Children's Fest Facilitators

Aparna Jaishankar is a storyteller, educator, and performer with a background as a corporate trainer and a deep curiosity for the arts. Drawing on her expertise in History, Languages, Ethics, and Cultural Perspectives, she creates thought-provoking modules for educators and engaging performances for audiences of all ages. Her true passion lies in exploring Indic Mythology through a contemporary lens.

Aparna’s storytelling sessions for young audiences are vibrant and immersive—often laced with puzzles, riddles, and mystery trails that invite children to become part of the narrative while sparking curiosity and wonder.

An illustrator since 1989 and author since 2006, Ashok Rajagopalan loves to tell stories and draw pictures that make people, especially little people, laugh. He loves reading, talking, laughing and walking in the rain and lives in a green, quiet part of Chennai with his noisy family.

Bhavana is a Childrens' book illustrator based in Bangalore. She holds a Master's Degree in Visual Communication from Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Bangalore. She transitioned into the world of children's illustration after working as a Big Data Engineer.

Her illustrations often have a dash of colors and warmth in them. Having grown up in a multicultural neighbourhood, her illustrations involve diverse cultures, food, festivals, inclusivity and nuanced everyday moments of joy. She loves drawing things that are whimsical in nature and those which involve animals too.

Apart from illustrating books, she works on illustrating book covers and concept illustrations.

When Bijal Vachharajani is not reading a children’s book, she’s writing or editing one. She’s the author of multiple planet-friendly, award-winning books including A Cloud Called Bhura, Savi and the Memory Keeper and When Fairyland Lost Its Magic. One of India’s first climate writers for children, she’s a commissioning editor at Pratham Books where she dreams up diverse, multilingual picture books. She's now a climate worrier.

Devashish Makhija is a poet, author, graphic artist, screenwriter and filmmaker. He has written and directed the multiple Filmfare Award-winning Joram, the National Award-winning Bhonsle and the internationally acclaimed Ajji, alongwith several multiply-awarded short films.

Makhija has had his own solo show of graphic-verse Occupying Silence, has written the bestselling children's books When Ali Became Bajrangbali, Why Paploo was perplexed, We are the dancing forest, and Go Go Flamingo!; a critically acclaimed collection of 49 short stories Forgetting, the multiple-award-winning YA novel Oonga, and the collection of poetry Bewilderness. He has been widely published by the Sahitya Akademi, Harper-Collins, Penguin, Akashic, Red River, Tulika, Scholastic, and many others.

Dhwani Ved is a visual communication designer studying at Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology. She illustrated and designed the book series The Story of India's National Symbols. Her passion lies in crafting visually rich narratives that are captivating and intentional.

Janaki Sabesh writes, performs and lives through stories. Her distinctive and authentic style of blending narration, music and movement is loved by children, youngsters, corporate professionals, teachers and everyone alike. Janaki’s engagement with children began when she produced an audio cassette “The Learning Train” (1995) simplifying the world of numbers through stories and songs.

A multi-faceted creative professional who wears many hats—and loves every bit of it! Janaki is an accomplished actor with over 30 films in Tamil and a few in Telugu and Malayalam, a voice-over and theatre artist, an experienced marketer, facilitator, and professional speaker. She’s also a happy Chief Fun Officer at her storytelling initiative 'Golpo Tales'—with 'Golpo' meaning 'story' in Bengali.

She curates and facilitates workshops on effective story-telling techniques in communication and marketing, for educators, corporates and many professional networks. She is a visiting faculty at Great Lakes Institute of Management where she teaches various aspects of storytelling as part of Corporate Learning and Development.

A simple question from a child during one of her sessions prompted Janaki to write her first picture book ‘The Jungle Storytelling Festival’ published by Tulika Books, available in 9 languages . Her second picture book is titled ‘Paati’s Rasam’, which she has co-authored with her daughter Dhwani Sabesh, is published by Karadi Tales. ‘Paati’s Rasam’ won the 2023 National Jarul Book Award, that recognises Indian picture books. Her third book is a multi-format one, titled ‘Appu the thirsty crow’ published by Crea-Play. Her recent picture book is ‘Mugi and the Rainbow’ published by DC Books.

She is currently a contributor to Tinkle magazine, where her ‘Naanu Paati’ stories are featured every quarter. She has also written short stories on request for Parent Circle magazine.

Janaki has curated multiple stories and monologues that she performs for adult audiences. Some of the notable ones are “The Other Sita”, “Agni”, “Discovering Kodhai,” “4pm coffee call” , “Nila”, to name a few. She also brings people together through intimate storytelling experiences around personal tales, food, music and nostalgia.

She believes : “A story told from the heart will always win more hearts”.

Kasturi is a quintessential classic case of a right-brainer who got lost in that grey goofy world of left-brain and who has struggled to be back into this glaring glorious creative turf.

She started her career after Engineering as a number cruncher, database administer and a digital analyst and then it took her an MBA and an innovation degree from Stanford University,San Francisco to finally drop her in user experience and interface design space which she is passionate about. Today she works as lead designer in an Argentinian firm called Globant and in parallel also runs her own branding and designing venture.

In the creative arena, she juggles her interests between poetry , theatre, designing and Tabla . She is a professional tabla player and has accompanied Trupti in Atta Galata a couple of times.

Talking about poetry, Sun-struck mornings, rainy afternoons, starry nights of poetry doesn’t strike Kasturi as a disciplined poet who writes regularly and publishes her poems frequently. It's just that the humble platforms like 'Let poetry be' and the love and motivation that she gets from fellow poets in Atta Galata, that keeps her beautiful and secret journey with words alive. Her twist in the tail poems are something to look out for.

Kavitha Mandana writes across genres - picture books, young adult fiction, historical fiction, history and middle-grade novels. Her books have been published by Penguin/Puffin, Karadi Tales, Red Turtle (Rupa), Speaking Tiger (Talking Cub), Pratham Books and others. Her most recent titles with Speaking Tiger include a series of 4 books - The Story of India's National Flag; The Story of India's National Anthem; National Emblem and other National Symbols.

Mala Kumar is a children’s book author, editor and storyteller. Her books include ‘The Missing Rocks of Hampi’ (BluOne Ink), ‘Travelling Treasures’ and ‘Up the Mountains of India’ (Hachette). With over 40 picture books to her credit, she is happiest when in the company of children, dogs, cats and plants.

Meghna Shirish a mom, artist, and professional photographer who treats color like it's her lifeline. If she had her way, she'd transform the entire city into a canvas of vibrant scribbles!

Niyatee Sharma is a children’s author based in Bengaluru. An interior architect by training; Niyatee combines her love for writing and her expertise in design to create much loved books for children.

Some of her books are featured in the Parag Honour List, Toka Box top South Asian picture book awards, Jarul book award long list and Green Lit Fest long list.

She is usually found tending to her vegetable garden, exploring the green pockets of her city or curled up with a book and her adorable cat.

Purnima Ramakrishnan writes for both grown-ups and children. Her work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Shot@Life, and the Gates Foundation’s Impatient Optimists. But what she enjoys most is writing for young readers, stories that invite laughter, spark, reflection and sometimes leave a quiet pause behind.

Purnima didn’t always write stories. She studied electronics and began her career in the automotive industry. Then one day, she started listening closely to the real stories people live every day. That listening led her to writing, and writing took her to places she had never imagined. From Brazil, as a fellow of the International Reporting Project, to the United Nations stage, where she received the Elizabeth Neuffer Prize for her reporting, her everyday stories helped bring distant lives into a shared narrative.

She is also a Heartfulness meditation trainer, and her practice continues to shape the calm, thoughtful voice of her writing. She believes that telling stories and listening to them has the power to change us, slowly at first, then all at once.

Riddhi Maniar Doda is a communications professional and children’s author. Her recent book, Manvinder's Medu Vada has been published by Duckbill Books-Penguin Random House India. Riddhi's debut picture book, The Boy Who Wore Bangles, published by Karadi Tales, was shortlisted for the National Jarul Book Award 2023-24 and Atta Galatta Bangalore Literature Festival Book Prize 2022.

Saisudha Acharya writes and teaches history, mostly because she can't resist a good story or a strange detail from the past. She's the author of History Unpacked, a series that tries to make sense of Indian history with curiosity, clarity, and the occasional laugh. She believes the past is full of things that can surprise you—and that learning doesn’t have to feel like a chore.

Sanjana Kulkarni has always believed that stories can take us anywhere, whether it’s a jungle full of talking animals or a garden of giggling roses. She is always dreaming up adventures that make kids laugh and think. Sanjana lives in Bangalore, where she spends her time exploring new ideas, reading, and of course petting as many stray dogs as possible. This is her first children’s book, and she hopes it brings as much joy to young readers as it did to her while writing it.

Shreya is the author of Muddy Feet Raya, published by Tulika Books. Her work focuses on nurturing children’s connection to nature and sparking conversations about the human relationship with the wider world, whether it’s the environment, animals, or everything unseen that shapes our lives. She believes in the power of stories to inspire empathy, curiosity, and responsibility in young readers.

Shreya is a children’s author whose work celebrates the wonder of the natural world and our place within it. Her debut book, Muddy Feet Raya with Tulika Publishers, invites young readers to explore the magic of small creatures and hidden corners of nature. Passionate about how humans interact with the world beyond us, from spider webs to forests, she weaves curiosity and care into stories she tells.

Shubhshree is an artist, tea lover, and bibliophile based in Bangalore. She thrives on nostalgia and her work is rooted in everyday magic which brings warmth in storytelling for young readers. With 10 years of experience in picture-book illustration, teaching, writing and curation, she hopes to write and create her own books someday—when she’s not procrastinating on cleaning her desk!

Sneha Joshi is a Bangalore-based multidisciplinary artist and curator whose participatory, research-led practice explores themes of social inclusion, identity, and cultural narratives. Drawing on everyday subjects and through dialogue, she creates interactive art projects, workshops, and publications that challenge socio-cultural perceptions and foster inclusive conversations. She holds a B.A. in Fine Arts from Central Saint Martins, London, and an M.A. in Curatorial Practices from Srishti Manipal Institute. Sneha has participated in international art residencies, facilitated workshops at Tate Modern, and contributed to public art initiatives with ArtInTransit and BBMP. Her work centres on creating thoughtful, inclusive spaces for exchange and engagement.

Suchi Govindarajan is a writer, poet and photographer. She’s the author of three picture-books for children. Her work has appeared in publications like The Bombay Literary Magazine and the Yearbook of Indian Poetry. After a long career as a technical writer, Suchi now enjoys leading walks and workshops that combine art, nature and writing.

Famous puppeteers and TEDx speakers Sangya Ojha and Hashim Haider are the co-founders of The Puppetarians, a unique puppet performance initiative based in Mumbai. They have performed popular puppet characters on Indian television, such as Elmo-Louie for Sesame Street India (Galli Galli Sim Sim), Mogambo-Zogambo on Dance India Dance, Devi-Sajjan on Kaun Banega Crorepati, and many more. In their almost two-decade-long puppetry journey, Sangya and Hashim have done innumerable puppet plays, puppetry workshops, created educational and entertaining digital puppet content, and trained puppeteers worldwide. They have been awarded Jagran Media's Award and the mBillionth Award for their COVID-related puppet show with UNICEF. The Puppetarians are on a mission to spread the art of Puppetry among people of all ages as they believe that Puppetry is for everyone and its impact could be life-changing.