Book Launch & In Conversation with Aarti Betigeri

Aarti Betigeri and contributors Kavita Nandan, Zoya & Ikebal Patel will be In Conversation with Meera Ashar on Growing Up Indian in Australia (Black Inc.) 

About the Book

To be Indian growing up in Australia is to tread the narrow line between here and there, to constantly code-switch and navigate between filling the needs and aspirations of your family, your community – and yourself.'

'Indian-Australian' is not a one-size-fits-all descriptor. Given the depth and richness of diversity of the Indian subcontinent, it is fitting that its diaspora is similarly varied.

Growing Up Indian in Australia reflects and celebrates this vibrant diversity. It features contributions from Australian-Indian writers, both established and emerging, who hail from a wide range of backgrounds, religions and experiences. This colourful, energetic anthology offers reflections on identity, culture, family, food and expectations, ultimately revealing deep truths about both Australian and Indian life.

Contributors include Sunil Badami, Swagata Bapat, Kavita Bedford, Elana Benjamin,Tejas Bhat, Nicholas Brown, Michelle Cahill, Tasneem Chopra, Shaheen De Souza Hughes, Hardeep Dhanoa, Rakhee Ghelani, Kavita Ivy Nandan, Rachael Jacobs, Jessica Joseph, Joseph Jude, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Meenal Khare, Sneha Lees, Daizy Maan, Preeti Maharaj, Kishor Napier-Raman, Zoya Patel and Ikebal Patel, Mia Pandey Gordon, Natasha Pinto, Shamna Sanam, Priya SaratChandran, Shreya Tekumalla and Sharon Verghis.

About Aarti Betigeri

Aarti Betigeri is a journalist, writer, broadcaster and former foreign correspondent, born in Melbourne to parents from Maharashtra and Karnataka. After an early career as a radio and television news presenter and producer with SBS and the ABC, she moved to India to fulfill a long-held dream to report on South Asia and lived in New Delhi for almost a decade. Currently, she works as a journalist and advisor focusing on international relations. Her name is surprisingly easy to pronounce.

About Meera Ashar

Meera Ashar is a historian of ideas at the School of Culture, History and Language at the Australian National University. Her research interests lie at the intersection of history, political theory and literary studies.

Meera is currently the Director of the South Asia Research Institute (SARI). She has previously worked as an Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong and was the LM Singhvi Fellow at the Centre of South Asian Studies at the University of Cambridge.

Guest Speakers

Zoya Patel is the author of No Country Woman (Hachette, 2018) and Once a Stranger (Hachette, 2023). She is co-host of the podcast Margin Notes alongside Yen Eriksen, a columnist for RiotACT, and a regular book critic and writer for The Guardian, The Canberra Times, SBS Voices, Refinery29 and more

Ikebal Patel is an engineer based in Canberra. Ikebal has held various volunteer roles, including as the president of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, and has represented the Australian government on interfaith engagement and trade. He has been on various national and international committees and advisory bodies. Ikebal owns a motel and is a commercial vegetable grower.

Kavita Nandan is a writer and a teacher. She was born in New Delhi, grew up in Suva and migrated to Australia in 1987 after the Fiji military coups. She completed her PhD on V.S. Naipaul and Salman Rushdie at the Australian National University. Kavita is the author of Return to What Remains and Home after Dark. She is also the editor of Stolen Worlds and co-editor of Unfinished Journeys: India File. Her poetry, short stories and creative non-fiction are published in a range of Australian and international magazines.

About the Event

• Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
• Registration is required for this event.
• Accessible parking spaces directly below the Harry Hartog ANU Bookshop are available should you require them. Kambri ANU / Parking
• If you do not feel well, please refrain from attending this event.
• Disability Access available - please ask in-store.