Landour-based Surbhi Agarwal is an Independent Art and History Researcher, Curator, Designer, Collector, Antiquarian, Social Entrepreneur, Social Activist, and Environmental enthusiast. She runs the Mussoorie Heritage Centre, VR Landour Art Space, Landour Lecture Series and is the Co-convenor of INTACH Mussoorie Chapter.

@mussoorieheritagecentre.

Narayani Basu is the bestselling author of V.P. Menon: The Unsung Architect of Modern India (Simon & Schuster India, 2020), Allegiance: Azaadi & the End of Empire (Fifty Two Publications, 2022) and A Man for All Seasons: The Life of K.M. Panikkar (Context, 2025). A historian and foreign policy analyst, her current area of interest focuses on highlighting the less-known but key players behind the story of Indian independence. She lives in New Delhi.

@narayanibasu

A.M Gautam is a columnist and the author of Indian Millennials: Who Are They, Really? (August 2025, Aleph Book Company). His fiction has appeared in prestigious anthologies like A Case of Indian Marvels, The Greatest Indian Stories Ever Told, and 100 Indian Stories: A Feast of Remarkable Short Fiction from the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries. His literary interests lie primarily in speculative fiction, cultural commentary, and personal essays.

@ia.mgautam

Siddhartha Kapila is a lawyer turned writer. He has written for The Wire, Livemint, Hindustan Times and The Indian Express, among other publications, with a primary focus on the Hindu faith and culture. He holds a Legal Practice Course (LPC) postgraduate diploma from The University of Law, London, a BA in Law from Cardiff University, UK and a BA (Hons) in Economics from Delhi University. He was born and raised in Delhi. Tripping Down the Ganga is his first book.

@kapila-siddharth.

Karan Madhok is a writer, journalist, and editor of The Chakkar. He is the author of Ananda: An Exploration of Cannabis In India (2024) and A Beautiful Decay (2022), both published by the Aleph Book Company. His work has appeared in Epiphany, Sycamore Review, Gargoyle, Fifty Two, Scroll, The Plank, The Caravan, the anthology A Case of Indian Marvels (Aleph Book Company) and The Yearbook of Indian Poetry in English 2022 (Hawakal).

@karanmadhok

Shikha Saklani Malaviya is a poet, writer, and publisher. Her latest book, Anandibai Joshee: A Life in Poems (HarperCollins India, 2023), reimagines the groundbreaking journey of India's first female physician and the first Indian woman to study medicine in the US in the 19th century. Her earlier collection, Geography of Tongues, explores themes of identity and belonging. Malaviya's poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart prize as well as featured in Prairie Schooner, PLUME, Catamaran, and other distinguished journals. She was chosen as Poet Laureate of San Ramon, California (2016) and has been a TEDx speaker. As co-founder of The (Great) Indian Poetry Collective, a mentorship-model literary press, and a current Mosaic America Fellow, Shikha works to amplify diverse voices in contemporary poetry. She splits her time between the San Francisco Bay Area and India.

@shikhamalaviya

Amit Ranjan has authored three books, John Lang: Wanderer of Hindoostan, Slanderer in Hindoostani, Lawyer for the Ranee (Non-fiction, 2021), The Knot of Juggernaut (Poetry, 2022), and Find Me Leonard Cohen, I’m Almost Thirty (Poetry, 2018); and has been published in various international journals. Ranjan’s doctoral thesis from JNU, Delhi, on John Lang is pathbreaking in terms of unearthing the life and times of a maverick Australian character who lived in India in the mid 19th century. His upcoming books in 2025 are a biography of the 17th century Sufi prince Dara Shikoh; a poetry collection Monolithic Muse; and a book on the journey of the indentured people of Indian origin in Guyana who further migrated to USA and Canada.

@amit_khusrau_ranjan

Anil Raturi is a retired IPS officer, administrator, author, poet, thinker, and columnist. He has served as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Uttarakhand, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) of Kumaon, and more. Presently he serves as the Chief Commissioner (in charge) of the Right to Service Commission, Uttarakhand. His books include Bhanwar, Ek Prem Kahani and Khaki Mein Stihitpragya.

@anil_k_raturi

@instasantram

Desna Sharma, originally from Delhi, now lives in the serene Banglow Ki Kandi village, just 30 minutes from Mussoorie on the way to Kempty Falls. Over the years, Desna has dabbled in a wide range of art forms, from crafting and selling custom kaleidoscopes, trinkets, and intricate drawings to creating epoxy-preserved treasures collected from the hills of Mussoorie, along with woodworks and explorations in architecture. Deeply inspired by the landscapes around her, the mountains, awesome skies, trees, streams, and waterfalls, her art captures the essence of her surroundings. She enjoys building an elaborate Ravan statue every year, utilising discarded packaging and construction scraps, and runs regular trash cleanup campaigns in her area to foster ecologically conscious tourism.

@desna.sharma

Sanyukta Sharma has been gathering and creating stories since her childhood. She completed BA in English Hons. from LSR, Delhi University, and diploma in Film Direction from FTII, Pune. Sharma lives near Mussoorie and has been making films from this region. She has worked with wild flowers, foliage, and clay in different art projects.

@frozengreenwater

@sterresharma

Shubhdarshini Singh grew up in Kolkata and graduated from Vishwabharati, Shantiniketan. She did Mass Communication from Chandigarh, following which she worked as a copywriter in Ad agencies and as a Print Journalist for a few years. She switched to TV Production as coordinator, and then as Producer, Director, Script Director for various programmes across several genres. She is famed for her TV series ‘Ek tha Rusty’ based on the life of the famous author Ruskin Bond. A self taught painter, Singh had her first solo exhibition on ‘Medical Art’ in 2009 at Za Za Art Gallery, New Delhi. Following which she had several art exhibitions in New Delhi and Bharat Bhawan. For many years, she has made Mussoorie her permanent home.

@shubhadsrshini

Capt Kunal Narayan Uniyal is an acclaimed author, master mariner, and maritime entrepreneur from Dehradun whose journey blends seafaring grit, spiritual depth, and poetic brilliance. After spending over two decades at sea and earning his Master’s degree in Maritime Policy from Cardiff University, UK, he transitioned ashore to pursue his passion for literature and innovation. With 19 published books in 7 languages, Kunal’s literary works span poetry, prose, and spiritual fiction.

@kunalnarayanuniyal