A child psychologist, writer and critic of children's books, Ira Saxena has written fiction and non-fiction in Hindi and English for children of all ages and adults. Her writings are mostly based on themes such as computer crime, science fiction and Gandhism. She received the Shankar's Silver Medal for Writing in 1996 for Gajmukta ki Talaash (Quest for the Jumbo Pearl) – an adventure set in India's freedom struggle, and also won the White Raven's selection at the International Youth Library in 2000 for her computer crime novel The Virus Trap. Many of her short stories have been awarded by publications such as Amar Chitra Katha and Saptahik Hindustan. Her books have found a place in schools as supplementary readers. Her recent novels include Curse of Grass, The Web Trail, Chand Katori and Paraa. Saxena is the founding member and Secretary of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC). She has also been a member of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). A firm believer in the healing touch of literature, Saxena is spearheading a book therapy project among teachers and authors. She can be reached at [email protected]

Nilima Sinha is a well-known author for children, who has written several award-winning books, such as The Chandipur Jewels which won a Best Fiction award and The Yellow Butterfly which received a Best Picture book award. Her books have been included in the International White Ravens catalogue by the International Youth Library. She writes in both English and Hindi. Sinha has worked on the Marigold series produced by NCERT as English textbooks for schools in India. Her book, Hamirpur ke Khandahar was prescribed as a Supplementary Reader in Hindi for all government schools in the Delhi region. Her schooling at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, New Delhi, inspired her interest in literary writing. She is the President of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC), the Indian branch of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY). In the past, she has also held the post of Vice-President of IBBY. She can be reached at [email protected].

Ashwitha Jayakumar has loved stories all her life, especiallyones set in different times and worlds. Born in Chennai, shestudied English literature and medieval studies at the universitiesof Edinburgh and Leeds in the United Kingdom and has workedfor over a decade in the Indian publishing industry. Her work hasbeen published by Pratham Storyweaver, Scholastic India, PuffinBooks and Hachette India. She particularly enjoys writing abouthistory, a subject she has always been especially fond of.

Sanjeev Sanyal is a writer, economist and urbanist. He grew up in Kolkata and attended Delhi University before going on to Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. He then spent two decades in international financial markets, where he became the managing director and global strategist of Europe's largest bank. He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2010. While living in Singapore, he also took up the study of cities and was awarded the Eisenhower Fellowship for his work on urban dynamics. In 2017, he joined the Indian government as the principal economic adviser. He became a member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's economic advisory council in 2022. He has represented India in many international forums, including a