Renowned writer, journalist, environmentalist, and an inspired reader, Kusum Choppra prefers to instill Feminism in her works like “Mastani”, “Nirbhaya & Others Who Dared”, “Beyond Diamond Rings”, “Silver Dreams” and “Rishtey”.
Life’s lessons inculcated feminism in her, that with age, has acquired a depth that was earlier shallow; Journalism’s myriad demands exposed her to numerous experiences that found space within and sowed the seeds of the plots and people who populate her stories, focusing on human experiences at different points in time.
Perhaps it was those experiences that crystallized in Nirbhaya & Others Who Dared, an anthology of women who discovered those hidden strengths to challenge the sad fates prescribed by patriarchy and turn their futures into brighter ones. Kusum likes to call it the tales of “a sisterhood of across generations taking on the tyranny of unwritten rules and customs, to secure their own places under the sun”.
They took life by the horns and turned that bull onto their side. It is a book with a difference that established her Genre Gypsy tag.
According to her, experimenting with different genres is a literary adventure that yields maturity in writing and gave birth to her two current passions.
One is the creation of a body of works for older readers… those approaching seniority and those whose reading was shrouded by responsibilities and TV etc. She ardently believes they have had enough of insurance, religious, medical magazines, and such like and are now looking for stories that offer window views on the world around, spiced with nostalgia for those good ole days? Her personal brushes with this topic garnish her experience.
Hence came, Silver Dreams and Rishtey, with a ten author collaborative research thriller in between: Altitutidinus: Seekers, Sinners & Secrets in between.
The other passion is reconnecting with her long-dormant Sindhi roots – interacting with Sindhis on various cultural and other sites, participating in Sindhi programs and even writing stories with Sindhi characters woven in, to make her long-forgotten community part and parcel of what she likes to call the United Indian Kaleidoscope in which hundreds of peoples of different communities and faiths are committed to moving forward together in peace and set an example to the rest of the world.
Books
1) LOVE HAS NO AGE
2) NIRBHAYA & OTHERS WHO DARED
Subroto Bandopadhyay joined the Indian Air Force as a flying branch officer, a Navigator to be precise. Being highly qualified and thorough professional, he meticulously planned and actively participated in many multinational exercises involving friendly foreign countries. During his 26 year-long career, he had numerous opportunities to visit many countries around the world too.
A bookworm since his early childhood, he was particularly more interested in short stories. Though he possessed linguistic inclination since early days, he took up writing on a serious note only after taking Premature Retirement from the IAF as a Group Captain. A keen observer of things happening around and an avid lifelong learner, he has taken nearly two years to give the final shape to his maiden book, a compilation of short stories named 'The Bangkok Fiasco and Other Stories.’ Most of the stories are absolutely imaginary. He has made sincere efforts to give each and every character of all the nine stories a realistic human identity and avoided presenting them in super human form. The twists and turns of each story are unique and will keep the reader hooked on to the book. Subroto Bandopadhyay is undoubtedly a master storyteller and a bestseller in the making.
Books
1) THE BANGKOK FIASCO AND OTHER STORIES
