Shaguna Gahilote and Prarthana Gahilote
Shaguna Gahilote is a performance storyteller. She is a maths wizard with a double master's degree, having studied in both India and the UK, where she was a Commonwealth Scholar. She came back to India to work on conserving rare and dying folk art forms. She has worked as an education, peace and culture specialist and helms Ghummakkad Narain: The Travelling Literature Festival and Kathakar: International Storytellers Festival, now in its tenth edition.
Shaguna spends her days writing, drawing cartoons, solving maths problems with her nephew and looking after her pet Labrador, Ginger, as well as her neighbourhood strays. She has trotted around the world on a staple diet of potatoes, eggs and hummus.
Prarthana Gahilote has been a journalist with the national media-spanning print, TV and digital platforms-for over two decades, with a stint in the UK as a Chevening Scholar. She is the festival director of Kathakar: International Storytellers Festival, India's first and only oral storytelling festival.
Prarthana suffers from wanderlust and loves walking the Himalayan forests whenever she can escape her homes in Delhi or Mumbai. When not occupied with the alphabet, she is found spinning yarns with family and friends, pampering her nephew, Raghav, and her pet, Ginger. She has an ever-growing collection of books, fountain pens and antiques. She directs short films, documentaries and digital concerts. She also writes poetry in Hindustani as well as lyrics for songs. She can't live without music or gulab jamuns.
Besides writing stories together, Shaguna and Prarthana together are often found pampering their pet Labrador Ginger and chasing their adopted rescues turned pets, Matru, Tchoti, Bucky, Romi, Bella, Jackson and Jerry. Their love for animals has led them to be founding members of an animal welfare trust, Animals Are People Too-a Mohit Chauhan initiative, which looks after over 350 stray animals across India, feeding and providing medical care to stray animals, especially dogs. Shaguna and Prarthana take pride in calling themselves 'dog slaves'.
