Höre Literary Gupshup-Pune's first literature podcast

At the age of seven, Varsha Seshan discovered she wanted--and could be--a writer. Since then, there has been no looking back. She wrote through her college years at Junior Herald, the children's supplement of Maharashtra Herald, where over 20 stories of hers were published. The budding writer has now blossomed into a confident author for children who has published a book of short stories for children titled The StoryCatcher and a series of illustrated books for children on the Indian Railways. Varsha will now speak at the Asian Festival of Children's Content in Singapore to be held between May 25-29 2017. Along the way, Varsha has gone through more than her fair share of rejections but the love of writing never waned. The hardest thing, as per her, is to promote your book especially as a writer for children. She is also a trained Bharatnatyam dancer.

'Sowmya will not be quiet'. Author of the best-selling and hilarious Mayil will not be quiet, Sowmya Rajendran has written eight books for children and now has launched her first book for adults titled The Lesson. A feminist to the core, Sowmya Rajendran takes on trolls and makes it clear that they will not deter her from speaking her mind, warns those who want to be writers of the hard work involved. A graduate of Madras University and University of Sussex, Sowmya won the Bal Sahitya Akademi Award in 2015 for Mayil Will Not Be Quiet and has won acclaim for her feminist retelling of fairy tales. Now residing in Pune's verdant NCL campus, she writes for The News Minute as a full time journalist when her daughter lets her. Vivacious, fun and as funny as the characters, this was one interview that I never wanted to end. And by the way, her husband makes the best filter coffee in Pune so you know where to visit now.

Deepak Dalal, son of celebrity chef and author Tarla Dalal, threw away his chemical engineering career to write 'Indian stories' for children who till then only had Hardy Boys and Sherlock Holmes to read. His books span the vast diverse landscapes of India, from the breathtaking Lakshadweep to Ranthambore, from the mysterious Andamans to Ladakh to the Sahyadris. In fast-paced mystery stories, his intrepid characters Vikram and Aditya find and tackle evil doers. Dalal's love for wildlife, his passion for writing, risk taking ability (How many abandon chemical engineering to be writers?) comes through. Witty, franky and down to earth, he makes writing bestsellers sound easy. His books can hold the attention of both adults and children, and are clean--an important quality at a time when children are still impressionable. His dream is to write a novel based in Arunachal Pradesh and I think, when you finish hearing this, you may want him to start asap:)

Leela Gour Broome, born to a Dutch mother and Maharashtrian father, loves nature, words and playing pranks (not necessarily in that order). A true Fauji brat, having lived for nine years on a tea plantation near Kodaikanal in Tamil Nadu, her love for nature shines through in her two books for children The Red Kite Adventure and Flute in the Forest. Married to a gentleman farmer, she now lives on a small farm with many birds, some dogs and cows and visiting grandchildren. She is a regular at lit festivals for children, and when you listen to the interview, you'll know why. To know more, just click 'play'. :)

Literary Gupshup comes to you this week from the cultural capital of Gujarat-Baroda! We chat up Vikrant Pande, translator of Marathi classics like Rau, Shala and Shrimaan Yogi. In his day job, he is the provost of Team Lease University and passionate about skill development. Listen in as he discusses finding a publisher, daily practice and keeping commutes to a minimum.