Writers from India, Pakistan to wow crowds at Sharjah book fair
- 24 Oct 2021
Gulf Today, Staff Reporter
The upcoming Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF 2021), unveiling on November 3 in Expo Centre Sharjah, has announced an exciting literary presence from the Indian subcontinent, comprising award-winning authors, journalists and social media stars from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. 14 celebrity authors from these three nations will be among global personalities who will lead a range of literary debates and discussions during the 11-day book fair organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA).
Joining SIBF 2021 from India is popular essayist and award-winning author of several contemporary classics including Sea of Poppies and The Calcutta Chromosome, Amitav Ghosh.
Other Indian writers include Ravinder Singh, publisher, content creator and author of several bestselling works that have sold more than 3.5 million copies; Santhosh George Kulangara, publisher, entrepreneur and award-winning author in Malayalam; Pranay Lal, author of the award-winning Indica: A Deep Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent and environmentalist; award-winning screenplay writer and novelist P F Mathews; Manoj Kuroor, award-winning poet and lyricist; popular fiction writer and bestselling novelist Chetan Bhagat; veteran journalist and author Vir Sanghvi; Arfeen Khan, author of The Secret Millionaire Blueprint; Harsh Mariwala, author of Harsh Realities and An entrepreneur.
Representing a unique cross-cultural collaboration hatched by the internet, ‘Jordindian’ is an India-based entertainment company co-founded by YouTube stars Vineeth Kumar and Naser Al Azzeh. Their fun, family-friendly content and music will be showcased at SIBF 2021.
Along with this special ode to the largest expatriate diaspora of 3.42 million Indians in the UAE, the milestone edition of SIBF has also attracted literary talents from Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Dr Arfa Sayeda Zehra, writer, educationist, and historian from Pakistan, will enlighten the audience on the socio-cultural issues surrounding the empowerment of women. Also joining from Pakistan is Awais Khan, critically acclaimed novelist of In the Company of Strangers, and No Honour.
Sanith, a Sri Lankan expatriate, will bring the unique perspective of youth to SIBF. The 13-year-old speaker and author of the books Tolerance for Happiness, An Anthology of Expressions and Thoughts of a Ten-Year-Old, will be the youngest author to head a forum at SIBF 2021.
Themed ‘There’s always a right book,’ the forthcoming 40th annual SIBF is organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA) and will see the participation of 1,576 publishing houses from 83 countries. More than 15 million books including 110,000+ new titles which will be making their debut in SIBF will be accessible to book lovers throughout the 11-day celebration of literature, knowledge, and culture.
