The North East Writers' Forum (NEWF), an assembly of acclaimed writers writing in English representing the eight sister states of North East India, as a part of its calendar activity recently hosted writers Aruni Kashyap, Parthajeet Sarma and Anmol Arora at the India Club, Guwahati premises. The event was organised to present an opportunity to both the writers and the audience to interact on an intimate level about their works and inspirations.
Aruni Kashyap who now lives in the US is the author of The House With a Thousand Stories (Viking, June 2013), a novel set against the secret-killings of Assam which received positive literary reviews. He has also translated and introduced Indira Goswami‘s last work of fiction, The Bronze Sword of Thengphakhri Tehsildar, for Zubaan Books (January, 2013). He won the Charles Wallace India Trust Scholarship for Creative Writing to the University of Edinburgh in 2009. He is currently editing an anthology of short fiction set against the Assam Conflict, for Harper Collins.
Writer Parthajeet Sarma who also lives in the US is an award winning innovator and a successful entrepreneur. He was a winner at the Department of Science and Technology backed “Economic Times Power of Ideas” in 2012 for his path breaking idea of manufacturing homes off-site. Later he was featured in CNBC TV 18’s iconic program “Young Turks” in 2013 for his business acumen.
A finalist at the Sankalp Awards 2013, Villgro Awards 2013 and few others Parthajeet after his schooling in Guwahati went on to graduate as an Architect from Sir J J College of Architecture. Later, an MBA changed his perspective of the building industry.
In addition to running successful businesses in the building industry, Parthajeet devotes ample time towards innovation in the building industry. His work has been featured in various print and electronic media. A fan of free markets and technology, Parthajeet is an occasional speaker at industry forums.
Parthajeet writes to bring clarity to his thoughts and relax in his spare time. His breezy style of writing is often interspersed with humour and light banter. Some of these thoughts culminated and took the shape of his first book Smart Phones Dumb People? Written for the young and the enterprising, this easy read raises some important questions about the right use of technology in present day India. The non-fiction has received rave reviews from various quarters.
The youngest of them all, Anmol Arora, is a Sports Writer with GameOn India and based out of New Delhi. He studied journalism at The Express Group and worked for The Indian Express and The Asian Age reporting on crime, innovative businesses, sportspersons and philanthropists. He is very much at home with what Richard Gere said echoing Matthew Arnold that, “Journalism is literature in a hurry.” He has a non-fiction in the writing.
It is truly wonderful that we now have an established "second generation" of committed writers working in English from this region- both fiction and non-fiction, as well as bloggers, said Mitra Phukan, President NEWF. The event was coordinated by Swapnil Bharali, Joint Secretary NEWF while Surajit Barooah, Vice President NEWF delivered the valedictory address. The event followed by snacks and dinner saw the presence of an august summer gathering.
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