community in the healthcare sector.

Aqsa is a vocal advocate for rights-based Gender Justice for Transgender persons. She speaks, writes, and advocates for Trans Rights in India and Globally. Aqsa writes for Indian Express, Hindustan Times, and Youth ki Awaz amongst other platforms. She has received the Youth ki Awaz Award for her writings on Mental Health. Aqsa is a film critic and she also studies the portrayal of transgender characters in Indian cinema. 

Arif Jafar has 32 years of experience in development of community based organisations on skill development and providing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support programme for sexual minorities and other marginalized sections of the society, across South Asia. He has been instrumental in formation of Naz Foundation International in India, Bharosa Trust, Balarc Foundation, Sankalp Trust, Ibteda-e-Anees and Humkhayal – e- Jafar. With effective leadership skills Community Based Organisations have been integrated into a Regional Network of MSM sexual health projects – ARMAN (Asia Regional Male AIDS Network). Succeeded in increased coverage of CBOs from 11 pre – existent NFI supported projects to 222 such projects in the region.  Has presented many papers in national and international seminars and workshops and has expertise in community mobilization and capacity building to reduce risk of STI/HIV infection amongst men.  Has managed programme of NFI as the Executive Director of Naz Foundation International and is currently now the Managing Director NFI. Have carried out many studies around sexuality, sexual health, gender, faith, human rights, masculinities, etc. Is a member of Steering Committee – UPSACS and Technical Resource Group on MSM – NACO and also that of NHRC. 

Aruna Desai is a graduate from Bombay University & Head of HR & Admin in a manufacturing Company in India. She is Co-founder of Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents. This group bridges the gap between parents of LGBTIQ children and strives to build a parallel structure of support system for them. She is a proud mother of a
queer child and an ally of the community. She decided to be a part of parent’s meets and panel discussions when she realised that not all the parents accept their children the way they are. Since then she has counselled many parents and children. She has previously spoken at Salzburg-Nepal, ILGA Asia-Vietnam and 8th ILGA Asia conference in South Korea. Her advocacy is widely reported in the Indian media besides talks and in-person counselling. To further her cause, she co-produced a multi-award winning Indian film called 'EVENING SHADOWS' and KUCH SAPNEY APNE” that focuses on a parent-child relationship and acceptance of sexual orientation. She is one of the authors of the book “eqaALLY” which talks about LGBTQ+ allyship. So far she has spoken at Morgan Stanley, TCS, Microsoft, Accenture, Airbnb, Ford, NMIMS, NHRD, SAP, Amdocs, Aveva, Marsh McLenan, Fujitsu, HDFC Life, Sanofi, Spring Nature and many more. She has also spoken at the schools and colleges etc. She is the recipient of five iconic awards from the community namely QUEEROES, PHILANTHROPIST, OUT AND LOUD PARENT OF THE YEAR, an ALLY Award and National Transgender Vidhya Award.

Chittajit Mitra (he/they) is a writer and translator from Allahabad, UP. They co-founded RAQS, a queer collective working on gender, sexuality and mental health.

Dr Deepti Priya Mehrotra is a teacher, writer, storyteller and social scientist. Her latest book Her Stories: Thinkers, Workers, Rebels, Queens (2022) retells the lives of some 70 women, down the ages, reinterpreting available evidence and cutting away at androcentric biases. 

She has a book on feminist street theatre, under publication. Also in the pipeline is a book on social movements of the 1970s and 80s; and a photo-archive of the women’s movement (of the 1980s).  

Deepti’s writings include Home Truths: Stories of Single Mothers; and biographies of peace activist Irom Sharmila, and peasant activist Jaggi Devi. Her book Gulab Bai: the Queen of Nautanki Theatre describes the social history of the Nautanki genre and the life of an actor therein.   

Deepti writes also in Hindi, including books on Irom Sharmila, Jaggi Devi, Gulab Bai, single mothers, and on the women’s movement, Bharatiya Mahila Andolan: Kal Aaj aur Kal. 

Deepti has taught at Delhi University and elsewhere, and been a freelance consultant with civil society organizations, on gender, education, sexuality education and related issues. Her writings have been sporadically supported by fellowships, from India Foundation for the Arts; MacArthur Foundation; Indian Council for Philosophical Research; and Nehru Memorial Museum and Library. 

She might like to spend the rest of her life singing movement songs and doing radical theatre; writing short stories; and helping set up community libraries filled with colorful, serious and interesting books. 

Eric Chopra is the founder of Itihāsology, an engaging and inclusive platform focused on Indian history. He’s a reader, writer, and researcher with a specific interest in exploring the histories of art, sexuality, and ghosts. Chopra is also a podcaster, curator, and leads heritage-walks and museum-tours. His book on the otherworldly nature of Delhi’s monuments is set to be released in 2024. He writes for the Jaipur Literature Festival and other arts and literary events. He can often be found collecting books, ornaments, and stories.

Gurcharan Das is a renowned author, commentator, and public intellectual. He is the author of two best sellers, India Unbound and The Difficulty of Being Good, which are volumes one and two of a trilogy on life’s goals. His latest book, Kama: A Riddle of Desire is the third. His other literary works include a novel, A Fine Family, a collection of plays for the theatre,  Three Plays, and a book of essays, The Elephant Paradigm. India Grows at Night was on the FT’s best books for 2013. He is general editor for Penguin’s multi-volume ‘Story of Indian Business.’ He graduated in philosophy from Harvard University, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa for ‘high attainments in liberal scholarship.’ He was CEO, Procter & Gamble India before he became a full time writer. He writes a regular column for many Indian newspapers, including The Times of India and occasional pieces for The Financial Times and Foreign Affairs and New York Times. 

Hoshang Merchant is a poet of 30years standing with 25 books of poetry .His papers are archived at Kroch Library at Cornell University.He taught poetry and creative writing at the University of Hyderabad for 27 years. His gay poetry is infused with spirituality.

He was awarded the Rainbow Warrior award for his life work in 2019

Jaya Sharma is a feminist, queer, kinky activist and writer who divides her time between Goa and New Delhi. As part of a feminist NGO she worked on issues of gender and education for over twenty years, during which she was intensively involved in sexuality trainings for groups working with rural women. As a queer activist she has co founded and been involved with queer forums in Delhi, including the coalition Voices Against 377. She is also one of the founder members of the Kinky Collective, a group that aims to raise awareness about Bondage Domination Sado Masochism and to strengthen the community from within.  Currently her writing seeks to explore sexuality and politics through the lens of the psyche.

Jaydeep Sarkar started his career as an assistant with Sudhir Mishra and then later collaborated with Sudhir as a writer on ‘Khoya Khoya Chand’. He has also co-written ‘Shaurya’, ‘DaasDev’ and the television series ‘Remix’. Jaydeep has directed television commercials for some of India’s leading brands. His work has won multiple Indian & international awards including The Kyoorius Blue Elephant for ‘The Water Wives’ and The One Show Award for his film for The Times of India, ‘Out&Proud’. He has also directed the short film ‘Nayantara’s Necklace’. Amazon Original series Rainbow Rishta is Jaydeep’s debut long format work. 

French actor, dramatist, and author of Cambodian descent. His memoir is titled Coming Out of My Skin (2023).

Jyotsna Siddharth (She/They) is an actor, artist and writer and Country Director, Gender at Work India. Jyotsna’s practice spreads across institutional building, intersectionality, arts, activism, theatre, and development. Jyotsna has master’s in Development Studies from TISS Mumbai and Social Anthropology from School of Oriental and African Studies, London and a recipient of Chevening Scholarship, British High Commission (2014). In 2023, Jyotsna was Cosmopolitan Blogger’s Award Nominee for Dalit Feminism Archive and in 2020 they were featured as 40 under 40 by Edex and New Indian Express. They are also a peer advisor to Feminism in India, The Rights Collective UK, Giving Tuesdays India and CPA Project.

Jyotsna’s work has featured in Times of India, The Hindu, Roundtable India, Savari, Feminism in India, Smashboard, Ashoka Literature Festival, Vogue India, Mid-Day, The Rights Collective UK, Feminism in India, The Swaddle, The Citizen, DHRDNet, UN Women Asia and Pacific, Manchester University Press, India Culture Lab, Grazia India, Party Office, Documenta Fifteen, News18, Khirkee Voice, Khoj and more. Jyotsna is currently fundraising and working on a self-written play, ‘Clay’. 

Kalki Subramaniam is a transgender rights activist, Inclusion Catalyst, Artist and Writer from Tamil Nadu India. She runs the Sahodari Foundation which works for the social, political and economic empowerment of the transgender community. She has empowered and mentored so many role models in the transgender community including transgender doctors, lawyers, engineers, corporate professionals etc. She has spoken at several corporate companies including Google, Facebook, Adobe, Walmart, Uber etc. for the inclusion of transgender people in jobs in all levels of the companies and creates inclusive policies in the companies. Kalki has won several awards for her contribution towards transgender people’s empowerment in India. Through her writings, art and films she inspires thousands of transgender people with hope and dignity for a promising future. She has spoken at Harvard, Yale, Cornell and University of Philadelphia in USA. She is the author of the famous book; We Are Not The Others; which is available on Amazon. She is also the Ambassador of  Trans Amsterdam organization in Netherlands. She lives with her family in Pollachi, Tamil Nadu.

K Vaishali is an author, activist and inclusion advocate based in Hyderabad. Her memoir Homeless: Growing Up Lesbian and Dyslexic in India was published by Yoda Press and Simon & Schuster in March 2023. She works for a tech company and leads their LGBTQ+ resource group for the JAPAC region.

My name is Kabir Maan. I am a Delhi based Dalit Transman. I am a trained Primary School Teacher from SCERT (State Council of Educational Research and Training) New Delhi.

Dropped out from Jamia millia islamia university (Mass-Media hindi patrkarita degree course) due to emotional and mental abuse, which I have faced because of my gender identity, because my identity I have faced problems in all the Educational institute/college/school.

I have been a part of some adventures activity like cycling expeditions kashmir to Delhi 2013, Delhi to bagha border 2014 & 2015. I also participated in india’s longest travel train journey called “Jagriti yatra” 2017-2018. In 2020 I have completed India’s first mountain (friendship peak) climbing expeditions in dehradun & made a world record with 25 other Transgender people. 

Since 2018 -2022 I was working full time as a “Educational facilitator” I ran a campaign called “Aao baat karein” where I do sessions on Eradication of Sexual Abuse, Sex Education, Menstruation Hygine and Gender Sensitization.

Till now I have educated more than 15000 kids & 5000+ teachers and parents Pan india.

 I am featured amongst the 75 Indians for Outlook magazine’s 75 Years of Indian Independence issue in August 2022.

https://www.outlookindia.com/national/we-the-people-gender-educator-who-has-taught-over-15000-kids-about-sex-abuse-and-sex-education-news-217296

• Featured by P Sainath’s PARI. Network in 2021

 https://pari.education/articles/i-want-to-live-my-truth-as-a-trans-man/

• Featured in a short movie by Disney Star “Words of pride -Queer languages” 2023

Link :-

https://wordsofpride.disneystar.com/en/stories

Kalki Koechlin, an award-winning multifaceted artist and sustainability advocate, is known for her impactful contributions to the world of cinema and environmental consciousness. With a deep commitment to living a sustainable lifestyle, she embodies the principles of reducing waste, promoting eco-friendly fashion, and championing renewable energy sources. Kalki’s influential voice and actions inspire others to embrace sustainability, making her a beacon of change in the entertainment industry.

Kanishka Gupta is a literary agent, writer and publishing commentator best known for his widely acclaimed series for Scroll.in called ‘Publishing and the Pandemic’. He is the founder of Writer’s Side, the largest literary agency and consultancy in South Asia. Gupta has been credited for single-handedly popularising literary representation in the subcontinent. He represents a range of highly accomplished debut authors as well as award-winning authors of fiction, non-fiction and poetry, including the 2022 International Booker Prize winner Daisy Rockwell. Some of his other prominent writers include the Booker-shortlisted Avni Doshi, the Windham- Campbell prize-winning novelist and poet Jerry Pinto, multi-award-winning novelist Anees Salim,  Tamil writer B. Jeyamohan, Lindsay Pereira, Ranjit Hoskote, and Rijula Das among others. He has also worked closely with the 2022 Man Booker Prize-winning author Shehan Karunatilaka and represents his next two  books in South Asia  His first novel was longlisted for the Asian Booker Prize in 2009 and was published in 2010.

Dr.  L.  Ramakrishnan is an integrative biologist by training, and has been associated with the public health NGO SAATHII for the past 20 years. He works towards inclusive healthcare,  justice  and  social  protection for marginalised communities such as LGBTIQA+ communities and those vulnerable to HIV.

Ramki has contributed to developing and delivering gender-sexuality content for  teachers, students of medicine, law and nursing, professional medical associations, DLSA lawyers, judicial and police training academies; and to the 2022 module for Supreme Court judges. He has advocated successfully for LGBTIQ inclusion in state policies and was part of the team consulted by the Madras High Court in the Sushma and Seema vs. Commissioner of Police landmark orders of 2021.

He also volunteers with Orinam, an LGBTIQA+ collective in Chennai, as a peer counselor, crisis supporter and co-curator of QUILT (queer reading group) and Reel Desires, the Chennai International Queer Film Festival.

SAATHII, the NGO with which he is associated, operates Legal Aid Clinics for the transgender community in partnership with the government in Odisha and Manipur, and has helped nearly 2000 individuals obtain legal name and gender change in government identity documents. SAATHII has also contributed to HIV testing of 14 million pregnant women, provided sexual health services to 500,000 prisoners, and over 100,000 LGBTIQ individuals.

Mohan won Best Story at the 2014 Screen Awards in Bollywood for the film adaption of his story “The Railway Aunty”, remade as thriller B.A. Pass. He is also the recipient of an O. Henry Prize, the Himan Brown Award in Creative Writing, Brooklyn College, and residencies and fellowships, including Blue Mountain and Ledig House, New York and the Jentel Residency Program.

Mohan’s fiction and creative non fiction has appeared in One Story, the Toronto South Asian Review, Trikone Magazine, Tehelka, Open Magazine, National Geographic Traveller (India), and in anthologies in several languages and countries. Mohan’s work explores the creative ways in which queer people and women resist the repressions of middle-class life and reclaim their right to love and pleasure. He is currently working on a collection of personal essays about aging as a transnational queer, and how relationships change in unexpected ways, with oneself, with bio family and even with chosen community, as we traverse our middle and later years.

Niladri R. Chatterjee (1967 – ) is Professor, Department of English, University of Kalyani, West Bengal. He has co-edited The Muffled Heart: Stories of the Disempowered Male and Naribhav: Androgyny and Female Impersonation in India. He is also the author of a novel called The Scholar. Since March 2020, he has also started posting videos on his YouTube channel. His areas of interest are Masculinity Studies and Queer Studies. Since 2010 he has been running a facebook group called New Gender Studies. His latest book is Entering the Maze: Queer Fiction of Krishnagopal Mallick, a translation of the queer narratives of the Bengali writer Krishnagopal Mallick.

NITIN MANTRI, Regional Executive Managing Director (APAC), WE Communications, & Group CEO, Avian WE

Nitin is a dynamic leader in the world of communications. He is the Regional Executive Managing Director for Asia-Pacific, WE Communications, and the Group CEO of Avian WE. He is also a member of the Public Relations and Communications Association (PRCA)’s Global Advisory Board and Co-Chair of PRCA Asia Pacific and PRCA Ethics Council. 

Notably, Nitin was the first Asian to hold the position of President at the International Communications Consultancy Organisation (ICCO) from 2019 to 2022. During this time, he significantly contributed to the organization’s global agenda. Additionally, he held the position of President at the Public Relations Consultants Association of India (PRCAI) for an impressive five-year term, from 2015 to 2020.

The spirit of entrepreneurship is a fundamental aspect of Nitin’s character. This inner drive prompted a pivotal decision in 2006 when he left behind a thriving career in the UK to lead Avian WE as its CEO and business partner. In 2007, Nitin’s innovative spirit once again inspired him to establish Chase India with two co-founders. Today, Chase, an Avian WE associate company specialising in public affairs and government relations for major Indian and multinational firms, stands as a dominant force in India’s policy sphere.

Nitin’s illustrious career in communications began at Genesis PR (now BCW) following the completion of his MBA from the Birla Institute of Management Technology. Subsequently, he relocated to London, where he held a significant role at Brodeur/Pleon (now Ketchum), a Europe-based public relations and communications consultancy under the Omnicom Group umbrella. There, he oversaw Pleon UK’s operations across the corporate and technology B2B practices.

Nitin is deeply invested in advancing the public relations industry. During his tenure as the PRCAI President, he prioritised enhancing the public perception of the profession in India. When he was the President of ICCO, Nitin made significant progress in making the global PR industry relevant to different markets and potential talent. He currently mentors ICCO’s Global PR Youth Board.

Nitin is actively involved in academia, shaping syllabi at reputable mass communication colleges in India to raise awareness about the public relations profession at its foundational level. He is on the advisory board of The School of Communications and Reputation (SCoRe), an institute dedicated to the development of education and research in reputation management and continues to teach at various institutes, including XIC.

In addition to his educational contributions, Nitin serves on the advisory boards of esteemed organisations such as Giving Tuesday, a global movement promoting generosity, and Bennet University, a philanthropic initiative by The Times Group, a prominent media conglomerate in India.

Nitin was inducted into the ICCO Hall of Fame for his extensive PR insights, accomplishments, contributions to the advancement of PR, and consistent leadership in December 2022. He was recognised with Provoke News’s Individual Achievement SABRE Award at the Asia-Pacific SABRE Awards in September 2021. In 2015, he received the Global PR Leader of the Year Award at the ICCO Global Awards.

Neeraj Churi is the Founder of Lotus Visual Productions, a film production firm he set up for the sole purpose of producing and promoting South Asian LGBTQ+ films worldwide. Under this banner he had produced fiction and documentary films in India and the UK. Through his organisation, he sponsors the Kashish QDrishti Film Grant given to lgbt+ filmmakers to make Queer Short Films. He has also helped curate the LGBTQ+ program segment for Indian Film Festivals in the UK. He was recently invited to the advisory board of the Samabhav traveling film festival organized by Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA) organization for gender and sexuality sensitization. He is an alumnus of the New York film academy. I also holds degrees in Information science management with extensive experience managing multi-million-dollar projects with top-tier financial institutions in NY and London. His Indian short, Sheer Qorma, won the audience choice award at Frameline 2021. His UK short film production, Queer Parivaar, won the IRIS Prize Best British Short 2022. His first feature film, A Place of our own, selected at the 2022 Cannes film Market as part of NFDC Goes to Cannes, won audience choice award at South By South West film festival 2023 in USA and has played in 30+ film festivals. His next feature in development, Arms Of A Man, was selected for Venice Biennale College Cinema 2022 Mentorship Residency.

Parmesh Shahani is an author and an activist for LGBTQ inclusion in corporate India who has guided many of the country’s leading companies on their inclusion journeys. Most recently, he served as Vice President at Godrej Industries and founded and ran the award-winning Godrej India Culture Lab for a decade, between 2011 and 2021. His first book Gay Bombay: Globalization, Love and (Be)Longing in Contemporary India (Sage Publications) was released in 2008 and his second book Queeristan: LGBTQ Inclusion in the Indian Workplace (Westland Business) was released in August 2020 and won the CK Prahalad Award for Best Business Book of 2021 and well as the Laadli Award for Gender Sensitivity in 2021.  Parmesh holds an MS in Comparative Media Studies from MIT. He is a TED Senior Fellow, a Yale World Fellow, and a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and also a board member of KHOJ International Artists’ Association, and Breakthrough.

Parvati Sharma has written across genres. Her most recent books are two historical biographies: Jahangir: An Intimate Portrait of a Great Mughal and Akbar of Hindustan. Her debut was a book of fiction, The Dead Camel and Other Stories of Love. She has also written a novella, Close to Home, and two books for children, The Story of Babur and Rattu & Poorie’s Adventures in History: 1857. Sharma lives in New Delhi, where she has studied English literature and Indian history, and worked as a travel writer, editor and journalist.

Poonam Saxena is a journalist, writer and translator. She worked with The Hindustan Times for several years. She launched and edited the HT Sunday magazine, Brunch, for twelve years, before moving on to edit the weekend section. She has written extensively on popular culture, film, television and books. She continues to do a regular column for Hindustan Times, The Way We Were, which looks at our past through Hindi literature and cinema. She translates from Hindi to English and has translated Dharmvir Bharati’s Gunahon ka Devta (Chander & Sudha, Penguin Viking), Rahi Masoom Raza’s Scene : 75 (HarperCollins) and also The Greatest Hindi Stories Ever Told (Aleph). She was the co-author for filmmaker Karan Johar’s memoir, An Unsuitable Boy (Penguin).

Priyakanta Laishram is an openly queer Manipuri filmmaker who boldly tackles unconventional and socially relevant topics in his movies. As an actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, and TV host, he has made a name for himself in Manipuri cinema. Priyakanta is a trailblazer, having created the first Manipuri film on same-sex relationships – Oneness, one of the first Indian films on men’s makeup and gender-neutral fashion – Who Said Boys Can’t Wear Makeup, and the first film from Northeast India based on male rape – The Foul Truth. His movies offer radical explorations of sexual orientation and gender identity, and they shed light on the problems and issues faced by marginalized communities and ordinary people. With 9 movies and 30+ film awards under his belt, Priyakanta is hailed as the “Torchbearer of Manipuri Queer Cinema” by the Northeast Now and “A Hidden Gem Of Manipuri Cinema” by The Frontier Manipur. Laishram’s passion for filmmaking started at a very young age. He made 3 films using a Nokia N70 mobile phone at the age of 9 and won several titles, including The Youngest Filmmaker 2009 from Nokia and Manipur’s Rising Star 2011 from Asian News International. 

Ms. Raghavi is a law graduate from Campus Law Centre, University of Delhi, and is navigating her way now in Delhi as a first generation openly trans lawyer. With a passion for the intersection of law and gender, Raghavi’s interests span across various arenas of law and social sciences. 

Her writings have appeared in The Indian Express, the Dialogue Box. She has also contributed to anthologies on Trans Rights. Beyond the written word, she has been a dynamic force in the field, conducting workshops and delivering talks at universities, embassies, and legal aid organizations. She reads, writes, dances and cooks when not bogged down with lawyering. 

Ramkrishna Sinha (pronouns: He/Him) is Co-Founder of Pride Circle and Rainbow Bazaar. He is a firm believer of “Action for Inclusion” and has enabled many organizations on their journey of LGBT inclusion. He has co-authored equALLY  – Stories by FRIENDS of the Queer World, an anthology of 45 powerful personal stories by 45 allies. Pride Circle has enabled over a thousand job offers for LGBT+ Talent in inclusive organizations, helped 120+ LGBT owned businesses to gain visibility, expand market reach and access to mentors, and works with over 450 organizations from around the world, enabling LGBT+ inclusion. Ram has been recognized as Global D&I Hero of the Year at Intel. He also won the prestigious “Champion of the Year” Award from Out & Equal, USA and was featured in the list of 50 LGBT+ Future Leaders Globally by OUTstanding & Financial Times

Rituparna Borah is an indigenous disabled, Queer Feminist activist with 15+ years of experience on Gender, Sexuality, and LGBTQIA issues. She is the Co-Director of Nazariya: A Queer Feminist Resource Group in Delhi, India. Nazariya is a queer-run and led organization and its mission is to make queer lives visible. She has been part of the feminist and queer organising in India. 

Rohin Bhatt (he/they) is a non-binary queer rights activist, lawyer and bioethicist. He currently works with Senior Advocates Indira Jaising and Anand Grover. He graduated from Gujarat National Law University in 2021 with a B.Sc. LL.B. (Hons.) and with a Master of Bioethics at Harvard Medical School in 2022. He is a co-founder of the Indian Bioethics Project at Gujarat National Law University which aims to bring Indian voices to the intersections of law, medicine and bioethics.
 
Apart from being a regular contributor to The Leaflet where he writes on issues of queer rights, reproductive justice and constitutional law,  his work both public platforms such as the Hindu, The Indian Express, India Forum, The Probe, and the Wire Science and academic journals like The Law School Policy Review, The Indian Journal of Medical Ethics, Voices in Bioethics, and the Hastings Center Report. His work focuses on constitutional law, and bioethics, with a particular focus on feminist and queer approaches to bioethics to make healthcare policies and laws more accessible for queer persons, and the effects fascism has on human rights and their intersections.

Saif Mahmood is an Advocate of the Supreme Court of India and an International lawyer, writer, scholar and public speaker who divides time between the UK and India. Author of the bestselling ‘Beloved Delhi: A Mughal City & Her Greatest Poets’ (2018), he speaks and writes on Urdu poetry, culture and literary heritage. A widely-recognized South Asian name in the Urdu world, he advises many literary and cultural organizations in the UK and India. Saif holds a doctorate in law and is a Visiting Academic at the University of Oxford, working on the Mughal State’s treatment of Urdu poets of resistance and dissent. 

Sandip Roy is an author, columnist and podcaster based in Kolkata. He hosts The Sandip Roy Show for Indian Express and his columns appear in Mint Lounge, The HIndu, The Times of India and other publications. His work has appeared in The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, National Public Radio, BBC, Economic Times and other outlets as well as anthologies like Cat People, Queer View Mirror, Out! Stories from the New Queer India, The Phobic and the Erotic, New California Writing 2011. He was the long-time editor of Trikone, the first South Asian LGBTQ magazine. His award-winning debut novel is Don’t Let Him Know.

Santa Khurai is a queer activist and champion of transgender rights from Imphal, Manipur. She is associated with civil society organizations All Manipur Nupi Maanbi Association (AMaNA) and Solidarity and Action Against The HIV Infection in India (SAATHII). Writing poems and stories on queer issues is one of her many passions.

Seema Anand is a narrative practitioner, intimacy columnist with the Times of India, and the author of The Art of Seduction

Shivraj Parshad recently joined Avian WE, with a focus on client centricity and people development. He has over 25 years of experience of working with individual and institutional clients on areas of strategic communication, capacity building and content curation. Shivraj has facilitated coaching/training initiatives at organizations like the WHO, Micronutrient Initiative, SAP India, Sequoia Capital, Helion Ventures, Hyundai India, Conduent Systems, Infosys, McKinsey’s, CISCO, Indian Leadership Academy et al. Shivraj began his career in 1995 with India’s première media house New

Delhi Television (NDTV) as part of the company’s transformation from being a mere software and content provider to a competitive global broadcaster. As Deputy Editor, Foreign Affairs, Shivraj covered landmark events like 9/11, Iraq War, Indo US Nuclear Deal among others and interviewed global leaders like Kofi Annan, Vladimir Putin, Benazir Bhutto, Mahinda Rajapaksa, and Jack Straw. Shivraj is a Senior Certified Professional Coach with 1000+ hours of experience as an Executive Communication Coach, Corporate Trainer, Media Educator, Podcaster and Presenter/EMCEE.020. He holds a Master’s in International Relations, from the University of Sussex, UK and is an avid podcaster and advocate for diversity and inclusion.

He is a writer, curator, workplace inclusion consultant and singer-songwriter. He is the author of the critically acclaimed books Straight to Normal: My Life as a Gay Man (2019) and Queersapien (2022).

A TEDx speaker, Sharif has addressed numerous global and local forums on communications, inclusion and multiculturalism hosted by the Canadian High Commission, the British High Commission, Public Relations Organisation International, International Communications Consultancy Organisation, Open For Business, the American Centre and corporations such as Johnson & Johnson, Bank of America, Adobe, Barclays, Microsoft, Stryker, WE and Cognizant. He has spoken at colleges and schools such as Gargi College in Delhi, IIM Ahmedabad and the Scindia School in Gwalior.

The Founder of The Rainbow Awards for Literature & Journalism, Sharif is also the frontman of Friends of Linger. His band’s track, ‘Head Held High’ is considered to be India’s first dedication to the LGBT+ community. Sharif also belongs to one of India’s most diverse indie bands, The Original Knock Offs, that has artists from across the world.

A believer that communications through discussions, talks, art, literature and music are key to influencing change, he brings together over 30 years of experience in the fields of journalism, research, PR and image management in all he does. He has worked with organizations such as The Pioneer and The Economic Times in the media, and was the CEO and, later, chairman of Integral PR. Sharif is an advisor to the Global PR Trust focussing on social change and has chaired several juries such as those of the SABRE Awards and Fulcrum Awards.

Swaja Saransh is a visual and performance artist, researcher and facilitator based inNew Delhi. They have been working on the themes of climate change and sustainable development for the past 13 years. Their journalistic training makes them curious to learn about and layer their work with various disciplines including gender and mental health. Their films have been nominated and screened at festivals such as Mumbai International Film Festival, CMS Vatavaran, Dominican Republic Film Festival, and the IDSFFK(Kerala). As Avatari Devi (their drag name), they have been performing across platforms- online and offline in their mother tongue Bhojpuri, questioning and commenting on the politics of gender, coloniality and the new necessity to hate. Having started their big stage journey at the Rainbow Literature Festival 2019, they have so far performed at the Gender-Bender 2022 -Bangalore International Centre, Do Din at Hyderabad Urban Lab, and earlier this year at Mosaic, JNU. They are part of the ESD Expertnet, have been a BIARI (Brown Institute for Advanced Research Institutes) Scholar (2016), recipient of the Gender Bender grant (Sandbox Collective and Goethe Institut Bangalore)  and an alumni of  the Managing Global Governance (2021) Academy at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability.

Meet Raza, an 8-year veteran in the world of SOGIESC and mental health. Co-founder of Aazaadi International, which focuses on holistic wellbeing of female sex workers and trans folx*. They are on a mission to redefine public spaces, making them safe and inclusive for the queer folx. Working with Wikipedia on a project to illuminating the stories of invisible queer and women individuals. Their work is a testament to the power of empathy and advocacy, weaving a narrative of resilience for a more inclusive world. 

Raza is also an independent consultant for research and SOGIESC work in South Asia.

Urvashi Butalia is co-founder of India’s first feminist publishing house, Kali for Women (set up in 1984) and now runs Zubaan, another feminist imprint that was set up when Kali shut down in 2003. She has a long involvement in the women’s movement in India, and is an independent researcher and writer who writes and publishes widely on a range of issues to do with gender. Among her best known publications is the award-winning oral history of Partition: The Other Side of Silence: Voices from the Partition of India (winner of the Oral History Book Association Award 2001 and the Nikkei Asia Award for Culture 2003). She is currently working on the life of a hijra friend of hers, Mona Ahmed.

(She/They) is a queer feminist activist. She is the Program Coordinator in Nazariya: A Queer Feminist Resource Group. She is a peer counselor and has been doing crisis intervention cases of Natal Family violence against Queer women and Trans persons. She provide support in need in terms of legal and shelter support. She is actively involved in Feminist movements of India.

Vikram Kolmannskog (b. 1980) is a writer, psychotherapist, and full professor of gestalt psychotherapy. He has a mixed heritage with a Norwegian father and a mother born in Kenya to Gujarati parents. He lives outside Oslo together with his husband Daniel. Vikram’s writing is influenced by queerness as well as a material and sensual spirituality. His latest book, The Garden Tantra (Red River, 2023) has been described as ‘exuberant and beautiful, showing a direct insight into the inherent harmony of the universe’ (Mani Rao).

Head of the Institute of International Education India (IIE), Vivek has spent several years managing scholarships and fellowships programs for the British Council and the Ford Foundation. Based in New Delhi, he has also been a former Director of Arts for the British Council. In addition, he produces, directs and acts in theatre and films, primarily in the English language. He is also the  Artistic Director of theatre group Scene Stealers.

Yash Sharma (He / They) is embarking on an exhilarating journey as the Assistant Project Manager at the dynamic Rainbow Literature Festival 2023. Hailing from the bustling streets of Delhi, he proudly wears his queer identity as a badge of authenticity and strength.

As the creative force behind @officialhumansofqueer (OHOQ), Yash has worn various hats, sparking a digital storytelling phenomenon. In just three years, OHOQ has illuminated over 1000 queer narratives through Instagram tales, posts, blogs, and live exchanges. This effort was acknowledged with two Cosmo Bloggers Award nominations for LGBTQIA+ Voices of the Year. Yash was recently honored as a champion of change in the gender equality category at the Girl Up India Leadership Summit.

Yash’s journey includes a year at Impulse New Delhi, where he initially spearheaded Advocacy and later took the lead in Events. He also served as the Keshav Suri fellow for the year 2023 as a queer leader and IWG health advocate for the same year.

Breaking barriers, Yash’s impact resonates in both queer and corporate realms, including organizations like BCG, ITC, and various colleges at the University of Delhi. He has contributed insights to esteemed media outlets such as Times Now, The Indian Express, The Times of India, Social Ketchup, Josh Talks, Hindustan Times, and CNN News, among others.

Beyond work, you’ll find Yash at cinemas indulging in Bollywood movies or exploring new food outlets. Among his cherished hobbies, sleeping and spreading love top the list. He strongly believes that open conversations about sex are crucial today.

Zayan (he/him) identifies as a Dalit Queer feminist who works at Nazariya QFRG as a Senior Programme Coordinator. He is a trained educator and has experience in teaching children, researching and analysing the field of education and teacher education from the lens of gender and sexuality. He is a TEDx speaker and one of the Rise Up fellows selected from India in the year 2021. He has been featured by The Times of India (2021) and The Washington Post (2023). He was a part of the International Trans Advocacy Week (TAW) in 2022 and was invited as an Asian Delegate to TAW this year. In 2023, he was also selected for the LBQ Connect programme by Outright International. He has published on platforms like The New Leam, The Teacher Plus, Contemporary Education Dialogues, and has recently written a children’s storybook called Chintu’s Shirt which is a story of a gender non-conforming child. In his free time, he loves to read and strum the strings of his guitar.