Come autumn and Sonali Raje a scientist and professor of chemistry education at Towson University, Maryland will be talking about her ‘The Empress of Indraprastha.’ A unique feminine fictional retelling of the Mahabharat from Draupadi’s point of view. The storyline is such that any girt from nine to ninety-nine will be able to identify at least one incident in the entire series that feels relatable to their own personal story. Lead Discussant for the session is Shweta Jain. A “momtrepreneur” and founder of Kitab Club that promotes reading across age groups. Shweta is also a Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary and Professional Level of Cost and Management Accountancy. The ‘The Empress of Indraprastha’ series focuses primarily on the well-known and lesser-known women of the Mahabharat. In the newly released third book, Sonali addresses important themes like maternal home support for married daughters and tackles the canker of sexual harassment using the victim perpetrator pairs of Arjun-Urvashi and Draupadi-Keechak. The session will be moderated by Sanjeev Chopra, Founder, Valley of Words.

August Edition of Afternoons with an Author will showcase Author-Poet Amit Srivastava’s Siraj-e-Dil Jaunpur. Known for his fluency and wit, the author after working as a Hindi translator in the Directorate of Foreign Trade is serving in the Indian Police Service, Uttarakhand cadre. Born and raised in Jaunpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Amit Srivastava is engaged in genre-based demolition and reconstruction of Hindi literature. Proficient in both prose and poetry he has penned Bahar Main, Main Andar (Poetry Collection), Pahla Dakhal (Memoir), Gahan Hai Yeh Andhakara (Novel), Kotwal Ka Hookah (Story Collection), Globalization and Contemporary Hindi Poetry (Criticism/Thought) SHAPING OF A COP (Diary) Covid Blues (Diary) and his latest Siraj-e-Dil Jaunpur (Essay/Memoir). "Siraj-e-Dil Jaunpur" is a prose book by Amit Srivastava who brings alive the cultural and historical heritage of Jaunpur through the literary form of Lalit Nibandh and takes it to an entirely new dimension. Lead Discussant for the session will be Sachin Chauhan. Curator of the Hindi Vertical for Valley of Words International Literature and Arts Festival, Sachin has a special interest in Hindi literature. He recently translated 'Hum Bharat Ke Rajya Ke Log: Nirmaan Evam Nirmanak Bharat Ki Internal Border Ka' published by Rajkamal Prakashan. His articles find place in reputed publications such as Garhwal Post, and News Wire and his blog thesachinchauhan.blogspot.com. The session will be moderated by Sanjeev Chopra, Founder, Valley of Words.

The July monsoon spring edition of ‘Afternoons with an Author’ will host authors : Amb K.V. Rajan and Atul K Thakur, the authors of Kathmandu Chronicle - Reclaiming India-Nepal Relations. Amb K V Rajan, India's Former Ambassador to Nepal and co-author of the book is retired as Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India. During his forty years of diplomatic service, Mr Rajan was entrusted with diverse responsibilities which covered political, economic, cultural, academic, media-related and multilateral work. As India’s longest serving Ambassador to Nepal (1995 to 2000), he has unmatched personal experience of Nepal and understanding of various aspects of India-Nepal relations. Rajan is a frequent speaker in India and abroad on international issues. He is the author of several articles and Editor of an anthology The Ambassadors Club. Co-author Atul K Thakur is a policy professional, columnist and writer. As an author/editor, Atul worked on ‘India Now and in Transition’ his second widely acclaimed book. In 2013, he edited ‘India since 1947: Looking Back at a Modern Nation.’ In 2021, he curated and edited (with Nepal’s Former Finance Minister Mr Madhukar SJB Rana), An Alternative Development Paradigm for Nepal. He has extensively written for The Kathmandu Post, The Hindu, Firstpost, News18, The Indian Express, Financial Express, The Economic Times, DailyO, Mail Today, The Pioneer, Tehelka, Outlook and others. As a public intellectual and industry insider, he plays an important role in shaping India-Nepal economic cooperation. The authors will be in conversation with Utpal Kumar, author of Bharat Rising: Dharma, Democracy, Diplomacy. Currently Utpal works as Opinion Editor, News18 and Firstpost. In his two decades of journalistic experience, he has worked with several media houses, starting with The Pioneer newspaper in New Delhi to Hindustan Times, Mail Today and the NewsX-The Sunday Guardian. Dr Sanjeev Chopra, Festival Director of Valley of Words, shall moderate the session.