Summit of Creativity: An Indian and South Asian American Literary Extravaganza in the Midwest

The invitees and attendees were as varied as the cuisine of South Asia. Rich in content, sometimes sweet, sometimes spicy. At times tackling complex recipes but always delicious. I never knew Minneapolis housed so much talent from the written world until I attended an event — Literary Showcase of South Asian Writers on January 13, 2024. Organized by the India Association of Minnesota (IAM), the event was unique in so many ways. Demographically, mid-western states have a lesser concentration of South Asians when compared to the East and the West coasts, it is changing now though. Dallas is sometimes referred to as DallasPuram, a fun nod to the many, many South Asians who settled there.

This boom in migration also means we are fortunate to see new talents and newer ideas from within the communities. The event was unique in that it gave a public space to the “marginalized voices” from within the community – those who have chosen the written words as a profession or as a hobby or simply to express themselves through creative writing. There were too many writers to name here but a few did catch my eye for their creativity, theme, and ideas. From science fiction to memories of loss, from haikai poetry to fiction writing, it was a treat to hear and talk to all the writers and poets.

It was a small sampling of the rich and diverse tapestry of literary talent within the South Asian diaspora in Minnesota. Poet, organizer, and entrepreneur Santosh Sharma kicked off the event with an original poem in Hindi and a couplet in Urdu. 

Author and Speaker Sumi Mukherjee’s first book titled “A Life Interrupted – the Story of My Battle with Bullying and Obsessive-compulsive Disorder” in July 2011 brought him instant recognition from the literary world. Born in Calgary, Canada, and raised in Minneapolis, Mukherjee has since written about the prevention of child sexual abuse and workplace bullying. “Minority Viewpoint — My Experience, As A Person of Color, with the American Justice System,” was published in Dec 2020. 

Dr. Guruprasad Kaginele came from Rochester, MN. A prominent voice in contemporary Kannada literature, he is a published author of four short-story collections, four novels, and two essay collections. His short stories have appeared in anthologies published by the Sahitya Academy, India. His  novel “Hijab” (2017) garnered both popular and critical acclaim, including Karnataka Sahitya Academy. In 2020, the English version of “Hijab”, (translated by Pavan Rao) came out, published by Simon & Schuster, India. 

Another Kannada writer is Harisha Krishnappa, who writes under his pen name Indira Atanaya. He has authored 22 novels and collections of stories on Pratilipi and Mylang platforms. Among his published works are “Bhavishya Yaana” (Notion Press), and a translated work: “A Stitch in Time & Other Stories” is available on Amazon.

Sangita Kalarickal grew up with a love for physics and a healthy dose of creative arts and is now among other things, a widely published wordsmith. Along with being a fantasy story writer, she is also a free verse and haikai poet. Sangita’s first book “Mamina” (Kavya-Adisakrit) was released in March 2023. 

Former Minnesotan and now a Southern gentleman by the name of Vijay Balan was not only in attendance but was also one of the architects of this event along with IAM. Vijay’s first book “The Swaraj Spy” I reviewed on these pages last year. Balan also moderated the panel discussion with authors speaking about their creative journeys, from ideation to publication, and read excerpts from their books. Other published authors, bloggers, and poets had an opportunity to share their works with other attendees. 

Savita Harjani, an ace legal consultant, and writer from Minneapolis, moved back to India in 2016 to take care of her ailing mother. After that journey, Harjani decided to pen her experiences as a full-time caregiver with her debut work, “Postcards from Within,” a memoir. It is a heart-rendering memoir of a daughter’s love and care for her parent but also about the experience – both external as well as internal journey that she goes through. 

Preeti Mathur’s first book “From Seven Rivers to Ten Thousand Lakes: Minnesota’s Indian American Community” is based on extensive interviews and archival research, as well as on personal experience as an involved member. 

Some doctors found time to be creative with words. While Dr. Nina Hamza’s day job allows her to be an internal medicine doctor, her other passion is writing middle-grade kids’ books. Her first book “Ahmed Aziz’s Epic Year” became Chicago Public Library Kids Best Book of the Year, a BookPage Best Book of the Year, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award. Her next book “Samira’s Worst Best Summer” comes out May 14, 2024.

Niga(a)r A(a)lam was born in Karachi, Pakistan, and spent her childhood in Turkey, Nigeria, Italy, Kenya, Indonesia, and the United States before returning to Karachi. Now back in Minnesota, “Under the Tamarind Tree” is her debut novel. Cyril Thomas’s “Life in a Faceless World” was a finalist in the Fiction: Multicultural Category of the 2019 Best Book Awards by American Book Fest. He is also the author of “Flower Princess and the Man with Magic Reed.”

S.P. Jayaraj, or Satish to his friends, is the author of the young adult fantasy novel “The Secret of the Zipacna Dragons”, which Kirkus review calls ‘An ambitious fantasy tale that builds an enticing world with simple but effective details,’ and “Legacy of the Crow”, the first of a 5-part series of fantasy novellas. Satish loves ancient mythology, and it shows in his creation of the original world of Adijari where his stories are set. Pallavi Sharma Dixit was there to talk about “Edison” her debut novel about her hometown in New Jersey. 

Venu Thayanithy writes poetry, short stories, articles, essays, and translations in Tamil and English. One of his Tamil short stories won first prize in the Aroo Science Fiction competition and was included in an anthology Aroo Arivial Sirukathaigal. “Beethoven’s Ghost ” was included in an anthology Puthiya Vaasal. His English poems have appeared in print magazines such as Moccasin and Agates. Venu is a member of the League of Minnesota Poets.

I am hopeful this event becomes a yearly thing because not doing so will be a disservice to Minnesotans, and indeed the entire U.S. diaspora. With apologies to all other writers whom I could not fit into one article. More to come on them and about them. Also, a special shoutout to IAM President Meena Bharti and the event organizer and member of the Board of Directors Shruti Joshi. As Bharti said, “We didn’t realize we were opening the floodgates of creativity and inspiration!” You started 2024 with a bang! Thank you.

(Photo by Rajesh at StudioR and Riya Bharti IAM.)

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Kuhu Singh is a writer with an interest in social justice, cultural and political matters, here in the U.S., in India, and beyond.