Ayan Pal

Ayan Pal
Pal at the launch of Chronicles of Urban Nomads at the Oxford Bookstore, Kolkata.
Born	(1980-10-25) October 25, 1980 Calcutta, India
Education	Electronics & Communication Engineering, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology Educational Technology, San Diego State University
Occupation	Author
Spouse(s)	Ankana Sengupta Pal
Children	Aadwrita Pal

Ayan Pal is an Indian author^[1][2][3][4] who is best known for his novel Confessions on an Island,^[5][6][7][8] as well as his acclaimed short stories in the anthologies Chronicles of Urban Nomads^[9] and 21 Tales to Tell.^[10] He has also co-authored India’s first composite novel, Crossed and Knotted,^[11] which made it into the Limca Book of Records.^[12]

Early life and education

Pal was born in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and raised in a Hindu matriarchal joint family along with his parents, grandmother and aunts.^[13][14] After being schooled at St. Joseph's College, Calcutta he went onto obtain a bachelor's degree in Electronics & Communication Engineering from Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bangalore.^[15] He has also done a course in Education Technology from San Diego State University, California.

Pal is a member of Toastmasters International,^[16] a nonprofit educational organization headquartered in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, USA. He has received its highest award, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM),^[17] for achieving both the Advanced Communication Gold and Advanced Leader Silver awards. He was also adjudged as the national champion for impromptu speaking (Table Topics) for District 41 (serving North and East India).^[18]

Author

Pal's work as an author and writer formally began in 2014 when he was published in 21 Tales to Tell,^[19] as a result of being adjudged as one of the 21 best writers across India in a contest organized by Notion Press that saw over 4 lakh readers choose among 562 competing authors. He followed this up with critically acclaimed short stories in Chronicles of Urban Nomads^[20][21] and Her Story^[22]

In 2015 he featured in India's first composite novel Crossed and Knotted,^[23] which made it into the Limca Book of Records.,^[24] and later in Rudraksha.^[25] In 2016 he made his debut as a solo novelist with Confessions on an island^[26][27][28] and also contributed to When they Spoke.^[29]

Pal has been ranked among India’s top new authors on Litagram^[30] considered as the "Instagram of Literature".^[31] He was a finalist at the Orange Flower Awards for Digital Creative Superstars (awarded by Women's Web in association with HarperCollins) for 2016 in the categories of Creative Writing and Humor.^[32] He also contributes to the South Asian literary magazine Open Road Review^[33] and literary social forum Readomania^[34][35]

Books

Pal's novels include:

• Confessions on an Island (Kurious Kind Media, 2016)
• Crossed and Knotted (Kurious Kind Media, 2015)

Pal's anthologies (co-authored) include:

• Arranged to Love (Notion Press, 2016)
• Tonight's The Night (Notion Press, 2016)
• When They Spoke (Kurious Kind Media, 2016)
• Long Story Short (Notion Press, 2015)
• Rudraksha (Kurious Kind Media, 2015)
• Chronicles of Urban Nomads (Kurious Kind Media, 2014)
• Her Story (Petals Publishers, 2014)
• Upper Cut (Red Ink Publishers, 2014)
• 21 Tales to Tell (Notion Press, 2014)

References