Jay Jina(Curator ) leads Project Chitraayana, an INDICA Books initiative. He has edited and co-authored a series of three books on India’s cultural heritage, with this volume being the fourth in the series (the most recent being Anveshana). Prior to this project, Jay mentored young writers as part of a creative writing program.

With an academic background in applied mathematics, Jay has spent most of his professional career in industries such as automotive, aerospace, and instrumentation. He has held senior leadership positions across manufacturing, logistics, strategy, and information systems. His industry experience has been complemented by periods in academia and consultancy with the Big Four. For several years, he taught executive MBA programs and continues to teach mathematics at a university in the UK alongside his work with INDICA.

Born in Africa to parents of Indian descent, Jay now resides in the UK.

About The Authors

Madhavi Girish Kunte

Madhavi Girish Kunte holds an M.Sc. degree in Medical Microbiology, an MBA in Marketing, and a PG Diploma in Intellectual Property Rights. Previously, she has worked as a sales executive for a stem cell banking company and as a patent analyst for an IP firm.

Now, Madhavi is a full-time storyteller. She writes stories in the genres of mythological fiction and contemporary fiction. Her essay on ‘Beej Mata’ was recently published in the anthology by INDICA, titled ‘Padma Bharatis- Ordinary Indians, Extraordinary Triumphs.’

Her story, ‘The Waterways’ features in another anthology titled ‘Vanishing Eden: Chronicles of Human resilience’ published earlier this year.

She has contributed to a few more anthologies that are under publication and she is also working on her first independent novel, set in the contemporary world.

Madhavi is a founding member of the online writers’ community called ‘The Ink and Quill Collective (IQC)’ where writers are encouraged to build a writing routine and are supported with activities like peer reviews and guest author interviews. She is currently working towards bringing out the pilot issue of the IQC magazine.

Santhini Govindan

Santhini Govindan is a writer, primarily of children’s literature. She has written picture books and concept books for young children, feature and chapter books for middle grade readers, and stories for young adults. She has more than fifty published books for children. Stories and poems that she has written are used in more than one hundred English readers and school textbooks across India, the Middle East, and South Asia. Her first stand-alone poetry book – a collection of original poetry for children, ‘To Catch a Poem,’ which has over one hundred poems in different rhyme schemes, was published in March 2022, by Ukiyoto Publications. Santhini has won many awards for her work. She has been awarded two fellowships by the Government of India for projects connected to children’s literature in India. She has conducted creative writing workshops at schools across India, and has taught creative writing at the undergraduate level at Mumbai University.

Santhini lives in Mumbai with her husband. She has a son and a daughter, and four grandchildren whom she likes to indulge! Apart from reading and writing, she enjoys working on embroidery and crochet projects, gardening, and playing with pets. She is an inveterate collector of bells and angels and her burgeoning collection threatens to overrun her home!

Mythili P Rao

Mythili P Rao was awarded PhD in Hindi from Bangalore University in 2003. She contributed to the field of Hindi study and teaching by being associated with the Jain Group of Institutions for almost 28 years Actively contributed to the development of the Institution while serving as Dean, Director and Deputy Director in JAIN (Deemed-to-be University) since 2008.  She served as a Member of the Higher Committee of the Education Award of the Central Hindi Directorate, an external member of the Pre-University Hindi Curriculum Committee of the Government of Karnataka, a member of the Board of Studies and Examination Committee of several Universities. She has presented research papers, Chaired sessions, invited as Chief Guest and delivered Key note address in various National and International Conferences. Research Articles have been published in many national and international research journals. She have received many honors in recognition of her contribution – Rashtra Shakti Shiromani Samman 2024 by Sampark Kranti Parivar, Jaipur, 16th March 2024, Bharat Mata Abhinandan Samman, 2023 by Bharat Mata Abhinandan Sangathan (R), Gujarat, 4th October 2023, Gandhi National Peace Award 2023 by Gandhinagar Sahitya Seva Sansthan Charitable Trust, Gujarat, 3rd October 2023, Abhyuday Antarraashtriya Kannad-Hindi Prerna Samman 2022, by Abhyuday Antarrashtriya Sanstha, Bengaluru on  September 2023, Dr Mithilesh Kumari Mishra Hindi Sewa Samman- 2019 by the Bihar Hindi Sahitya Sammelan, Kadamkuan, Patna, Centenary Year Celebrations, Acharya Chanakya Rashtriya Award 2018 By Chanakya Vartha : Rashtriya Pakshik Patrika on 8th April 2018. She is a Member of the Curricular Area Group of NCERT for Hindi.  She is actively engaged in translation work from Kannada to Hindi, many of which have been published and some are under publication. Her aim is to introduce the richness of Kannada literature through translation work.

Patañjali Pundit

Patañjali Pundit is a historian by training, an entrepreneur by choice and a writer by passion.

He holds degrees from St. Stephen’s College, Columbia University, and the London School of Economics, specializing in International and Global History.

His writings have graced diverse publications, from the Ministry of External Affairs—exploring cultural diplomacy and international relations—to Air Arabia, capturing the essence of travel and lifestyle. Drawing from classical Sanskrit texts and Indian philosophical traditions, his writing blends scholarly research with vivid storytelling, creating works that seek to connect traditional ethos with modern thought.

Currently, Patañjali is venturing into fiction with contributions to two anthologies and a novel that promise to intrigue and inspire.

Munmun Banerjee

Munmun Banerjee is an engineer based in Bangalore, India, whose journey seamlessly blends technology with a passion for travel and cultural exploration. With a profound curiosity about diverse cultures, her life story reflects an intricate balance of professional achievement and personal discovery.

After earning her Master’s degree in Computer Application from NIT, Raipur, Munmun entered the IT industry, where her career flourished. Her time in Europe brought her face-to-face with misconceptions about India, sparking a strong desire to deepen her understanding of her roots and challenge narrow narratives about her homeland.

Driven by this purpose, Munmun has traversed India extensively, delving into its rich tapestry of traditions, gender dynamics, and cultural complexities. Each journey has been a step toward challenging oversimplified views of India often shaped by Western perspectives, offering her a deeper connection to her heritage.

Outside of her professional and exploratory pursuits, Munmun takes immense pride in being a mother to her 8-year-old son. Through her stories of adventure and cultural discovery, she aims to foster in him a deep appreciation for the country’s heritage.

At home, she finds joy in tending to her cherished kitchen garden, nurturing organic produce and finding solace in the simple yet fulfilling act of cultivation.

Ramanujam S.R.

Ramanujam S.R. has been a traveller for whom heritage and hills have been fascinations since early in life. His professional work in infrastructure development has taken him to many corners and hinterland of India. This gradually created an urge to learn about heritage and temple architecture and to experience the devotion – Bhakti – that created them. Discussions with friends helped him explore and discover places unimagined before. Together they read about their shared rich cultural history and began to create and share regular quizzes on Indian Heritage under the banner of IndiYatra (IndiYatra.in).  These quizzes cover Indian history, heritage and culture and are released on festival days. He is also writing a book for Indica on the Temples of Himachal Pradesh, from the viewpoint of a pilgrim.

Ramanujam lives in Mumbai with Rajashree. She shares his enthusiasm for Indian culture and heritage and has encouraged him to travel and discover Indian heritage. Their children Anagha and Gopal are college students, and both parents hope that the culture bug passes on to them as well.

Avatans Kumar

Avatans Kumar is an award-winning columnist, author, speaker, and linguist. He is an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he taught linguistics and Hindi as a foreign language. He also holds an MBA from Webster University and has worked in IT for several years.

He received the San Francisco Press Club’s Journalistic Excellence Award in 2023, 2022, and 2021. His ‘The Flight of Deities: An Anthology of Desecration & Devotion’ was published in 2023. He has contributed chapters in Westland Book’s Indian Renaissance: The Modi Decade and BlueOne Ink’s Padma Bharatis: Ordinary Indians Extraordinary Triumphs.He has also been involved in translating original English work into Hindi. Notable works include Prof. Subhash Kak and Ambassador Arun Sahu’s poetry collections प्रकाश और छाया का पथ and इग्वाना और अन्य कविताएँ respectively.

As President and Trustee, Avatans leads the US operations of Indic Academy, incorporated as INDICA, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization in the US. INDICA seeks to preserve India’s traditional institutions, knowledge, and practices, protect her identity against distortions, and promote Indic thought to local and global consumers, practitioners, and seekers.

Aparna Sridhar

Aparna M Sridhar is a senior journalist, editor for Center for Soft Power (www.centerforsoftpower.org) and consulting editor for arts at Indica Today

Aniya Burse

Aniya Burse is fourteen and lives in the USA with her parents and younger brother.

Besides writing Aniya enjoys playing flute, chess and reading fantasy and sci-fi novels. Her fourth-grade teacher introduced her to creative writing through an assignment she particularly enjoyed. Aniya recalls that the premise of the assignment was based on Zathura, the sequel to the popular book Jumanji.

However, Aniya truly began to write an age eleven amidst the COVID-19 pandemic when her mother enrolled her in writing classes to help kill her chronic boredom. Much to her mother’s surprise, Aniya fell in love with writing. Aniya is obsessed with writing fiction and so far her writing has been published in seven anthologies, five short stories and two poems. This meant that non-fiction was put on the back burner until this project. Aniya is excited to have her first biographical essay published in this Padma Anthology through INDICA.After high school, Aniya plans to go to medical school and become a doctor and continue with writing.

Ishaan Channa Reddy

Ishaan is fourteen and lives in the USA. He was born to Indian parents who have instilled in him the values of hard work and honesty.He became interested in writing at a young age, creating various fictional characters. When he got word of the opportunity to tell the story of a Padma Shri awardee, he thought it would be a good way to share his writing and get mentoring, guidance and professional feedback through which he could develop his writing skills. After high school, Ishaan plans to go to college, become a lawyer and write books.

Pradeep Krishnan

Pradeep was born in 1962 in Thodupuzha, Kerala, into a traditional Hindu family. During his college years, exposure to student politics steered his thinking toward Marxism. For a time, he believed that the ideal of an egalitarian society necessitated rejecting God, gurus, rituals, customs, and traditions—sometimes even ridiculing them. After earning degrees in commerce and law and completing a postgraduate diploma in journalism, Pradeep served the central government for 36 years. A chance encounter in 1980 with the late Sri P. Parameshwaran proved transformative, leading Pradeep to embrace spirituality and commit himself to the betterment of society through independent thought, indigenous knowledge, and Indic values. An avid reader and passionate traveler, Pradeep has spent over four decades exploring India’s remarkable diversity and unity firsthand. From Kutch to Kamrup and Kanyakumari to Kashmir, he has visited numerous sacred places, interacting with both everyday people and revered gurus. This rich journey has deepened his understanding of India’s cultural and spiritual heritage.