Meet Our Speakers

Damon Galgut was born in Pretoria, South Africa. A three-time Booker Prize finalist, he won in 2021 for his ninth novel, The Promise, earning international acclaim.

Kiran Desai, born in New Delhi, wrote The Inheritance of Loss, which won the 2006 Booker Prize. Her third novel, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, was shortlisted in 2025.

Stephen Alter is an acclaimed author of over twenty books exploring the Himalayas, natural history, folklore and mountain culture. His notable works include Wild Himalaya, Becoming a Mountain and Sacred Waters. His novel In the Jungles of the Night was shortlisted for the DSC South Asian Literature Award. His recent books include Death in Shambles and The Cobra’s Gaze.

Zac O’Yeah is a Bengaluru-based Swedish detective novelist and travel writer, known for his Majestic Trilogy: Mr. Majestic! (2012), Hari – A Hero for Hire (2015), and Tropical Detective (2018). His bestselling foodie-travel memoir, Digesting India, was published in 2023.

Abhijeet Gogoi is an Assamese poet and translator. His works include Anya Ata Dinor Babe (2024), and Murmur in the Wilderness (2026). He received the Asam Sahitya Sabha Yuva Award (Kabyashree Hazarika Trust Award 2023–2025).

Aijingkmen Janong is a Shillong-based musician and educator. A member of Khasi Cymru Music, he explores Khasi-Welsh musical connections through performances and original compositions, including Na Ri Ba Jngai, a tribute to Thomas Jones. He has also participated in cultural exchange performances in Wales.

Alka Saraogi is a Hindi language author from Kolkata. Her debut novel, Kali-Katha Via Bypass, won the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2001. She was knighted ‘Cavaliere’ by Italy.

Anjum Hasan’s Hometown: Shillong in the World is her first non-fiction book, written on the New India Foundation and Homi Bhabha fellowships. She is also the author of six novels and short story collections, including History’s Angel, The Cosmopolitans, Lunatic in My Head, and A Day in the Life.

Ankur Das is an IAS officer from Shillong, currently serving as Commissioner, Silchar Municipal Corporation. He champions social entrepreneurship and mentors Meghalaya’s youth preparing for UPSC examinations.

Ankush Saikia is based in Shillong and is the author of The Girl From Nongrim Hills. He was shortlisted for the Outlook/Picador-India non-fiction writing competition in 2005 and received a Shanghai Writers’ Association fellowship in 2018. He is currently collaborating with Abhishek Choudhury on Secret of the Snow Lion.

Arak Mangsang Sangma is a Garo multidisciplinary artist exploring identity, heritage and belonging through clay, mixed media and digital art, while preserving traditional Garo ornaments, attire and sustainable artistic practices.

Assistant professor in the Department of Khasi at North-Eastern Hill University. She is a member of the Khasi Author’s Society and a former editor of Ka Thwet Jingstad, a journal of the Society for Khasi Studies.