Moderated by Vikram Doctor- featuring Nilanjana Roy, Shoba Narayan and Rushina M Ghildiyal .  

Food writing is sizzling! Across the world the interest and amount of food writing in books, newspapers, magazines, and blogs has been exploding. It is a subject with almost guaranteed reader interest - everyone eats! everyone is hungry! Everyone has opinions on where to get the best vada-pav!

Food writing spans the spectrum from serious academic research on the role of food in societies to food as a way of discovering family histories. Food writing is now less a specialised category, than a style that cuts across genres, so you have food and history, food and science, food and crime fiction, food and romance fiction, food and politics… plus, of course, there are cookbooks!

Vikram Doctor is the Editor - Special Features at the Economic Times, but the features he writes are really excuses to support the two regular columns on food that run in the paper along with other articles on food that come in ET, the Times of India and Times Crest. His main focus is on Indian food and the many meanings it has in society and culture, both in India and the Diaspora.

Actively blogging since 2002, Rushina M. Ghildyal has been a food writer for 6 years and written thousands of articles on gastronomy in reputable international publications. She continues to be a prolific blogger and is currently working on two book projects of her own. In her career she has found the perfect cover for her obsession with all things food and brazenly uses it to legitimise her foodie idiosyncrasies; such as an obsession with getting a perfect bite - every time, shamelessly discussing food with anyone, anywhere, and going to any length to get her hands on new and exotic ingredients! Rushina began as a blogger, but quickly grew into a food writer and today heads her own consultancy company (also called A Perfect Bite). Rushina also spearheads her own consultancy firm. Called ‘A Perfect Bite’, this is a fresh new company, that offers a wide range of turnkey solutions in gastronomy related consultancy to clients in the food publishing, hospitality and restaurant businesses. A strong core team of individuals, led by Rushina specialize in identifying and putting together ensemble casts of experienced, creative professionals to best serve a projects requirements on a project to project basis.

And we’re back! Apologies for the late post; here are the details for the 6 Literature workshops at Kala Ghoda this year. To register please write in with your name and contact number to kalaghoda.workshops@gmail.com with the name of the workshop in the subject line. Registration includes a Rs.500/- fully refundable deposit.   

Writing to be Published (Advanced)
6th and 7th February: 11am to 4pm both days.
Venue: Seminar room,  first floor, Elphinstone College, M. G. Road, Fort.  
Conducted by Anita Roy, Manisha Lakhe and Annie Zaidi.
This two-day workshop will be a series of presentations, intensive exercises, and discussions which will help any would-be authors avoid the pitfalls and make the most of opportunities in the contemporary publishing world. There will be a lunch break during which participants may go out for a meal at their own expense.   

An Introduction to Freelance Writing (Beginners)
6th and 7th February: 11am to 4pm both days.Venue: Kala Ghoda Association Office, 4th floor, c/o ATE enterprises, Dr. V. B. Gandhi Marg, Fort. 
Conducted by Kavitha Rao 
This 2 day workshop will introduce participants to the basics of what a freelance journalist does, and show them how to write pitches or story proposals, approach editors and write for the foreign media. Kavitha will also share tips on negotiating payment and copyright. The workshop will feature interaction with editors of different magazines and newspapers, who will share their thoughts on freelance writers. There will be a lunch break during which participants can go out for a meal at their own expense.  

Creative Writing and Reporting (Kids up-to age 15) 
6th and 7th February: 11am to 4pm both days, including an hour-long break for lunch.
Venue: BNHS Auditorium, Fort.
Conducted by Amrita Ganguly Salian of Disney Adventures Magazine
Everyone can creatively write and report! You don’t need to be gifted to be able to write well. But you can always learn how to sniff out a story, observe the world around you and process all kinds of information for creative use. Learn how at this fun, game-packed, two-day workshop. There will be a lunch break, during which participants may go out for a meal at their own expense.  

Graphic Storytelling (Advanced)
13th and 14th February: 11am to 4pm both days.
Venue: Seminar room,  first floor, Elphinstone College, M. G. Road, Fort. 
Conducted by Sarnath Banerjee, Samit Basu and Ambarish Satwik. 
Creating a Graphic novel is rarely a one-man effort. In this 2-day workshop the workshop leaders will demonstrate how in good storytelling, there is no hierarchy between writers and illustrators! How a story arc can result from  a communion- with prose writers and artists/illustrators as communicants. Participants will also observe how devices and maneuvers on  the panel can change with collaborations. There will be a lunch break during which participants may go out and have a meal at their own expense.  

Beginning Playwriting (Beginners)
13th and 14th February: 11am to 4pm both days.
Venue: Kala Ghoda Association Office, 4th floor, c/o ATE enterprises, Dr. V. B. Gandhi Marg, Fort. 
Conducted by Anuvab Pal.
Writing a play is always terrifying. Not half as terrifying as looking at a blank sheet of paper before starting it! This two-day session takes you through the nuts and bolts of writing for the stage, if not to make you write the next Hamlet, at least to think about it.  There will be a break for lunch during which participants may go out and have a meal at their own expense.  

Creating your own Tinkle Superhero! (Kids up-to age 15)
13th and 14th February: 10:30am to 3:00pm both days. 
Venue: BNHS Auditorium, Fort.
Conducted by Savio Mascarenhas and team from Amar Chitra Katha.  
Do you dream up stories and create imaginary characters? Do you wish to see yourself as a comic book artist or write stories about your own superhero? This is your chance! This 2-day Tinkle workshop will teach you to convert your story into a comic format. you will learn to develop main characters, write dialog, and illustrate your story! At the end of the workshop, you would have created your own superhero comic! 

Posts on Literature events and readings coming up shortly! We look forward to seeing all of you at the festival!