Here’s a brief introduction to the participants at the Fairway Galle Literary Festival 2017.

Dileepa Abeysekera 

Dileepa Abeysekera is a founding partner at Heensare (Pvt) Ltd., a leading local advertising agency. He has been an influential writer and creative director for over two decades. His Sinhala translation of Shehan Karunatilaka’s acclaimed novel Chinaman is now in publication. Much of Dileepa’s faculty with words, insights and ideas may be attributed to his bilingual education. He is an old boy of Asoka Vidyalaya and Ananda College in Colombo. He is also a graduate of Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland, where he majored in International Relations and Sociology, with a special interest in social deviance and criminology. Dileepa’s other interests include poetry, music, cinema and literature. 

Liyanage Amarakeerthi 

Shortlisted for the Fairway National Literary Award (FNLA) 2016, Sinhala Language National Literary Festival Best Novel Award (2008), Swarna Pustaka Awards (2016, 2014) 

Liyanage Amarakeerthi is a professor in the Department of Sinhala at the University of Peradeniya in Sri Lanka. He is the author of 22 books in Sinhala, including Ekamat eka Pita Rataka, along with a collection of poems and four novels. His work often portrays the rural working-class milieu in which he grew up. Among his novels, Atawaka Putthu (Half Moon Sons) won the Best Novel Award at the National Literary Festival (2008), and Ahambakaraka, and Kurulu Hadawatha won Swarna Pustaka Awards (2016, 2014). Ahambakaraka has also been shortlisted for the Fairway National Literary Awards 2016 in the Sinhala Language category. 

Anuk Arudpragasam 

Anuk Arudpragasam is from Colombo, Sri Lanka, and for the time being lives between Colombo and New York, where he is completing a dissertation in philosophy at Columbia University. He writes in English and Tamil. The Story of a Brief Marriage is his first novel. It has been published in the U.S, U.K., India and will be translated into French, German, Dutch, and Italian. 

Afdhel Aziz 

Afdhel Aziz grew up in Sri Lanka, before moving to London to get a degree in English Literature from King's College London. He now lives in Brooklyn, New York where he works as a full-time brand and marketing strategist. He is the author of China Bay Blues' a book of poetry that was short-listed for the Gratiaen Prize and won the State Literary Award for Poetry. He published his novel Strange Fruit, about love and war in Sri Lanka to critical acclaim. Passionate about social entrepreneurship, he is also the co-author of the book Good is the New Cool: How Capitalism can Save the World which is coming out in 2016 from ReganArts. 

Katherine Boo 

Winner, National Book Award in the US, 2012, Pulitzer Prize, 2000, Recipient of MacArthur ‘Genius’ Grant, 2002, National Magazine Award for Feature Writing, 2004, New York Times Bestseller 

Katherine Boo, a staff writer for The New Yorker, has spent the last 25 years reporting from within poor communities, considering how societies distribute opportunity and how individuals get out of poverty. Her book, Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity, received the 2012 National Book Award in the United States and has since been published in more than 30 languages. It was a New York Times Bestseller, an international besteller and named best book of the year by numerous publications like People, Entertainment Weekly, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal and The Boston Globe. In 2015, the book was adapted into a play by David Hare for the National Theatre U.K and was screened live in numerous movie theatres across the globe. Her other immersive and investigative projects have received a MacArthur "Genius" grant and the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. 

Malika Booker 

Malika Booker is a British writer, poet and multi-disciplinary artist of Guyanese and Grenadian parentage. Founder of Malika's Poetry Kitchen, a writer’s collective for beginning and emerging poets, her first stage work Absolution was commissioned by The Austrian Cultural Institute and Apples & Snakes and toured nationally. Breadfruit (2007) was recommended by the Poetry Society and Pepper Seed (2013) was long-listed in 2014 for the OCM Bocas Prize and also shortlisted for the Seamus Heaney Centre Prize. Awarded numerous international residencies, Malika is a Fellow of both The Complete Works and Cave Canem and was inaugural Poet in Residence at the Royal Shakespeare Company. Currently a Douglas Caster Cultural Fellow in Creative Writing at Leeds University, she is working on her next poetry collection. 

Cathy Marie Buchanan 

Cathy Marie Buchanan’s The Day the Falls Stood Still debuted on The New York Times bestseller list and was named Best Book of 2009 by Barnes & Noble. The book pulls us into the maelstrom of Niagara Falls. It is powerful and eloquent, a love story, a tribute to the river, and a recognition that no choice is ever made without consequences-- a novel to savour, as powerful as the Falls themselves. Her gripping novel, The Painted Girls is set in belle époque Paris and inspired by the real-life model for Degas's Little Dancer Aged 14 and the era's most famous criminal trials. It was #1 National Bestseller in Canada and also a New York Times bestseller, People Magazine Pick and named Best Book of 2013 by NPR, Good Housekeeping and Goodreads. 

Dawn Burnham 

Dawn Burnham completed a PhD from Manchester Metropolitan University on the behavioural ecology of bachelor male patas monkeys in Kenya. Previously she worked in Zambia on blue monkeys, contributing to a wildlife management plan for Kasanka National Park. In 2006, Dawn joined the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (Wild CRU) at the University of Oxford and is currently Unit Manager and PA to Prof. David Macdonald, the Director. Her many publications include work on Nocturnal Primates and Primate Communities and Conservation inequality. 

Catherine Bush 

Catherine Bush is the author of four novels. Her work has been critically acclaimed, published internationally and shortlisted for literary awards. Her most recent novel, Accusation, was a Canada Reads Top 40 pick and on several year-end best book lists. Minus Time, her first novel, was shortlisted for the Books in Canada First Novel Award. The Rules of Engagement was a national bestseller and chosen as a New York Times Notable Book. Claire’s Head was shortlisted for the Trillium Award and was a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year. She lives in Toronto where she teaches and is Coordinator of Canada’s premier MFA Creative Writing Programme at the University of Guelph. 

Mrs. S. F. Cader 

Mrs. S. F. Cader is a long-time resident of Galle Fort, belonging to the 4th generation of a family that has lived in the Fort for more than 150 years. She is a retired teacher by profession and has conducted the Walking Tour of Galle Fort since 2010. During her tour, she brings alive this 400-year-old world heritage site through speaking on its history, architecture and anecdotes of living in the Fort. 

Chamber Music Society of Colombo 

The Ensemble of the Chamber Music Society of Colombo (CMSC), headed by violinist Lakshman Joseph de Saram, is the region’s newest platform for exciting new interpretations of the classics, and an ardent supporter of the politically and culturally explosive music of modern Sri Lanka and South Asia. Founded in 2007, the non-profit CMSC has been hailed as one of the best run professional arts organisations in the region. Its quest is to create art through music, in a way that is relevant and challenging. 

Caroline Courtauld, MBE 

Caroline Courtauld is a writer, published photographer, and documentary film producer whose work includes the BBC documentary, The Last Governor. Her latest documentary Building China Modern was broadcast as part of the American Masters Series (PBS). Her widely acclaimed book The Forbidden City–The Great Within, was a companion book to a dramatized Discovery Channel documentary. Courtauld’s first book on Myanmar was In Search of Burma (1984). Myanmar’s new regime since November 2011 has led to several new projects by Caroline, including Myanmar: Burma in Style (2012), The Irrawaddy; Burma’s Kingly Stream (2014) as well as many publications for the Myanmar Ministry of Hotels and Tourism, most recently Myanmar: The Legacy 2011-2015. 

Channa Daswatte 

Channa Daswatte is one of Sri Lanka’s leading architects who lives and practices in Kotte. He was a friend, confidant and the principal assistant to Sri Lanka’s most prolific and influential architect, Geoffrey Bawa. He also writes frequently for international and local journals and magazines, and co-authored Sri Lanka Style - Tropical Design and Architecture with Dominic Sansoni. Over the years, Channa has written widely on the architecture of Sri Lanka. 

Dame Margaret Drabble 

Golden PEN Award, 2011 

Dame Margaret Drabble was born in Sheffield in 1939 and was educated at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is the author of eighteen novels including The Witch of Exmoor, The Radiant Way, The Peppered Moth, The Red Queen, The Sea Lady and most recently, the highly acclaimed The Pure Gold Baby. She has also written biographies, screenplays and was the editor of the Oxford Companion to English Literature. She was appointed CBE in 1980, and made DBE in the 2008 Honours list. She was also awarded the 2011 Golden PEN Award for a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature. She is married to the biographer Michael Holroyd. 

Fuchsia Dunlop 

Fuchsia Dunlop is an award-winning cook and food-writer specializing in Chinese cuisine. She trained as a chef at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine in Chengdu, and has spent two decades researching and writing about Chinese food. She is the author of five books, including the gastronomic travel memoir Shark’s Fin and Sichuan Pepper and, most recently, Land of Fish and Rice: Recipes from the Culinary Heart of China, about the regional cooking of Shanghai and Jiangnan. Fuchsia’s writing has appeared in numerous publications, including The Financial Times, The New Yorker, Lucky Peach, Gourmet and Saveur. She leads regular culinary tours of China in conjunction with the Beijing travel agency WildChina, and has cooked and lectured at events all over the world. She is currently based in London. 

Charles Uzzell-Edwards 

Somewhere between the 1535 execution of Sir Thomas More and the year 2000, Charles Uzzell Edwards became the street artist known as Pure Evil. It’s a pairing of an odd lineage that has produced fanged bunnies and Warhol-esque portraiture famous throughout the streets and galleries of the world. A child of Contemporary London and Silicon Valley era San Francisco, Pure Evil is also a child of his times. His art of primarily modern icons expresses both biographical signature and western culture critique. His pop culture symbols are spewed, and therefore viewed, along the urban and artistic landscape from Sao Paulo to Sydney. It’s the artistic and commercial success that has allowed his London gallery to host shows for more than 60 independent artists. 

Michael Fehr 

Michael Fehr was born in 1982 and grew up in Muri, near Bern. He studied at the Swiss Institute for Literature and the Bern Arts College, where he gained his Masters degree in Contemporary Arts Practice. In 2013, he published his first work of fiction called Kurz vor der Erlösung (On the Verge of Salvation), followed two years later by his second work Simeliberg. Michael is also a storyteller and supports Babelsprech and Treibhaus, two initiatives to promote young German literature. 

Ashok Ferrey 

Best-selling Sri Lankan author Ashok Ferrey read pure mathematics at Oxford University. His two novels – Serendipity and The Professional and two books of short stories - Colpetty People and The Good Little Ceylonese Girl have all been nominated for either the Gratiaen Prize or the Sri Lankan State Literary Award. He hosts the programme 'Art and Architecture with Ashok', on national television. His latest book, The Ceaseless Chatter of Demons has just been released by Penguin Random House and was nominated for this year's Gratiaen Prize. In his spare time Ashok is a personal trainer. 

Jemima Foxtrot 

Jemima Foxtrot is a poet, musician, theatre-maker and performer from Hebden Bridge, currently living in London. She performs extensively and has had work commissioned by the BBC, the Tate Britain and Latitude Festival. Jemima was shortlisted for the Arts Foundation Spoken Word Fellowship in 2015 and her debut poetry play Melody was well reviewed at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. She has performed in the Barbican Main Hall alongside Beck, Thurston Moore and some of UK’s leading poets including Simon Armitage and Don Paterson. Jemima’s first collection of poetry, All Damn Day, is published by Burning Eye Books. 

Peter Frankopan 

International Bestseller 

Dr. Peter Frankopan, a historian at Oxford University, is currently Senior Research Fellow at Worcester College and Director of the Oxford Centre for Byzantine Research. He works on the history of the Mediterranean, Russia, the Middle East, Persia, Central Asia and beyond, and on relations between Christianity and Islam. He also specializes in Medieval Greek Literature, and translated The Alexiad for Penguin Classics (2009). His book The First Crusade was published in 2012. His latest book The Silk Roads: A New History of the World’ is an international bestseller. It was named The Daily Telegraph’s History Book of the Year (2015) and topped the Sunday Times Non-Fiction charts in 2016. It was also a New York Times Bestseller and the #1 Non-Fiction Bestseller in India. 

Sunila Galappatti 

Sunila Galappatti has worked with other people to tell their stories as a dramaturg, theatre director and editor. She started her working life at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Live Theatre, Newcastle - commissioning and advising professional playwrights as well as developing and directing documentary theatre pieces with individuals from the surrounding communities. After moving to Sri Lanka, Sunila was the Director of the Galle Literary Festival for two years (2009 & 2010). She was a Fulbright Visiting Fellow at Brown University. She works as a non-fiction editor at Commonwealth Writers. She lives in Sri Lanka. A Long Watch is her first book. 

The Galle Fort Ladies 

The Crescent Ladies Welfare Association is a non-profit, service-oriented organization catering to the welfare of the under privileged. The organization was established nearly 50 years ago by a group of ladies living inside the Galle Fort. They have helped poor young women and widows to earn a living by organizing various income-earning projects, and have also helped sick and elderly women by donating and fund raising for the purchase of needed equipment. The Galle Fort Ladies have been participating in the Galle Literary Festival since its inception and continue to offer support and participation. 

John Gimlette 

Winner of Dolman Travel Book Prize, 2012, The New York Times nominee for ‘Books of the Year’, 2005/2004 

John Gimlette crossed the Soviet Union by train at 17, and has travelled to over 60 countries since. His debut book was At the Tomb of the Inflatable Pig; Travels in Paraguay (2005), published in New York, London and Milan, was followed by Theatre of Fish (2005)—both making it to The New York Times ‘100 Most Notable Books of the Year’—and Panther Soup (2008). Journeying around the Guianas resulted in Wild Coast: Travels on South America’s Untamed Edge, which won the Dolman Travel Book Prize 2012. His latest, Elephant Complex: Travels in Sri Lanka is a portrait of the country at the war’s end. John is a regular contributor of travel features to the Telegraph, Times, Guardian, Condé Nast Traveller and Wanderlust. He lives with his family in England and continues to practice as a barrister. 

Philippa Gregory 

International No. 1 Bestseller, #1 New York Times Bestselling author Sunday Times Bestselling author 

Philippa Gregory was an established historian and writer when she discovered her interest in the Tudor period and wrote the novel The Other Boleyn Girl (2001), which in 2002 won the Romantic Novel of the Year Award from the Romantic Novelists' Association. It was adapted into a TV drama and a major film starring Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson. It subsequently spawned sequel novels: The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, The Constant Princess, The Boleyn Inheritance, and The Other Queen. Her bestseller novels also includes The White Queen and her The Taming of the Queen both The Sunday Times #1 Bestseller. Her most recent novel is Three Sisters, Three Queens (2016), also an international bestseller. Her love for history and commitment to historical accuracy are the hallmarks of her writing. She also reviews for The Washington Post, the LA Times, and for UK newspapers, and is a regular broadcaster on television and radio. 

Sophie Hannah 

International Bestseller 

Sophie Hannah is an internationally-known bestselling writer of psychological crime fiction, published in 32 languages and 51 territories. In 2014, with the blessing of Agatha Christie’s family and estate, Sophie published a new Hercule Poirot novel, The Monogram Murders, reached the top five position in the book charts in more than fifteen countries. In 2013, her novel The Carrier, won Crime Thriller of the Year Award at the Specsavers National Book Awards. Her crime novels, The Point of Rescue and The Other Half Lives, have been adapted for television (the Case Sensitive series on ITV1 in 2011 and 2012) Her second Poirot novel, Closed Casket was published in 2016. She has also published two short story collections and five collections of poetry – including Pessimism for Beginners, which was shortlisted for the 2007 T.S. Eliot Award. She is a Fellow Commoner at Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge. 

Lesley Hazleton 

The Stranger Genius in Literature Award, 2011 

Writer, psychologist and TED speaker Lesley Hazleton explores the intersection of politics and religion. She has traced the roots of conflict in several award-winning books and blogs at AccidentalTheologist.com In The First Muslim, she brought the figure of Prophet Muhammad to life. She also looked at the epic Shia-Sunni split in her previous book, After the Prophet. Her earlier work includes compelling flesh-and-blood biographies - Mary: A Flesh-and-Blood Biography of the Virgin Mother (2004) and Jezebel: The Untold Story of the Bible's Harlot Queen (2007). Her latest, Agnostic: A Spirited Manifesto, celebrates the agnostic stance as "rising above the flat two-dimensional line of belief/unbelief, creating new possibilities for how we think about being in the world". She was the 2011 recipient of The Stranger’s Genius in Literature Award. 

The Music Project 

The Music Project aims to change the life trajectory of children through music. Working with 6 schools in the north and south, using music as the link language, we aspire to build orchestral communities. 

Hiphop Tamizhans 

Ilangai Thamizhan is a Tamil Rap collective from Sri Lanka, formed and mentored under the pioneer Thamizh music icon KingSouth. The rap collective features rappers from all over the island with their unique styles of flow and word play. These poets hail cities and towns such as Hatton, Kandy, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Trinco, Colombo and Ampara. Their debut single, self-titled "Ilangai Thamizhan" is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. Boasting over 16,000 views in less than a month, the crew is now working on their second, "Oru Kilo BEEF", which highlights the element of Beef in Hiphop music and showcases their strengths as MCs while challenging local and global Tamil rappers. The crew consists of CV Laksh, Sri Niro, Prem JR, Viky Ky, Young Krizh, GK, MC Ra, RZ Omar and Voran Zov. 

Kishani Jayasinghe 

Sri Lankan British soprano Kishani Jayasinghe was a member of the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme at the Royal Opera House (2006-2008). She has since sung with the Classical Opera Company (Sadler’s Wells/Buxton Festival) and at the Wexford Festival. Kishani created the role of Nafisa in Edward Rushton’s new opera Barbur in London, which premiered in Zurich, and then performed in Basil, St Gallen and London, followed by a UK tour. Debuting at the Royal Opera as Chloë, in The Queen of Spades, Kishani also sang at Buckingham Palace for Prince Charles’ 60th birthday celebrations. 

Dinah Jefferies 

A Sunday Times, UK bestseller 

Dinah Jefferies was born in Malaysia and moved to England at the age of nine. She worked in education, lived in a commune and exhibited work as an artist before deciding to follow her dream of becoming a writer. Dinah is the author of three novels: The Separation, The Tea Planter’s Wife – a Sunday Times number one bestseller - and The Silk Merchant’s Daughter, also a Sunday Times top ten bestseller. Her fourth book, Before The Rains is due out in February 2017. She lives in Gloucestershire, England, and has travelled to Sri Lanka, Vietnam and India to research her novels. She is currently planning a fifth novel, to be set in Galle. 

Kapila Kumara Kalinga 

Shortlisted for the Fairway National Literary Award (FNLA) 2016, Sinhala Language State Literary Award for Best Novel (2012), Sinhala Language Vidyodaya Award for Best Novel (2012) 

Kapila Kumara Kalinga is a dramatist, novelist, lyricist as well as a creative director. As a dramatist, he has won the state award for the best adaptation and direction for his second stage drama, Rhinoceros. He has also written and directed several other plays such as Nelum Pokuna, Bin ge, Ukdandu Ginna and Api Gewanne na. Kapila's debut novel Piyasi Kawluwa won the Vidyodaya Award for Best Novel in 2012 and was nominated for the Swarna Pusthaka Award. He has also published three other novels and three short story collections. Kapila currently works as a freelance journalist and also lectures at the Media and Management School, Colombo. His book, Sapthambaraye Diga Davasak is shortlisted for the Fairway National Literary Award (FNLA) 2016, Sinhala Language. 

Palinda Kannangara 

Palinda Kannangara belongs to the ‘Third Generation’ of Sri Lankan architects. He graduated in physics from the University of Colombo before following a part-time course in architecture offered by the Sri Lanka Institute of Architecture. He worked for various architects such as Yamanu Ganeshan, Vinod Jayasinghe and Anura Ratnavibhushana before starting his own practice in 2004. As well as building a number of inventive private houses, he has recently completed a Buddhist temple in Kolonnawa and a hotel on the Ramboda Pass. Although Kannangara did not work with Bawa, and although his buildings exhibit no superficial affinity to Bawa’s, his handling of space and the connection between inside and outside indicates his debt to the master. 

Piyal Kariyawasam 

Piyal Kariyawasam is a theatre activist, writer and lecturer on performing arts, and director of documentaries. He has won the State Drama Awards for Best Drama, Director, and Script; the State Literary Awards for Best Short Story Collection and Best Original Theatre Script; the Presidential Scholarship for Postgraduate Studies in Theatre Arts, the International Scholarship on Documentary Film Making in the U.S. and the International Scholarship for Theatre Studies in India. He has published five works of fiction, staged five theatre productions, and scripted and directed several audio-visual productions. Apart from contributing to a diverse range of publications on the arts and associated subject areas, he continues to work extensively with fiction and non-fiction writing. 

Shehan Karunatilaka 

Winner, Commonwealth Book Prize, 2012, Winner, DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, 2012, Winner, Gratiaen Prize 2008 

Shehan Karunatilaka was born in Galle and raised in Colombo. He writes advertisements, articles, stories and songs. His debut novel, Chinaman: The Legend of Pradeep Mathew was published to acclaim in India, the UK and the US, and won the Commonwealth Book Prize and the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2012. It was also awarded the 2008 Gratiaen Prize and selected as one of 2011’s top debuts by Waterstones UK. He lives in Colombo, where he is busy with a first child and a second novel. 

Brigid Keenan 

Brigid Keenan is an author and a journalist. She has worked as an editor on the legendary Nova magazine, the Observer and the Sunday Times. She has published two fashion histories, The Women We Wanted to look Like and Dior in Vogue, as well as Travels in Kashmir and Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City. She is also the author of the bestselling Diplomatic Baggage, and its sequel, Packing Up. Her most recent book, Full Marks for Trying, is a memoir of her childhood in India and her days as a young fashion editor at the dawn of the Sixties, when London was the hub of the fashion world. Keenan is currently working as the Fashion Editor of Oldie magazine. 

Sunil Khilnani 

Sunil Khilnani is author of The Idea of India and, most recently, Incarnations: A History of India in Fifty Lives (2016), which accompanies his 50-part BBC radio and podcast series. Among his other publications are: Arguing Revolution: The Intellectual Left in Postwar France (1993), several collaborative volumes, as well as essays on Gandhi, Tagore, Nehru and contemporary Indian art and photography. He is currently Avantha Professor and Director of the India Institute at King’s College, London. He has been a Fellow of Christ’s College, Cambridge, the Woodrow Wilson Centre Washington DC, the Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin and the American Academy in Berlin. He is a regular contributor of essays, articles and reviews to international media. 

Reinhard Kleist 

Reinhard Kleist has published many non-fiction graphic novels including Johnny Cash: I See a Darkness (2009), about the life of Johnny Cash that was a bestseller. In 2008, Kleist learned Spanish in order to travel to Cuba, where he drew and sketched street scenes from Havana, which he compiled in the graphic book Havanna (2009). He also wrote a graphic novel biography of Fidel Castro titled Castro. In 2011, he wrote the graphic novel The Boxer: The True Story of Holocaust Survivor Harry Haft which tells the story of Jewish Boxer Harry Haft during the Second World War. Kleist's latest book is about the Somali runner Samia Yusuf Omar and was published in 2015 under the title An Olympic Dream: The Story of Samia Yusuf Omar. It was awarded the "Annual Lynx" and the Catholic Children and Youth Book Prize in 2016. He is currently working on a biography comic about Nick Cave. 

Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala 

Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala is the first Sri Lankan, and first Sri Lankan woman, to summit Mount Everest (8,848m/29,030ft), a double record she achieved at 5:03am on the 21st May 2016. She is a mountaineering professional and women’s rights advocate. Her passion for adventure is balanced with her passion for gender equality. Since 2003, she has been professionally involved with the sport of rock climbing as an instructor, while simultaneously working full-time as a women’s rights advocate. Jayanthi holds a Master’s Degree in Gender Studies from the University of Sussex, UK. 

Nayanjot Lahiri 

Winner, John F. Richards Prize of the American Historical Association, 2016, Winner of Infosys Prize, 2013 

Nayanjot Lahiri is Professor of History at Ashoka University. Previously, she was Professor in the Department of History, University of Delhi. Her research interests include Ancient India, Indian archaeology, and heritage studies. She is author of many books including Pre-Ahom Assam (1991), The Archaeology of Indian Trade Routes (upto c. 200 BC) (1992), Finding Forgotten Cities- How the Indus ivilization was Discovered (2005) and, Marshalling the Past: Ancient India and its Modern Histories (2012) She is presently working on a history of Indian archaeology since Independence. Nayanjot Lahiri won the Infosys Prize 2013 in Humanities - Archaeology. Her latest book Ashoka in Ancient India (2015) won the American Historical Association’s John F. Richards Prize in 2016. 

Christina Lamb, OBE 

Five times Foreign Correspondent of the Year by British Press Awards, Winner of the Prix Bayeux 

Christina Lamb is a leading foreign correspondent and bestselling author. She has five times being named Foreign Correspondent of the Year and won Europe’s top war reporting prize, the Prix Bayeux. She was made an OBE in 2013. She won Amnesty International’s Newspaper Journalist of the Year award for reporting from inside Libyan detention centres. Currently a roving Foreign Correspondent for the Sunday Times, her postings have included South Africa, Pakistan, Brazil and Washington and she has recently reported on the refugee crisis across Europe, and Boko Haram camps for women in Nigeria. She has written eight books including the bestselling The Africa House and I Am Malala. Her latest books are Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous World, and Nujeen; One Girl’s Incredible Journey from War-torn Syria in a Wheelchair. 

Jason Licker 

Winner of Iron Chef Thailand Pastry Edition, Jason Licker, is pushing pastry in Asia to another level. Jason utilizes the sweet, salty, sour, bitter and acidic, while also combining textural contrasts and temperature difference to create his own style of Asian inspired, palate-challenging pastry. Jason’s passion for pastry, life and travel has taken him across the globe in search of true culinary experiences. Jason has held Executive Pastry Chef positions at the Peninsula New York, The Westin Bund in Shanghai, The Venetian Macau Hotel and Resort, The JW Marriott Hong Kong and he was formerly the Corporate Pastry Chef for Cé La Vi Restaurants Worldwide. With over twenty years cooking including eleven years in Asia, Jason is releasing his first cookbook, Lickerland, Asian Accented Desserts by Jason Licker. 

Prof. David Macdonald CBE DSc FRSE 

BAFTA for best documentary film (1976) 

David Macdonald founded Oxford University’s WildCru (Wildlife Conservation Research Unit) in 1986, the first European university-based conservation unit. It remains the largest and best known such unit--a world-class academic centre addressing the greatest threats to wildlife. His high profile documentaries such as Night of the Fox won the BAFTA for best documentary film (1976), and his Meerkats United was awarded top prize at the Wildscreen Film Festival and was voted best wildlife film of all time by BBC viewers. It was watched by 500 million people. WildCru works in Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Nepal, Bhutan among other countries. In 2016, WildCru engaged in a collaboration in Sri Lanka, working with local research scientists Anjali Watson and Andrew Kittle on their long running Leopard Project. 

Neel Madhav 

Neel Madhav is a new-age illusionist who combines magic with mentalism, neurolinguistic programming and criminology. Through his art, Neel aims to bring joy to those who watch him perform. He conducts corporate shows and has been part of TEDx talks, discussing being a young entertainer and a magician in India. Stemming from his passion to travel and challenge the stereotypes attached to the magical arts in the country, he has created the hugely popular travel-cum-street-magic show on NDTV Good Times, You Got Magic with Neel Madhav. The show is now entering its third season. His book, You Got Magic (2016, September) attempts to encapsulate his journey. 

Krishan Maheson 

Krishan Maheson has been in urban music since 1998. Later forming the ill noiZe crew with Iraj, he embarked on a solo career in 2004. The founder of Tamil rap music in Sri Lanka, he has been featured on Bombay Bronx and Radio Express (USA). Received the AVIMA 2010 best hiphop act (Malaysia) and also the best rap act at Derana Music Video awards (DMVA) 2011, he won the Best Tamil Music video at DMVA (2013). His debut album "Asian Avenue" was the first Thamizh Hiphop album to be released in the region. Making his first Kollywood movie soundtrack with the single "Makayaala" from the Naan movie, he later featured in movie singles as a playback artist. His latest collaborations are with top South Indian artists Haricharan and Gana Bala. His digital distribution label KingSouth Records promotes Sri Lankan Thamizh music and facilitates content production for upcoming artists. 

Dom Mee 

Dom left home at 17 to join the Royal Marines and, one year later, headed across the Atlantic on a warship bound for the Caribbean. This was the start of a love affair with the ocean. His 2001 bid to row across the North Pacific is now a documentary for the BBC Extreme Lives series and his Arctic expeditions is a documentary for National Geographic Channel. Kiting the Hurricane - a book on this voyage is his first. Dom has a family business in the tourist sector in Sri Lanka and is an adviser on maritime and regional security. He is writing two further books on his adventures. 

Nayomi Munaweera 

Winner of Commonwealth Regional Prize, 2013, Short-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, 2012 

Nayomi Munaweera is a Sri Lankan-American novelist. Her debut novel, Island of a Thousand Mirrors was long-listed for the Man Asia Literary Prize and the Dublin IMPAC Prize. It was short-listed for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature and the Northern California Book Prize. It won the Commonwealth Regional Prize for Asia. The New York Times book review called the novel, “incandescent.” The book was the Target Book Club selection for January 2016. Nayomi’s second novel, What Lies Between Us was hailed as one of the most exciting literary releases of 2016 from venues ranging from Buzzfeed to Elle magazine. Her non-fiction and short fiction are also widely published. 

Jennifer Murray 

Recipient of Britannia Trophy and International Harmon Trophy for Aviatrices, holder of several World Guinness Book Records for Aviation 

Jennifer Murray was born in Providence, Rhode Island, USA in 1940. She has travelled extensively, run the London Marathon, trekked in Nepal and Bhutan, competed twice in Hong Kong’s 100-kilometre MacLehose Trail hiking race and exhibited water colour paintings in Hong Kong and Switzerland. A world-class achiever, she was the first woman to pilot a helicopter around the world. But it wasn’t until age 54 that Jennifer entered the world of helicopters. Already a marathon runner, successful businesswoman, mother and grandmother, being a pilot, added a whole new dimension to her life. Her book, Now Solo (2002), tells the epic journey of her eighteen months of intensive preparation for her flight. 

Anita Nair 

Winner of National Film Award, 2012, Central Sahitya Akademi Award for Children’s Literature, 2013 

Anita Nair is the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of numerous books inlcudingThe Better Man, Ladies Coupe, Idris: Keeper of the Light and Alphabet Soup For Lovers. Her new novel, Chain of Custody has just been published. She has also published a collection of poems titled Malabar Mind and a collection of essays titled Goodnight & God Bless and has written two plays and the screenplay for the adaptation of her novel, Lessons in Forgetting, which won the National Film Award for 2012. She was awarded the Central Sahitya Akademi award for her contribution to Children's Literature in 2013. Her books have been translated into 30 languages. 

Ramsay Nashef 

A singer living in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, Ramsay started playing guitar about fifteen years ago when his dad taught him the twelve-bar blues. Six years ago, he turned his hands to the music of Joanna Newsom, an American harpist, whose instrument has many more strings than a guitar, and whose songs have complicated rhythms and rich melodies. Taking on the great challenge of reproducing these on guitar, he developed and mastered new techniques involving all ten fingers and even one toe which, combined with his joyful singing, brings to life Newsom’s melodies. He has also worked with children. 

Open Brain 

Originally conceived as an open mic that would reach beyond the standards of music, poetry, dance, and stand up comedy, Open Brain now features all forms of art. This includes arts typically reserved for galleries, including illustration, painting, photography, and film—as well as less conventional forms like storytelling, hardware hacks, software development, cooking, massage therapy, rocket designs, and conversations around everything from artificial intelligence and genetics to the role of art in society. Open Brain in Sri Lanka was initiated by Ohan Hominis and Michael Ketigian who are currently living in Colombo having travelled from New York. 

Out of Time 

Out of Time is a rock/blues band with a difference. The band plays loosely arranged covers of classic tunes by Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, U2, Eric Clapton and other classic rock acts, using a blues- drenched improvisational style. At the core of their work are original songs and music written by their lead singer Wade Campbell, based on his life and work on the road in countries such as Japan, Nepal and now Sri Lanka. Wade’s music has been rearranged and beefed up to suit Out of Time’s 4-piece electric format and is guaranteed to get you thinking- and dancing! The other band members are Kumar Mirchandani on lead guitar and vocals, Arosha Hettiaracchi on bass guitar and Charith Fernando on drums. 

Anantha Padmanabhan 

Anantha Padmanabhan is a dog lover, photographer, novelist, bibliophile, bookseller and CEO at HarperCollins Publishers India. His first work of fiction, Play with Me, was published by Penguin in 2014. 

Johann Peries 

An artist inspired by nature, Johann is a hair-designer by profession and adventurer by choice. He is the only Sri Lankan male to reach an altitude of 8,400m/27,559ft on Mount Everest, which he achieved on the 21st May 2016. His passion for the great outdoors and his creative soul have struck a perfect balance, which is evident in his work, life and interests. Johann began his hair-designing career 25 years ago. Opting for originality over the formulaic, he soon became popular as one of the best hair-designers in the country. 

Power of Play 

Established in 2011, Power of Play (PoP) is a company that utilizes performing arts for communication, with a special focus on theatre and puppetry. Going back to the basic belief that the human is the key component of progressive change, PoP capitalizes on both traditional and contemporary performance techniques that sharpen soft skills and empower individuals to become dynamic change agents in their communities. PoP marries traditional art with contemporary needs to achieve a unique cult ural identity for performances to promote social values critical for intelligent citizenship. Children and young adults are one of the main target audiences of PoP to promote positive behavioural changes focusing on empathy and understanding of the ‘other’. Engaging in customized solutions for both internal and external communication requirements, PoP has devised novel performances to promote education, reconciliation, development and international understanding for the corporate, governmental and non-governmental sectors of Sri Lanka. 

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