By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 7 May: ‘The Literary Table’ (TLT) hosted an Author-Reader event with renowned historian and author Roshen Dalal and Publicist Mansi Shetty of Penguin India on 5 May. TLT is a platform for authors, writers, journalists and social entrepreneurs who share their various life journeys. Their books are their interesting life experiences which they share on this platform.
TLT is slowly spreading its wings. This was a much bigger event than the last three. TLT runs under a charitable trust, ‘Arogya Wellbeing Trust’. Dr Aloka Dasgupta Niyogi was the host and moderator.
The emcee was Bijoya Sawian and Dr Ruby Gupta, Shalini Dhanda, Priyakshi Rajguru and Jasleen took care of the logistics. It was attended by authors and booklovers of Doon.
After the welcome address by Aloka, Bijoya introduced historian Dr Roshen Dalal. Dr Ruby Gupta introduced publicist Mansi Shetty of Penguin India.
The event kicked off with a conversation between Dr Roshen Dalal and Mansi Shetty.
Roshen was born in Mussoorie. After living for many years in Delhi, she has settled down in Dehradun. She did her MA and PhD in ancient Indian History from JNU, New Delhi. Mansi Shetty is the Divisional Lead – Children‛s Marketing. She has done her MBA in marketing. Her studio helped build the brand perception and online communication strategy for ‘Kitab Khana’.
Roshen began by sharing her journey as an Author. She said that, from her childhood days, she wanted to be a writer, but it did not happen. After studying history, she initially wrote data rich academic work. But at a certain stage of her life, she read about Jiddu Krishnamurti and that inspired her to go and teach in Rishi Valley Krishnamurti Foundation School in Andhra Pradesh. While teaching history to students of middle and high school, she decided to write a history book for school children to make it interesting to them. The book did well and the publishers started pressing her for more books. That is how her journey began as an Author. Roshen is the author of thirteen books: the best-selling two volume Puffin History of India; The Puffin History of the World, also in two volumes; India at 70: Snapshots Since Independence; The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths; Hinduism: An Alphabetical Guide; The Vedas: An Introduction to Hinduism’s Sacred Texts; The 108 Upanishads; The Compact Timeline History of the World, and a biography, Jiddu Krishnamurti: A Life of Compassion beyond Boundaries.
Her next biography on Sri Aurobindo is to be published later this year.
She has also written fiction, a novel, “The Guru Who Came Down from the Mountain”.
Mansi Shetty threw light on the difference in marketing non-fiction and fiction books, and the various platforms involved. She gave hints to budding authors on how to market their books. She underlined the need to make local bookstores the book ambassadors. She added that non-fiction sells, as school children are motivated by their teacher’s and guardians to do so.
The session ended with audience interaction.
