Alka Pande is an art historian and curator with two post-graduation degrees one in history and the second in history of art. Followed by a PhD in Art History and a Post-Doc in Critical Art Theory, University of London. She has authored numerous books and curated many national and international exhibitions. She is Recipient of the Charles Wallace Award, Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters by French government, Australian-India Council Special Award, L’Oreal Paris Femina Women award and Amrita

traveller who has worked on several aspects of Himalayan history such as local movements, the freedom struggle and the culture of Uttarakhand, he is the founder of the People’s Association for Himalaya Area Research (PAHAR). His latest book Hari Bhari Umeed published by Vani Prakashan will be launched at Himalayan Echoes.

Priya Kapoor is Editorial Director, Roli Books where she oversees the publishing list and the day to day functioning of the company. She has commissioned and edited bestselling books such as Dongri to Dubai by Hussain Zaidi; Taj Mahal Foxtrot by Naresh Fernandes, Black Warrant by Sunil Gupta and Sunetra Choudhury and The RTI Story by Aruna Roy. She is also the co-founder of CMYK, India’s only chain of bookshops dedicated to art and illustrated books.

Kelly Dorji, the Bhutanese- born model transitioned into films in 2005 as the antagonist in Tango Charlie, with Ajay Devgn and Bobby Deol in the lead. Having acted in close to 30 films in multiple languages, Kelly moved to Bhutan a few years ago to establish his travel company, start an art gallery and co-direct the Mountain Echoes Literary Festival. The 48-year-old has now written and illustrated his first book called The Hidden Rainbow published by Penguin India.

Megha Sharma is an award-winning journalist with 13+ years in the industry. She is currently associate executive editor and prime-time anchor at NewsX, iTV Network. She has been part of the journalism industry for 13+ years and tracks the international affairs beat. Her all-encompassing role includes running the news channel, deciding the editorial line the channel toes and team-building and mentorship, among other things.

Namita Gokhale is a writer, festival director, and author of twenty works of fiction and non-fiction. Her acclaimed debut novel, Paro: Dreams of Passion, was published in 1984. Her latest book, The Blind Matriarch, examines the Indian joint family against the backdrop of the pandemic. Jaipur Journals, published in January 2020, is set in the vibrant Jaipur Literature Festival, of which Gokhale is a founder and director.

She was the Editorial Lead for BW Businessworld, where she launched the new vertical 'BW Well-being world.' She curates content, speaking opportunities, and event production on mental health and well-being. She is a 'Key Contributor' to Deepak Chopra's film "The Mindfulness Movement" (April 2020). Her mental health journey led to the launch of her platform, Pursuit of Balance with Nina Kler, creating content on all aspects of well-being, mental health, and relational dynamics.

Pushpesh Pant is a part time teacher, part time author, TV anchor and independent producer of documentaries. Obsessed by food for the last few decades, he has been trying to rediscover lost culinary gems from India’s vast and varied repertoire. Pant doesn’t believe in prohibition or prescriptions when it comes to dietary matters.

Sunita is a mythologist and a storyteller. She decodes Hindu scriptures to show their relevance in today’s times. She has authored hundreds of books for children, twenty-five books for adults and young adults on folk literature and mythology. She reinterprets the timelessness of characters from the epics and foundational texts in her stories, seamlessly blending mythology and history with real life. Her latest bestsellers are KRISHNA The Management Guru and Everyday Gita published by Rupa.

Sujeev Shakya is a Himalayan citizen who works across geographies bringing new dimensions to how human beings interact with business, development, management, and the economy. He is the founder and CEO of beed, a Nepal based global consulting firm, chairs the Nepal Economic Forum that also operates the Himalayan Circular Economy Forum. An acclaimed columnist, he is the author of Unleashing Nepal and Arthat Arthatantra. He also has a chapter in the book Himalayan Arc edited by Namita Gokhale