The event was the brainchild of Rao, who put the idea in her publisher Mary McCallum’s head, and everything fell into place after that. Coinciding with the celebration of Diwali, the event was organised by Wellington City Libraries in collaboration with the Cuba Press
Writers of South Asian heritage recently got together to read from their works at Wellington, New Zealand. Among the writers who gathered at the Johnsonville library were Brannavan Gnanalingam, Rijula Das, Rajorshi Chakraborti, Sudha Rao, Romesh Dissanayake and Rupa Maitra, reported indianweekender.co.nz.
The event was the brainchild of Rao, who put the idea in her publisher Mary McCallum’s head, and everything fell into place after that. Coinciding with the celebration of Diwali, the event was organised by Wellington City Libraries in collaboration with the Cuba Press.
Rao, a poet, has a background in Indian classical dance. Over the years, her interest in dance morphed into a passion for writing. “It (writing) allows me to find a quiet place in myself,” Rao told the Indian Weekender. She likes to play around with form. In her current collection of poems, “On elephant’s shoulders,” Rao variously uses the ghazal, the sonnet and the ode. Some of her poems resemble short fiction.
Sudha Rao participated in the International Bengaluru Poetry Festival in 2019. Her first collection of poems, On Elephant’s Shoulders, was published this year.
Among the writers who gathered at the Johnsonville library were Brannavan Gnanalingam, Rijula Das, Rajorshi Chakraborti, Sudha Rao, Romesh Dissanayake and Rupa Maitra
Rajorshi Chakraborti told the Indian Weekender that he got into writing largely out of a love of reading, and “ my love of reading came out of a love of stories and the unique way stories shine a light on people, on every part of their personalities”. “For me, everything begins with the complexity and mystery of different characters and their experiences, and writing is my ever-ongoing humble effort to explore and express that,” Chakraborti said.
Chakraborti has authored six novels and a collection of short fiction. “Or the Day Seizes You” was shortlisted for the Crossword Book Award in India in 2006. “Mumbai Rollercoaster” received a mention in the Children’s Writing category of the Crossword Book Awards, 2011. “The Man Who Would Not See” was longlisted in the fiction section of the 2019 Ockham Awards in New Zealand. His latest novel Shakti was longlisted in 2021 in the Best Novel category of the Ngaio Marsh Awards in New Zealand.
Rijula Das is an author and translator and the programmer for Verb Readers and Writers Festival. Her debut novel “A Death in Shonagachhi” was published in India where it won the Tata Literature Live First Book Award.
Romesh Dissanayake is a chef, poet, writer and artist from Korea, Kazakhstan, and Sri Lanka. He is currently working on his first novel.
Brannavan Gnanalingam is a lawyer and the author of seven novels, three of which have been listed for the Ockham NZ Book Awards. He was the winner of the Best Novel Prize at the Ngaio Marsh Awards and shortlisted for the 2021 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards. His latest novel is “Slow Down, You’re Here.”
Rupa Maitra is a fiction writer. Her book of short stories, “Prophesies,” was published in 2019.
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