By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 1 Dec: Dr Ruby Gupta, Professor & HOD of Humanities at the ACC Wing, Indian Military Academy, has brought laurels to India by being honoured as the International Writer-in-Residence at the International Agatha Christie Festival (10-17 September) in Torquay, Devon, England.
This international recognition by the Agatha Christie Festival Foundation is a testament to Dr Ruby Gupta’s prowess as a crime fiction author of repute. Her mystery novels are inspired by the works of Agatha Christie. She is the author of nine books, a doublegold medallist in English literature, an awardee of the GSE (USA) by Rotary International, and the recipient of the Pratibha Samman Award (Journalism).
The International Agatha Christie Festival is organised every year in Torquay, which is the birthplace of Agatha Christie, the world’s best-selling novelist. This annual Festival of Arts and Literature celebrates the life and legacy of Christie. It draws international authors of repute, renowned academicians and a global audience.
As International Writer-in-Residence, Professor Gupta gave a talk on how Agatha Christie inspired modern Indian crime fiction with British author Vaseem Khan. She presented the prizes to the winners of the 2022 Young Writers Mystery Short-Story Writing Competition. Her stint included attending all the talks/lectures, involvement in all the Festival events and visiting the landmarks associated with the life and work of Christie. She made an active contribution to the Festival through talks and debates on literature and also improved the understanding between the two countries. Her residency includes the submission of a report on the Festival as well as a blog/piece of creative writing (short story/other).
During the festival, Dr Ruby Gupta’s latest conspiracy thriller, ‘The Secret of Leifeng Pagoda’, was unveiled. This novel is inspired by the true events of the mysterious deaths of Indian nuclear scientists and is being adapted on screen by Almighty Motion Picture. It is an intelligent, deeply-researched novel which begins with the assassination attempt on Jawaharlal Nehru and ends with the volatile India-China equation.
Professor Gupta’s tenure at Torquay will have a trickle-down effect; it will benefit and enlighten successive generations of future military leaders whom she teaches and lead to the all-around enrichment of IMA.
