An award winning, internationally published writer of literary and historical fiction and international political satire
Winner of ‘Best of the Rest’ in the ‘Landscape of the Year’ contest by ‘Better Photography’, India’s leading photography magazine
A domain expert with a hugely successful track record of over two decades in marketing and strategy. ‘Best Young Manager’ in the National Competition for Young Manager (All India Management Association) 1998.
An ardent foodie and amateur cook.
Featured as a ‘Frontrunner’ in Business India, India’s leading business magazine in 1998. Regarded as the key brain behind the ‘migration strategy’ in 2001 which led to the explosive growth in mobile telephony in India as a Strategy Head in Airtel’s Long Distance telecommunications business
An alumnus of the prestigious Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling. Participated in several mountaineering expeditions and high altitude treks
Writing Accolades
01
Winner of the international Austin Clarke Prize for
Excellence in Literary Fiction judged by Canisia Lubrin
02
Nominated for the 2025 Pushcart Prize and the Annual
National Magazine Awards (2025) of the National Media
Awards Foundation of Canada Former international political
satire columnist with Litro, UK and USA
03
Honorable mention; in 2023 Zoetrope: All-Story Short
Fiction competition judged by Jamil Jan Kochai.
04
Two-time finalist in the Montana Prize in Fiction
05
Novel-in-progress was judged by the legendary author
Vanessa Hua as a ‘close second and the only runner up’ in
The 2023 Gina Berriault Work-in-Progress Award by Fourteen
Hills, the SFSU Review.
06
Longlisted in the 2024 Dzanc Books Prize for Fiction.
07
Shortlisted in The Letter Review Prize (Jan – Feb ’24) for
Unpublished Books.
08
Novel excerpt was longlisted in the Novel Opening
competition 2023 by Flash 500 UK.
09
Longlisted in the 2024 Steel Toe Books Prose Prize.
10
Finalist in the 2024 Indiana Review Half-K Prize
11
Finalist in the 2023 Ink Across Borders Prize by the
European Society of Literature
12
Finalist in the 2025 Plentitudes Prize in Fiction
13
Finalist in the 58th New Millennium Writing Awards (Fiction)
and also in the 56th New Millennium Writing Awards 2023
14
Semi-finalist in the 2024 Short(er) Fiction Prize by
American Short Fiction
15
Shortlisted in the 2023 Creators of Justice Literary Award
by the International Human Rights Art Movement
16
Longlisted in the 2024 Bath Flash Fiction Award
17
Longlisted in the 2023 Queen Mary Wasafiri New
Writing Prize.
18
Published as a ‘favorite’ in a Reflex Fiction International
Spring Competition
19
Longlisted in an international themed Retreat West flash
fiction competition.
My published stories appear or are forthcoming in Copper Nickel, The Ex-Puritan, Indiana Review, Joyland magazine, X-R-A-Y, Terrain, Consequence, Another Chicago Magazine, The Ocotillo Review and elsewhere. Besides my essays in my international political satire column in LITRO, UK and USA, my political satire essays also appear in Barzakh, The Satirist and Bella Caledonia.
Professor. Consultant. Strategist. Mentor. Coach. Trainer. Writer. Mountaineer. Speaker, Photographer. Foodie. Traveller.
Jack of all trades. Master of some.
I’ve always had a nosey tendency to drill deep down into seemingly unrelated areas and then either choose to pursue or discard some of them. To this tendency I attribute my variegated immersions in life.
The reading of Salman Rushdie’s magical book ‘Midnight’s Children’ led me to read voraciously and try my hand with the pen. That led to stories and books, and even fetched me a few awards, some of which are mentioned in this website.
A quick reading of ‘Marketing Warfare’ by Ries and Trout marked the beginning of an irrepressible passion for Marketing and Strategy, and an MBA Course, and some deep engagement that formed the contours of case studies and led thereafter to some recognition.
This side of me is probably best manifested in my LinkedIn presence.
A touristy family visit to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling and its famed Everest Museum when my father, an army doctor, was stationed in Sukhna, the headquarters of 33 Corps in a thickly forested Himalayan West Bengal, led to enrolling in the Mountaineering Course there.
Aided by Kashmiri blood, an army background, and a passion for athletics and an obsessive love for the mountains, is perhaps why I graduated the course with the top grade, and thereafter, immersed myself deep into amazing mountaineering and some amazing expeditions and treks across the stunning Himalayas.
A parental reward of a small camera led to the purchase of a few big SLR and medium format cameras. The need to make unforgettable, the unbelievable mountain vistas and the fascinating faces of mountain people and of course, the Jannat that is Kashmir, led to the passion for photography.
Greed and the luck of being born to a mother, who for many is the best cook they had ever encountered, first led to eating with a vengeance and then the desire rustle it up. It was perhaps the need to recall my mother’s recipes (since she had mostly stopped cooking after my father’s death) perhaps made me want to cook. And like everything else mentioned above, I immersed myself deeper to explore the magical cocoon of the kitchen. Admittedly, I remain more a foodie than a cook, more a curator than a chef – a simple being who can create a damn good biryani after trying scores of Biryani recipes and finally perfecting one.
And finally this: Ash’s World. How can a person like the one you read about above not explore every part of the magical internet? How can he not have a website for each of his passions? A YouTube channel covering for each of them? How can he leave this world without passing all he knows for anyone who is interested?
So welcome to all who share my interests and passion.
I am looking forward to simply being here for them and with them.
