Call Me Ishmael, Unless the Algorithm Has Other Ideas

Natasha Joshi is the founder of The Deodar Prize: a platform for discovering emerging Indian writing in English. She is also a development sector professional who currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer at Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, where she anchors and curates Manotsava, India’s national mental health festival. Natasha holds a degree in Human Development and Psychology from Harvard University. Her writings have appeared in various publications such as Stanford Social Innovation Review, Alliance Magazine, Juggernaut, Mint Lounge, The Economic Times, and Papercuts by Desi Writers Lounge.

Lavanya Lakshminarayan is the author of The Ten Percent Thief, which was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke, BSFA and Locus Awards, and featured in Reactor’s Best Books of 2021. She also authored the critically lauded Interstellar MegaChef, whose sequel Intergalactic Feast is out in 2026. She is the first science fiction writer to win the Times of India AutHer Award and the Valley of Words Award. She is occasionally a game designer, and has built worlds for Zynga Inc.’s FarmVille franchise, Mafia Wars, and other games.

Ranjeet Pratap Singh is based out of Bengaluru, Karnataka, and is the co-founder and CEO of Pratilipi. Ranjeet previously worked at Vodafone as an area sales manager. He attended the Faculty of Management Studies at the University of Delhi, and has been awarded the FMS Entrepreneur of the Year 2018.

Karthik Venkatesh is Executive Editor with Penguin Random House India where he commissions and edits non-fiction and fiction. He is the author of two books for young adults: 10 Indian Languages and How They Came to Be and 10 Makers of the Indian Constitution. Karthik grew up in Bangalore, speaking Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, English, Dakhani and Hindi. He tried to learn French but failed. He did learn Punjabi though, not in Bangalore, but in another galaxy far, far away. On weekday mornings, he often runs. On weekends, he naps.