Author Professor Richard J. Cohen is a specialist in medieval Indian north Indian languages. He is interested in the socio-linguistic dynamics of the Sultanate Period and the fusion of regional cultures. published a comprehensive analysis of The Chandayan with the Marg Foundation (Mumbai), including annotated translation, including extensive pairing of the text with manuscript paintings. Professor Cohen teaches courses on the history of pre-modern Indian literatures, India in Global Perspective and the History of Interactions Between South Asia, Middle East, East African Coasts and East Asia.
Author Professor Mehr Afshan Farooqi grew up in Allahabad, India. A multiple gold medalist from Allahabad University, Farooqi is currently Professor of Urdu and South Asian Literature at the University of Virginia. Her research publications address complex issues of Urdu literary culture particularly in the context of modernity. She is interested in bilingualism and how it impacts creativity. Farooqi is also a well-known translator, anthologist and columnist. She is the editor of the pioneering two-volume work, The Oxford India Anthology of Modern Urdu Literature (2008). She has published the acclaimed monograph, The Postcolonial Mind, Urdu Culture, Islam and Modernity in Muhammad Hasan Askari (New York, Palgrave and New Delhi, Oxford University Press, 2013). She has published two books on the famous nineteenth century Urdu poet Ghalib Ghalib: A Wilderness at my Door Step, A Critical Biography (Penguin/Allen Lane/ January 2021, and Ghalib: Flowers in a Mirror, A Critical Commentary (Penguin/Allen Lane/January2024). Mehr expects to continue her work on Ghalib. She is currently working on a memoir, A Book of Hearts. Farooqi writes a featured column on Urdu literature past and present in the newspaper Dawn.
Moderator Dr. Uday Kamath the Chief Analytics Officer at Smarsh, drives AI innovations and analytical advancements. He has contributed to research published in journals, authored books, and holds multiple patents. With a deep passion for music, he has managed the DC music scene for two decades, hosting talented artists from India and the US. Dr. Kamath is an accomplished Urdu poet known for his Ghazals, Nazms, and Rubayiis, sung by renowned Ghazal and Classical singers. Additionally, he is an avid music researcher focusing on chhand or rhythm patterns.