Appearance
6-week Innovation Camp in Berlin
Oct 9th
Out of a thousand applicants, Jyoti won his way to the Palomar5 Innovation Camp from9 October – 22 November, sponsored by Deutsche Telekom. Thirty creative people under the age of 30 from all over the world are spending six weeks in Berlin to dream and develop “the workspace of the future”. The results will be presented to 300 top business representatives and political leaders at a two-day summit, 23-24 November.
Appearances included the results presentation of the National IT Summit’s Delphi Study research into the future of ICTs (information and communication technologies) in Germany; and the Vision Summit with Muhammad Yunus.
Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum
Jun 20th
Kofi Annan with Guptara Twins Suresh and Jyoti
Guptara Twins speak at the inaugral Youth Forum of Kofi Annan’s Global Humanitarian Forum about climate change, Fantasy and escapism. From Geneva they went directly into readings in Germany, most notably at the largest privately owned fantasy & sci-fi library in the world, the Phantastische Bibliothek in Wetzlar. They were pleased to be invited back this year for an appearance at the annual Fantasy night near Frankfurt along with Germany’s biggest Fantasy authors. Suresh and Jyoti were featured on the cover of the book mag Hits for Kids.
Calaspia Literary Tour of England
Jul 30th
This summer, the Guptara Twins accompany ten promising young writers, the winners of the international Calaspia Storytelling Competition, on a 10-day literary tour of England. As well as speaking at the C. S. Lewis Summer Institute, they visit literary landmarks in London, Stratford-Upon-Avon, Cambridge and Oxford, and and are working on creating a TV documentary series.
Calaspia in Italian
Jun 23rd
Suresh and Jyoti Guptara were invited to the Mare di Libri festival in Rimini for the launch of I regni di Calaspia. La cospirazione in Italian, published by Mondadori in its prestigious i grandi range. They met fellow Fantasy author Licia Troisi and were featured in Italy’s top newspaper, Il Sole 24 Ore, among others.
German Book Tour
May 29th
March, April, May 2008
Calaspia. Die Verschwörung was released in March in publisher Rotfuchs’s biggest ever media and marketing campaign, launched at the Leipzig Book Fair. Between March and May, the Twins gave over 60 German-language readings and 100 interviews in Germany and Switzerland. After this intense promotional period, Suresh and Jyoti will only give the odd reading as they concentrate on “their real work”.
United Nations Geneva, Sept 2007
Sep 29th
 |
Suresh and Jyoti were participants and speakers at the Global Forum for Youth and ICT for Development in Geneva as the youth ambassadors of NABU.
SWITZERLAND, GENEVA, 26th – 29th September Yes, we had barely rubbed the gangrene from our limbs (intercontinental flights), thrown piles of clothes from one heap to another, deleted spam – uh, invitations to go out with friends – and piled the dirty dishes in the kitchen for our dear sister to wash, when again we had to pack our bags and hop, this time into trains, for Geneva. The USA book tour and meetings with our German publisher left us quite breathless. Next was a completely different challenge though, one of brainstorming, relationship forging and international diplomacy… Can the Millennium Depelopment Goals be rescued by Youth and ICT? *Sound epic music* Read on to find out! More > |
USA Book Tour
Sep 10th
Suresh and Jyoti started with meetings and interviews in New York before going on to San Jose, Monterey, San Francisco and Los Angeles. They were presented with Scrolls of Honour by the County of Los Angeles for donating 1,000 copies of Calaspia and promoting literacy and education with young people. The Twins gave a variety of public appearances including live TV (e.g. Fox and KTLA The Morning Show).
Guptara Twins Promoted the Calaspia Storytelling Competition, 23 Aug – 10 Sep 2007
It’s our first time in the USA. Yes, that’s right.
Whenever you tell this to an American in America, they think they haven’t heard aright. “What? Seriously? You’ve never been to the States?” We reply that that’s the gist of it. Having seen East and West Coasts now (but, unfortunately, not much in between), we can appreciate their point of view. Nevertheless, one can’t help but think of the millions of Americans who have never been to another country, let alone crossed the pond to another continent; and that no one would say to the rest, upon hearing that they have set foot for the first time in, say, Switzerland: “Are you sure? You have never been in the Alps? Never tasted real – real – Swiss Fondue?”
NEW YORK, 23rd – 29th August 2007
First stop was New York, where we had an interview with ImaginAsian TV, the first channel in the US dedicated More >
Jyoti at Kitab Festival, Mumbai, India
Feb 26th
Jyoti attended the flamboyant Kitabfest, the International Literature and Media Festival, in Mumbai, India, where he talked along with leading writers, publishers, agents and film directors from Britain and the Indian subcontinent.
21st and 22nd February 2007
I arrive at Delhi Int. airport. Someone is supposed to be waiting for me, but my fears materialise: I see no plaque reading “Jyoti Guptara” or, if they are more security-conscious, something like “Samarth’s Wedding”. My Swiss phone is out of juice and my Indian phone has expired, and would not work anyway because it was purchased in Goa. But a payphone call with my “Chacha” puts things back on course, and I discover that beyond the two Exits there are yet further reception areas. Fortunately, on the horizon of new plaques one of them reads my name. The driver wheels my luggage to the car park before I realise I’ve left my papers with contact details, an absolute essential, in the pay phone booth. Run back and retrieve them from the operator, whom I leave looking like he wants a reward.
Beep. Beep. Beep. It’s good to be back.
Whereas other countries endure chaotic organisation, India happily boasts organised chaos. More >
Switzerland Book Launches, Nov 06
Nov 15th
Over 100 people filled the respective rooms to congratulate the Guptara Twins on the publication of Calaspia. The Book Launch in Zurich on 14 November was hosted at Orell Fussli English Bookshop, on Zurich’s prestigious Bahnhofstrasse, where the Guests of Honour, author Theodore Beale (Eternal Warriors) and Culture Minister Marc Wehrlin, spoke before Suresh and Jyoti gave a reading each. In Weinfelden the book was launched on 15 November in the local language Schwyzerdütsch by Mayor Max Vögeli, who interviewed the boys. At both events, the crowds then mingled over King’s Kurry snacks while the Guptara Twins autographed copies and answered questions. Friends of the twins stayed on after the event to celebrate the boys’ 18th birthday a week early, before Suresh returned to school in England the next morning.