Mona Sen Gupta and Sushroota Sarkar, co-founders of Ahava Communications, talk about their journey in promoting the literary works of renowned as well as emerging authors in a heart-to-heart conversation with Lopamudra Banerjee.
Mona and Sushroota with Beena Kamlani, the author of The English Problem
While working on my series of interviews with trailblazers and changemakers of society, it has been my earnest desire to feature the extraordinary journeys of not only acclaimed authors, poets, translators, creative artists and trailblazers, but also curators and collaborators who create a bridge between the authors and their audience. With this overarching ethos, I contacted Mona Sen Gupta and Sushroota Sarkar, co-founders of Ahava Communications, Kolkata for a heart-to-heart conversation on their phenomenal journey. It is my great pleasure and honor to witness the decade-long journey of Ahava Communications, an organization through which both of them strive to promote and endorse the literary works of renowned and also emerging authors, storytellers, avant garde litterateurs, intellectual thinkers and also social activists.
I’ve had the pleasure to launch three of my own books/anthologies in the city of Kolkata: Defiant Dreams (in collaboration with Rhiti Chatterjee Bose and Readomania, 2015), Thwarted Escape (my solo memoir/narrative nonfiction, Authorspress, 2016) and Darkness There But Something More (an anthology of ghost stories edited by Santosh Bakaya and yours truly, Blue Pencil, 2017) with AHAVA, during my nascent days as a published author.
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Lopa Banerjee: Welcome onboard, dear Mona and Sushroota! While traversing my way through the world of literature and arts, I have also seen you and Ahava evolve and go from strength to strength in the years that followed, and am curious to know what propelled you in this journey! Can you tell us briefly about how Ahava was formed in Kolkata, and what is the philosophy and ethos that the organization stands for?
Mona Sengupta/Sushroota Sarkar: On April 13th 2026, we will complete 14 years. Ahava Communications was formed in 2012, and initially, we thought of curating events around literature, arts, cinema, theatre, and working with schools. As the years rolled by, we are now established as a partnership firm that works in the literary sector, bringing authors and readers on a common platform through online and offline events, and we also do selective work in schools.
Our goal is primarily to increase good writing and readership in a world driven by technology and AI.
Lopa: Mona, I already know you had a considerable educational accomplishment in the UK, with a Master’s Degree in Mass Communications Research at Leicester University, UK (1990-91), a Second Master’s degree in European Union Integration /International Relations) at the University of Birmingham, UK (1997). You have also worked at the Singapore Press Holdings, Singapore, in between. But upon returning to India, did you encounter anything in the Indian scenario of books and publishing, journalism and communications, or the culture surrounding it which was starkly different from the UK and Singapore?
Mona: I was a journalist for 11 years, and after I returned from Singapore in 2000, I joined as Marketing Head of Oxford Bookstores nationally (between 2001 and 2006). This is the time when my chair gave me the opportunity to work very closely with the best publishers and internationally acclaimed authors backed by the reputed brand- Oxford Bookstores in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Goa. With a lot of courage and a formidable team, we reached out to emerging authors.
Rupa Bajwa’s The Saree Shop was one of the first such novels that we launched in Kolkata. During my tenure at Oxford Bookstore, readership was popular across the spectrum, irrespective of age, income and profession. This was a huge incentive to accentuate events and promotions around not only celebrated authors and award-winning books, but writers who were young with a strong pen and tremendous potential.
Book launch of Farewell Karachi: A Partition Memoir with Bhawana Somaaya, Aparna Sen, Sudeshna Roy and others
Lopa: From working at prestigious newspaper publications, The Statesman and The Telegraph, and the renowned Apeejay Oxford Bookstores where you headed Marketing and Public Relations to forming Ahava Communications, you have come a long way in your career in the media. However, you also had a paradigm shift from journalism and communication to book marketing and event curation. What gave you the impetus to work independently to form an enterprise, and also, what are some lessons you have derived along the way, that you would like to share?
Mona: Personal circumstances, coupled with my impulsive nature, helped me to shift from being an employee to being an entrepreneur. The shift was comparatively easy because it was books all the way since Oxford Bookstore days. However, the past 14 years have been rocky, uncertain, difficult, challenging and it is only now that Sushroota and I can see a bit of sunlight; but we still have a very long way to go!!
The lesson that I have learned as an entrepreneur, if I may call myself so, is that consistency, trust, performance, dependability, excellence and professionalism are the keys to sustainability and growth. Moreover, you have to be constantly on the learning curve, be evolved and also aware of all the accomplishments and limitations of the book industry. This is difficult, probably insurmountable, but you can never ever sit back or give up!
Book launch of When Wish is a Wildflower with author Gargi Guha and other literary personalities
Lopa: From 2012, the formation of Ahava till today, when you have hosted or curated so many book launches, literary festivals, educational and interactive sessions and more, how has the arts and literary scene evolved in front of your eyes? Has it been more rewarding or challenging as a career today, when the publishing world has also witnessed myriad changes in book marketing, promotion, and distribution?
Mona/Sushroota: We have always been extremely optimistic and positive about books and readership. No matter what the world thinks, when you attend some of the prestigious literary festivals, the crowd we get to see is overwhelming, and a lot of attendees are young. Often there are very, very long queues to get copies of books signed by eminent authors. This might sound absurd, but going by our experience, more and more people are reading across all age groups.
Lopa: Among almost 100 in-person book launches and literary fests that you have curated and hosted and also participated in these 14 years, do you remember the most memorable ones? Would you like to share any special memory/anecdote from any of those events that have lingered in your mind in some way?
Mona/Sushroota: This is a very difficult question to do justice to, but Dr Saikat Majumdar’s book titled Firebird was very special to us. Not only is it a brilliantly penned contemporary masterpiece, but I could relate to this semi-autobiographical work all the more because Saikat has been a dear friend since 1996 and I knew his mother, the eminent theatre personality Arpita Rudra very well, though we never met.
For us, each launch is special, memorable, and very joyful when we are entrusted with this huge responsibility either by the publisher or the author.
Lopa: Under the banner of Ahava Communications, Ahava Readers’ and Writers’ Club was founded by the renowned feminist author of Bengal Nabaneeta Dev Sen and yourself, where writers, book lovers and readers come together and collaborate, exchange thoughts, showcasing their works. What was your inspiration behind this initiative? Does it complement the work that Ahava is already doing for established and also emerging authors?
Mona/Sushroota: Ahava Readers’ and Writers’ Club was formed in 2014 and was inaugurated by luminaries in the literary and cultural arena, including Nabaneeta Di, Saikat Majumdar, Barun Chanda, Anjum Katyal, Pranati Tagore and other luminaries. The idea was to have intimate club member meetings who would be able to hear and interact with writers, journalists, screenplay writers, poets, singers, songwriters, script writers and anybody associated with the written word in the creative sphere. However, owing to increasing pressure of our mainstream work, the Ahava Readers’ and Writers’ Club is now an online entity where writers, publishers and readers exchange their thoughts, their work and developments in the literary world. We also have a Facebook page, which currently has 3300 members.
Lopa: Do you think physical literary events, which have a rich, illustrious tradition in the renowned bookstores, and the online book events, more centered on convenience and also with greater global reach, complement each other? Do you believe online initiatives like ‘Ahava Readers’ and Writers’ Club will reach greater heights in promoting quality works of literature by leveraging technology and intellectual exchanges?
Mona/Sushroota: Yes, offline and online initiatives do complement each other. We also believe that online initiatives will definitely be more functional and convenient and online sales will definitely go up eventually, However, from a more conservative point of view, online initiatives can never overshadow or overtake the joy and the thrill of a physical event or festival.
The excitement of physically seeing and hearing an author or getting his or her book signed can hardly replace the arrival of an Amazon book delivery, apart from authors who are no longer alive.
With Manish Gaekwad, author of Nautch Boy: A Memoir of My Life in the Kothas
Lopa: At Ahava Communication, you curate events where pre-teens and teenagers actively engage themselves in writing workshops, photography workshops and also heritage walks across the city of Kolkata. How do you think literature and arts still shape the consciousness of young minds in these times when digital technologies, internet and the new age media cumulatively affect them in an adverse way, and attention spans on an average keep decreasing exponentially?
Mona: I had a great opportunity to do workshops under the banner of ‘Books and Beyond’ for a couple of years for children between classes V and VIII. The whole agenda was to inculcate the habit of reading in these formative years of children in an unconventional way, outside the constraints of a classroom. Being a traditionalist, I believe AI, Internet, Google, Grok, Gemini or any other technology can never transport the child to an imaginary world where there are no boundaries or rule. Furthermore, reading enables you to think, to be independent, to develop a point of view, to be critical and individualistic.
Reading is the best way to nurture one’s mind and build the power of expression and conviction.
Lopa: Over the past few years, you and Ahava have been part of the prestigious Apeejay Literary Festival, The Kolkata Literature Festival hosted by the Publishers and Booksellers Guild, University of East Anglia Creative Writing Workshop spearheaded by internationally renowned author Professor Amit Chaudhuri and so on, and have also worked with quite some stalwarts and renowned celebrities in the literary, cultural and academic arenas. What are some of the most cherished memories among all these events?
Mona/Sushroota: The greatest joy being associated with a literary festival is when the directors select an author or authors you have launched and they in turn, are applauded by the much larger audience. The University of East Anglia (UEA) workshop spearheaded by the renowned Prof Amit Chaudhuri gave us a rare opportunity to meet illustrious co-tutors such as the late Patrick French, Ramesh Gunesakera, Adam Foulds, Dr Kirstey Gunn, Jeet Thayil and several other literary luminaries. But the thrill was to meet the very clever participants across the world, many of whom have eventually become established writers.
Lopa: Ahava has also been part of other creative and corporate enterprises like the World Music Day, Sitara Women Empowerment Festival, collaboration with Indian Chamber of Commerce, collaboration with international organizations including Singapore Arts Council, and more. How have these diverse collaborations enriched the horizon for AHAVA?
Mona/Sushroota: Definitely, the corporate and creative events that you have mentioned outside the literary arena have definitely given us the confidence and impetus to do our job better with authors. In a way, they have also enabled us to lessen a lot of loopholes that can make or break an event.
Lopa: The city of Kolkata, the epicenter of art, culture, poetry, the arts and creativity has come a long way over the decades and you have witnessed so many upheavals taking place in the city that shook it to the core, yet the unrelenting spirit of Kolkata prevails, and as collaborators, you strive to make a difference every day. What is your message to the people of Kolkata regarding this?
Mona/Sushroota: We are too small and insignificant to give a message to residence of Kolkata, but our tiny experience has taught us that despite industrial decadence, Kolkata remains the epicenter of literature, art, culture and performing arts, and despite cultural, political and religious diversity or differences, we should unite across age groups to preserve, cherish, uphold, protect and celebrate this great gift of heritage that our city is blessed with.
Thank you, Lopa, for the brilliant questions; it was a learning exercise for both of us!
Lopamudra Banerjee is an acclaimed author, poet, translator, editor with nine solo books and six anthologies in fiction, nonfiction and poetry. She has received the Journey Awards (First Place category winner) for her memoir Thwarted Escape: An Immigrant’s Wayward Journey, the International Reuel Prize for Translation (2016) and also International Reuel Prize for Poetry (2017) and other honors. Her poetry has been published in renowned platforms including Life in Quarantine, the Digital Humanities Archive of Stanford University. Her collaborative poetry collection with Priscilla Rice titled We Are What We Are (Black Eagle Books, 2022) has been 1st Prize Winner at New York Book Festival 2024 and her translation of a famous Bengali historical/biographical novel titled The Bard and His Sister-in-Law (Black Eagle Books, 2023) has received Honorary Mention at Paris Book Festival and Hollywood Book Festival 2024. Recently, her debut Bengali collection of poetry Draupadi Theke Nijoswi—Amra has been launched in Kolkata and also in the Dallas Public Library, Texas, with a performance of a psychological drama ‘Mukhomukhi’, in which she has made her foray as a playwright.
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