ARUNA MALLYA GUPTA

Born in Karnataka, raised in Mumbai, went to University in Chennai and ended up in wedlock with the “man of her dreams” in  Delhi!!…if that does not sound like true national integration, what does??

Growing up in different parts of India, truly enriched her life, says free-lance writer, Aruna, not to mention the variety of languages she picked up along the way. She is fluent in at least five Indian languages and has working knowledge of French and German. While writing had always been her passion from early childhood, her father, she says, was a big influence in fine-tuning her language when he was posted away from home, and they exchanged long and interesting letters in her impressionable years.  After completing her Graduate Degree in Psychology, she went on to do her Post Graduation in Journalism and was selected “Best Feature Writer of the Year” by the Bombay College of Journalism. From 1979-1983, Aruna wrote regularly for EVE’S WEEKLY, the popular Women’s magazine of the time and occasionally also contributed to MIRROR and ECONOMIC TIMES. Her writing ranged from news stories to poetry and short stories.

For over a decade came a hiatus when marriage and raising her family put her writing on the back burner. Moving to Toronto, Canada in 1989 was a big move for the Guptas and it was not until 1994 that Aruna was able to revert to her old passion, writing. For a couple of years she contributed regularly to the North American edition of INDIA TODAY. Then KALA came her way. Conceived as a quarterly devoted to the Classical Arts, it has received great response from art lovers and patrons and has come a long way since its inception in the fall of 1996.

While her job at airlines most definitely lets the Gupta quartet discover new terrains for now, Aruna’s future plans definitely include writing a novel and perhaps even dabbling as a travel writer.