As part of our continued commitment to feminist dialogue and literary collaboration, eShe is once again partnering with Ananke magazine, Dubai, to host a compelling panel discussion at the Ananke Festival of Literature 2025.
The theme for this year’s festival is ‘Speaking Truth to Power’. About 40 discussions and fireside chats will be broadcast virtually between 29 April to 1 May, 2025.
Titled ‘Patriarchy and Power in Intimate Relationships’, the eShe panel will explore causes and solutions for patriarchal systems that deny women agency and limit emotional expression in men and boys. Using their own experiences and literary works, speakers will discuss how these constraints contribute to repressive and even dangerous environments for women and girls in domestic settings.
The discussion will also delve into the power dynamics that define the intimate sphere in India — particularly within families and marriages — and how these themes are reflected in and challenged through literature.
The discussion will be broadcast on Ananke and eShe social-media channels during Festival of Literature 2025.
The panel features an illustrious line-up of speakers who will also read out excerpts from their own books:
Usha Akella has authored 10 books including the hard-hitting book of poems, I Will Not Bear You Sons, and two musical dramas. Based in Austin, Texas, she earned her Master’s in Creative Writing from the University of Cambridge, UK. She is the founder of Matwaala, launched to increase the visibility of South Asian poets, and www.the-pov.com, a website of curated interviews. She was selected as one of the Creative Ambassadors for the city of Austin in 2019 & 2015, and was a finalist for Austin’s poet laureate in 2025.
Akella has been hosted by numerous international poetry festivals, and laudable venues such as the Ministry of Arts and Letters, Mexico, Sahitya Akademi, JLF Houston etc. She edited and conceived Hum Aiseich Bolte! This is just how we speak, a poetry anthology on the city of Hyderabad, and a festschrift, A House of Words, in honour of Keki Daruwalla published by the Sahitya Akademi.
Veera Mahajan is a Las Vegas-based entrepreneur and advocate for women’s empowerment and domestic abuse awareness. She holds an advanced degree in Mediation and Dispute Resolution from the Straus Institute at Pepperdine Law School, and a background in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica. Veera is the author of the best-selling book Domestic Abuse, Unreported Crime, a powerful resource for those seeking to reclaim their lives. Veera’s entrepreneurial accomplishments span over two decades.
As the former president of a leading Michigan software company, Mahajan played a pivotal role in its remarkable growth and acquisition for over $105 million by a French firm. She also published Malibu Chronicle Magazine for six years before its sale to The Malibu Times. Veera founded the Veera Foundation for Women at Risk, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women and children facing domestic abuse.
Mohua Chinappa is a Bangalore-based author, podcast host, storyteller, and speaker whose work spans literature, media, and advocacy. She is the creator and host of The Mohua Show, a podcast that brings to life stories from across India, and The Literature Lounge, a space dedicated to authors and books. With over 3.7 million downloads and 280+ episodes, Mohua’s podcasts celebrate inspiring voices and lesser-known narratives of resilience, ambition and change.
Her latest book, Thorns in My Quilt (2025) is a deeply personal exploration of grief and resilience through letters to her late father. Her other works include If Only It Were Spring Everyday, Dragonflies of My Dreams (Emily Dickinson Award Winner), and Nautanki Saala and Other Stories, which won the PVLF Best Debut Award. She is also a member of Bridge India, a UK-based think tank fostering UK-South Asia dialogue, and has spoken on prestigious platforms like TEDx and Josh Talks, addressing themes such as creativity, gender equality and personal growth.
The moderator for the discussion is Aekta Kapoor, founder of eShe, a digital media platform amplifying women’s voices since 2017. In 2021, she launched the nonprofit initiative South Asia Union to promote peace through women’s leadership. An award-winning editor with a background in fashion media, she has written for top Indian publications and given talks at leading Indian universities including IIM Ahmedabad. Based in Delhi, Aekta stars in the Amazon Prime docu-drama An Unsuitable Girl, part of the acclaimed Love Storiyaan web series produced by Karan Johar.
She is currently pursuing a Master’s in Media, Ethics and Social Change at the University of Sussex. A mentor for UN initiatives for women and a founding member of the Southasia Peace Action Network, Aekta has authored the spiritual memoir 100 Paths: A Woman’s Search for God in the City and edited the anthology Everything Changed After That: 25 Women, 25 Stories.
The Ananke Festival of Literature (earlier titled Women in Literature Festival) was envisioned by Ananke’s founder and executive editor Sabin Muzaffar as a virtual global event celebrating feminist thought, creativity and solidarity across borders. The 2025 edition promises in-depth conversations, literary explorations and a vibrant community of changemakers.
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