Story telling in India and Australia
at the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Sydney
23 November 2023
An exciting and inclusive event hosted by the ICCR, Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre in Sydney and Director Niyati Mehta saw a gathering of illustrious authors, readers and others with a literary interest listening to a panel of authors and illustrators, MC’d by Susanne Gervay OAM, speakers: Susanne, Dr Roanna Gonsalves, Louise Fowler-Smith, Ronojoy Ghosh, and Dr Sharon Rundle. Questions followed and then much discussion and introductions over delicious refreshments. Thank you to our hosts and speakers.
Some of the Facebook Comments and photos from the evening:
Photos courtesy of ICCR and SVCC
Photos courtesy of Anu Shivaram
The Australia Today article by Pallavi Jain
The Swami Vivekanada Cultural Centre in Sydney recently hosted ‘Story Telling in India and Australia’ at the Consulate General of India in Sydney with eminent authors.
L to R Niyati Mehta Director SVCC, Sydney, Louise Fowler-Smith, Dr Roanna Gonsalves, Ronojoy Ghosh, Dr Sharon Rundle (Image: The Australia Today)
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on wonderful topics and yes, delicious refreshments afterwards. 
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““I was also present. It was a unique function, Sydney Srinivas”
Relatively True, Stories of Truth, Deception and Post-Truth
from the Indian subcontinent and Australia
Orient BlackSwan 2022
Relatively True, stories of Truth, Deception and Post Truth and
Glass Walls, stories of Tolerance and Intolerance
Orient BlackSwan book stand WORLD BOOK FAIR 2023 New Delhi!
Photos and slideshow courtesy of Orient BlackSwan World Book Fair 2023!
Tell us what you thought of these stories, we’d love to know!
These collections of stories from well-known authors offer insightful glimpses of life in Australia and in India. We are keen to know what you think of the short stories.
Please review these anthologies and let us know how the stories affected you, which stories you enjoyed most and why. Thank you. Please go to this Review Link to leave your review. https://g.page/r/CfSgfcefUTTlEBM/review
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Australian Short Story Festival 2022
Fremantle Arts Centre, 28-30 October
Photos courtesy of Julia Mackay-Koelen
Eugen Bacon, Julia Mackay-Koelen, and Rashida Murphy
Orient Blackswan Private Limited
VIDEOS FROM ASSF 2022 RELATIVELY TRUE Session on
Truthwith Eugen Bacon, Rashida Murphy and David Allan-Petale,
photos and videos courtesy of Julia Mackay-Koelen.
David Allan-Petale introduces authors, Rashida Murphy speaks about the anthology.
Eugen Bacon speaks about the anthology of stories Relatively True and contributing her story …
Eugen Bacon continues speaking about Relatively True and the contributing authors.
REVIEW of RELATIVELY TRUE stories in Indian Link December 2022 by Salma Shah
Relatively True | Member Book Releases | The Society of Women Writers NSW Inc.
Masala Chai Meanderings #14 Relatively True stories online launch
Words on the Waves Writers Festival Book Launch
Australian Deputy Consul-General in Kolkata, Mr Daniel Sim video message
Meenakshi Bharat Video Message
Dr Malathi Nagarajan closes event with a Thillana
Excerpt of Dr Malathi Nagarajan playing Veena video
Video showing Daniel Sim, authors and audience
Orient BlackSwan WOW Launch photograph slideshow
Meenakshi and I sincerely thank Words on the Waves and our Writers
Authors with Indranil Bengal Halder who declared Relatively True launched
2022 Festival Gallery | Words on the Waves
Emie Roy and Sharon Rundle Co-editor
My thanks to Ellie Wednesday Rundle. Sharon Rundle with Sam Hyde, Gwen Bitti, Anne Benjamin
Dr Malathi Nagarajan plays music on Veena at Launch of Relatively True.
Glass Walls: Stories of Tolerance and Intolerance from the Indian Subcontinent and Australia
Edited by Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle is a carefully selected, exquisite bouquet of stories that are cathartic, masterfully told and very relevant to our times. This collection makes a genuine attempt to demystify violence that has become an undeniable part of our “everydayness” that more often than not goes unheard or unsaid. Samana Madhuri, Rocznik Komparatystyczny – Comparative Yearbook Issue 11 2020.
Foreword by Mr Amit Dasgupta. University of New South Wales inaugural India Country Director, distinguished former Indian diplomat, author and educator.
Launched in 2019 in Delhi by Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu Australian High Commissioner to India
Amazon Books Paperback and ebook
GLASS WALLS Stories of Tolerance and Intolerance Media clips and images.
Video Glass Walls – Susanne Gervay
Video Meenakshi Bharat reading at UNSW launch of Glass Walls in Sydney
Video Story Readings by the authors
Glass Walls – Debra Adelaide – ‘Harder than Your Husband‘
Glass Walls – Neelum Saran Gour – ‘Other People‘
Glass Walls – Roanna Gonsalves ‘The Skit’ – YouTube
Glass Walls – Sujata Sankranti ‘Thamarapu’s Temple’
Glass Walls – Anu Kumar ‘Preparing for the Riots’ – YouTube
Glass Walls – Janhavi Acharekar ‘The Last Game Drive’
Glass Walls – Rupleena Bose – ‘Paatal Times‘
Glass Walls – Nandini C Sen – ‘The Religion of Love’
Glass Walls – Vashti Farrer – ‘The Wheels of the Bus Go Up and Down’
Glass Walls – Julia Mackay-Koelen – ‘Absence‘
Video Meenakshi Bharat speaks at Glass Walls book launch in Delhi.
Launched in 2019 in Delhi by Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu Australian High Commissioner to India, in Sydney by Shri Ramanand Garge, Director Swami Vivekananda Cultural Center, Sydney, with Susanne Gervay OAM as MC, and in Melbourne by Dr Devika Brendon at the Australian Short Story Festival 2019.
Slides of launch in Delhi, India.
UNSW launch of Glass Walls – Presentation to Mr Ramanand Garge.
Sharon Rundle vote of thanks at UNSW Glass Walls launch
Sharon Rundle at ASSF Glass Walls launch.
South Asian Film, Art and Literature 2019.
University of NSW book launch of Glass Walls: Stories of Tolerance and Intolerance from the Indian Subcontinent and Australia, Orient BlackSwan 2019. Special Guest Shri Ramanand Garge. Authors Sharon Rundle, Julie Simpson, Susanne Gervay, Vashti Farrer, Roanna Gonsalves, Libby Sommer, co-editor Meenakshi Bharat on screen.
Orient Black Swan & The Australian High Commission in Delhi, India book launch, special guest Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu Australian High Commissioner to India, Mr Amit Dasgupta, Sukrita Kumar Paul and Co-editor Dr Meenakshi Bharat.
Australian Short Story Festival 2019, Julia Prendergast, Sharon Rundle, Roanna Gonsalves, Debra Adelaide, and Readings pop-up bookstore ASSF.
South Asian Film, Art and Literature 2019. Andrew Kwong, Devika Brendon, Sharon Rundle, Susanne Gervay, Libby Sommer and Ash Gholkar, SAFAL Founder.
Dr Meenakshi Bharat, Co-Editor at Delhi Airport Book Store – Fear Factor Terror Incognito.
Online Reviews of Glass Walls, stories of Tolerance and Intolerance
Indian Link/glass-walls-a-book-review/
Review of Glass Walls, Australian Short Story Festival website.
Interview questions to the Glass Walls editors: Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle by Suzanne Masri Australian Short Story Festival.
South Asian Diaspora International Researchers Network (SADIRN) |News and Events |Articles | Glass Walls: Stories of Tolerance and Intolerance from the Indian Subcontinent and Australia.
The Aleph that Unveils the Reality of Our Times: A Curation of Thought Provoking Narratives from the Indian Subcontinent and Australia – 11 (2020) – Rocznik Komparatystyczny – Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Szczecińskiego (wnus.edu.pl) Glass Walls: Stories of Tolerance and Intolerance from the Indian Subcontinent and Australia edited by Meenakshi Bharat and Sharon Rundle is a carefully selected, exquisite bouquet of stories that are cathartic, masterfully told and very relevant to our times. This collection makes a genuine attempt to demystify violence that has become an undeniable part of our “everydayness” that more often than not goes unheard or unsaid. Samana Madhuri
First Amazon Review of ‘Glass Walls’ | Libby Sommer, Author (wordpress.com)
Amazon International Reviews
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2019 Verified Purchase Five Stars
“Excellent collection of short stories tackling immensely important and relevant topics! My favorites were closer by David malouf, the last game drive by Janhavi acharekar and the wedding gift by Meenakshi Bharat. A must be read collection for anyone interested in broadening they’re minds and exploring different people and thoughts! Five stars”.
Punekar 5.0 out of 5 stars The book makes you introspect
Reviewed in India on October 2, 2019. Verified Purchase
“This collection of stories tackles a wide variety of subjects and is categorised into Family, Race, Gender, Religion and so on and that is why I enjoyed the book. One could pick and choose a story to read depending on one’s mood. I specifically liked the stories on Family and Gender. The stories on race brought out the dichotomy that exists in all of us, as mentioned in the introduction to the book. Right thinking people are determined not to be biased and want to do the right thing but the subconscious mind often has another agenda. The rational aspect of the personality loses out in certain circumstances. This is brought out in the stories on family too, particularly the story titled “The Wedding Gift”. Another story I liked was the one titled “Henry”. We behave in the most irrational ways but we are not bad people, not really, just human. All the stories are not equally good, but all of them touch something inside your heart.”
CB 5.0 out of 5 stars An interesting read for book clubs Reviewed in the United States on 16 August 2020 Verified Purchase “The Glass Walls by Meenakshi and Sharon is a different read covering intense topics wound into stories taken from our daily lives. Most of these stories start in a free flowing manner covering relatively simple and unassuming topics, but as with life, they take the reader through a series of emotions emanating from personal experiences and relationships as they go on to cover social issues around us. Throughout the book I felt I could relate to the stories, either personally or through the experience of those around me. Just as in real life, the twists and turns in some of the stories took me by surprise. Some stories handled social complexities and got me thinking hard about the issues that smolder just beneath the surface. In fact, one of the stories by Trilok Chand Ghai became a topic of interesting discussion among friends. The book is a collection of stories, well written, covering topics across continents. I would recommend Glass Walls as a must add to the list of book clubs looking for discussion on topics in our daily lives”
Book Review: ‘Only Connect!’ edited by Meenakshi Bharat & Sharon Rundle – Between The Lines
Only Connect In Short Reviews: Fiction (smh.com.au)
Only Connect review: A journey from cyberspace to social change – TwoCircles.net
Agathokakological Aussie Summer – A mosaic of Indian Australian stories launched | SBS Hindi
Writers of yore strengthen the Bengali-Australia bond – indiannewslink.co.nz
‘Alien Shores’ launched | Trust Me, I’m a Storyteller (wordpress.com)
Dr Abdul Hekmat. Alien Shores Launched by Julian Burnside QC. Dr Linda Jaivan.
Fear Factor Incognito at Eltham World Matters Conference at Monsalvat in 2009
Susanne Gervay OAM, Dr Meenakshi Bharat and Dr Sharon Rundle, C0-editors with Morag Fraser AO.
