Women - manifestations of the eternally present Shakti - have played a glorious role in shaping our civilisation over millennia. The Vedas, Upanishads and Itihasa-Puranas mention several women from Damayanti and Shakuntala to Ulupi and Gargi who are an inspiration for all times. At our Online Talk #Aryaa, authors GV Shivakumar and Manjula Tekal retell within the boundaries of our tradition the stories of these stalwart women in a creative reimagination, and hope to inspire a re-examination of the original narratives and create new cultural conversations.

About the speakers

An IT professional in the domain of Learning and Development, GV Shivakumar has a deep interest in Bharateeya Samskriti and studies Itihasa-Puranas to create frameworks for application in contemporary times. He writes on Mahabharata, Puranas, and Civilizational thought.

Manjula Tekal loves to make sense of stories separated by place, time, and context. This muse has driven her to transition into writing after working in the corporate sector for several years. She is the author of ‘Devayani’, a novel based on a story in Mahabharata, and is currently working on a novel based on a Puranic story.

GV Shivakumar is the curator of the book, Aryaa - An Anthology Of Vedic Women, while Manjula Tekal has contributed the story of Damayanti to the anthology.