Women Inspiring Network presents #WinningMinds

Winning Minds is a series to document brilliant work done by supremely talented authors. Women who are bold and have broken the mould. WIN’s ode to women who have found purpose through passion. Women who yield authentic power of energy. This series is hosted by Amrita Chowdhury – Author, Entrepreneur, Innovator, Board Member.

Amrita Chowdhury is the author of two bestselling fiction books – Faking It, an art crime thriller, and Breach, a cybercrime thriller, and contributor to Chicken Soup for the IITian Soul. She followed her love for books to serve as the South Asia CEO & Publisher of global publishing firm Harlequin and build romance and women’s writing imprints for India. She frequently writes and speaks on business, technology, governance, and lifestyle issues for a variety of media channels, digital platforms, event platforms, and government think tanks.

On this event note, she said, “Blending a breadth of interest in ideas that span storytelling, liberal arts, business, technology, and more, I am looking forward to insightful discussions with fascinating women writers.”

Ms Stuti Jalan, Founder, WIN quips, “With Amrita Choudary as our win ambassador, we are looking forward to collaborating with accomplished authors from various genres under one roof. We hope to inspire women writers and women leaders who want to be a part of creating change. The series is an ongoing event and we have 20 more authors in the pipeline aligned for the year.”

GUESTS

Aastha Atray – Journalist / Author
18th August 2020
A journalist for 18 years now, has contributed to esteemed publications like Asian Age, ELLE, Tehelka, Open, DNA, HT and currently an assistant editor at Sunday Midday in Mumbai. She wrote her first book which was India’s second indigenous Mills & Boon, called His Monsoon Bride in 2011, followed by four more. She is also a singer and has released four songs so far. Adding on this, she also writes poetry/micro fiction on Instagram, which has got her a steady following. The fourth season of her love and relationship podcast, Love Aaj Kal, is live on Spotify as a Spotify Original.

As she quotes, “I am super excited at being a part of this series, especially as I love sharing this mad journey I have been on the past few years. If I can do this, anyone can, and in the times, we live, when content is king, we can all rule our little empires. I am waiting to hear everyone else’s journey as well.”

Ira Trivedi – Author / Yoga guru
1st September 2020
A bestselling and award-winning author, she has written eight books, including fiction, nonfiction and children’s books. Her book India in Love, Marriage, and Sexuality in the 21st century is a landmark book on India’s new social revolution in marriage and sexuality. In addition to her work as a writer, Ira is a Master of Yoga or Yoga Acharya. She has two yoga shows in India, including one on Doordarshan National, India’s national channel and on India Today, a leading English Channel. She is the author of the 10-minute Yoga Solution and My Book of Yoga series featuring Om the yoga dog. She is the founder of Namami Yoga, a charity that teaches yoga and life skills to underprivileged children.

In reference to the virtual event, Ms Trivedi said, “It’s an honour and a privilege to be a part of Winning Minds. I’m very excited and looking forward to the series.”

Nayanika Mahtani – Author Screenwriter
17th September 2020
An author and a screenwriter wrote her debut novel, Ambushed, an adventure set in tiger territory in the Himalayan foothills, published by Puffin in April 2015. All royalties from Ambushed go towards a school for the children of former poachers, to give them a window to alternate livelihoods. Her next book is The Gory Story of Genghis Khan a.k.a. Don’t Mess with the Mongols. Nayanika’s next story featured in an anthology: The Puffin Book of Holiday Stories – a collection of short stories by Indian authors including Ruskin Bond, Rabindranath Tagore and Sudha Murty.

Nayanika has also co-written a film script based on the extraordinary true story of the ‘Human Computer’, Shakuntala Devi, who will be played by the very talented Vidya Balan. The film has recently released on Amazon Prime.

Ms Mahtani excitedly quotes, “I love WIN’s mantra of Paying It Forward. My own journey was helped along by the unstinting support of some wonderful women, who rooted for me as I navigated uncharted waters. I think true strength lies in owning your vulnerabilities and your choices – and helping others do the same.”

Grainola – Our Gifting Partner
A mother-duo start up launched during the lockdown period.

Platform:
The series will be broadcast across all digital platforms –Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, LinkedIN and Twitter.