Amrita Somaiya

Festival Chair

Mrs Amrita Somaiya graduated from Mount Carmel High School and St Xavier’s Loyola Hall, Ahmedabad, she went on to graduate in Economics from Simmons College, Boston.

She is married to Mr Samir Somaiya, Chairman and Managing Director, & Chancellor, Somaiya Vidyavihar University, she feels extremely grateful to be mother to her three children who have always been her first priority.

She is passionate about providing equal opportunity for all students and has been instrumental in promoting the love of reading in children of all ages. Mrs Somaiya is the Director of Somaiya Agencies Pvt Ltd and the co-owner of Kitabkhana, a boutique bookstore in Fort, Mumbai. She is the Trustee of Somaiya Trust, Somaiya Medical Trust and Somaiya Vidyavihar. She is also on the governing council of The Somaiya School, a CBSE school based in Ghatkopar at the Somaiya Vidyavihar campus. She has led the “Help-a-child to Study Project”, which sponsors students from extremely challenged backgrounds for their higher education. Amrita loves Indian textiles, art and craft, and is actively involved in Somaiya Kalavidya, an institution based in Kutch for design education for Artisans. Her passion for textiles translates in her wearing handmade and handloom sarees on a regular basis.

She loves to cook and knit. It is her way to relax and recharge. She loves to read books on history and historical fiction. She is spiritual and prayer is part of her daily routine. A quote she has always loved from one of her favourite books is: “You're never given a dream without also being given the power to make it true.” ― Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

Usha Venkatraman

Festival Director

Usha Venkatraman is an award-winning Storyteller, TEDx Speaker, educationist, author, classical vocalist, puppeteer, and radio show host, who inspires and transforms through stories. Recently donned the role of a Social Impact Creator at the UN Women 2024, 68th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women from India.

Usha’s stories are an intersection of Indian Myths, folklore, Feminism and Music.

She loves to bring different voices together, weaving threads of untold stories of women heroes stitching together forgotten folklore, fragments of myth, songs, and music. Usha has directed and performed in storytelling ensemble shows.

Usha has been storytelling at national and international festivals, events, and conferences in India and abroad.

Usha is the founder of Mumbai Storytellers Society and festival director of Gaatha - Mumbai International Storytelling Festival.

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Hema Subramanian

Program Curator

Hema Subramanian is an educator and a professional storyteller. She is a co-founder and holds the office of Treasurer at the Mumbai Storytellers Society. She is actively involved in conducting the monthly and special events of the society. She has been telling stories for years as an educator and continues her passion for storytelling as a professional. Her stories are unique as they are interspersed with poems that she loves to pen. She also loves to connect art, music, poems, and stories. She is an expressionist.

She performed at the Kanoon International Festival 2022 and Mumbai International Storytelling Festival ( MIST) 2022. She donned her poet’s hat for Gajamukha, a story presented through a kaleidoscope of art forms. She was part of the core organizing team in the Mumbai Storyteller Society’s, Covid relief fundraiser, ‘ Igniting Hope’ Presently she is an integral part of the Festival team for Gaatha- Mumbai International Storytelling Festival 2023.

Shalini BajajSurve

Program Curator

If there was ever a job for the torchbearer of creative newness, Shalini Bajaj Surve would positively have fit the role. With a corporate career spanning over 15 years in media & advertising and being an entrepreneur with a book-based subscription box, she loves to dwell in the land of stories and books. She has always been on the lookout to try something different and creative and her learning trajectory took a natural progression towards storytelling.

As a student of Kathalaya’s Graduate Diploma Course in Storytelling, she has spent the last two years honing her skills in this field. A core member of the Mumbai Storytellers Society, for over a year and a half, Shalini helps to conceptualise, execute and promote MSS sessions and events. She has participated in various storytelling events and also represented India at the Kanoon International Storytelling Festival, Iran, through MSS.

Dr. Yamini A. Shah

Program Coordinator

Dr. Yamini A. Shah is the Assistant Director and Assistant Professor, Centre for Kachchh Studies, School of Civilisation at Somaiya Vidyavihar University. Alongside she is an academic, an Editorial Advisor for publishing houses and on the Board of studies for English Literature and Curator at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival. She has won the President’s award for service to humanity. She is on the jury for Tata Litlive and Laadli media awards. She was invited as a writer-in-residence at Tubingen University, Germany and her book is on their M.A. syllabus. She was invited as a research scholar at Concordia University, Canada. She has presented and published various research papers at international conferences. Her poetry book ‘Abstract Oralism’ is a culmination of seven years of research in Kachchh. She is currently working on developing ‘Abstract Oralism’ as a literary theory and doing academic, cultural and development work on Kachchh.

Core area of research is gender studies, area studies, desert studies, nation and identity, Indian literature and critical theory.

Shrriya Pawar

Festival Team

Shrriya Pawar is part of the core team and is at the helm of ensuring that Gaatha 2023, becomes the best platform to get all storytellers together. Her organizational and people skills make her a natural team head and she will ensure that all visitors go back with the best story experience -- both as tellers and listeners.