Every Moment is a Gift (Aruna Lakhwara) and SALA 2024

A few weeks ago I was shocked to learn that a lovely person I first met decades ago in San Francisco, and again more recently at the South Asian Literary and Art Festival (SALA) 2024, suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. Aruna Lakhwara, beloved aunt of my dear friend Suvir Saran, died in July 2025 after contracting bacterial meningitis on a visit to her daughter and family in Honolulu, Hawaii. She was in her seventies, healthy, active and vibrant. I was in disbelief as I re-read some of my text exchanges with her.

In memory of Aruna

Suvir has written some beautiful remembrances of his Aruna Maasi.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DL6pyZ5NDfa/

https://openthemagazine.com/columns/the-quiet-wisdom-of-presence/

Her passing is a sobering reminder for us to not take life for granted, to cherish every moment.  Here are some photos of her and with her and Suvir from SALA 2024.

As I was looking through the photos from then, I realized there are several photos I have not shared yet. So here they are, from the festival that for me was marked by the joy of seeing Suvir again after several years.

First, I wrote a few articles on sessions at SALA 2024, which were published in India Currents. Here they are. If you've seen them in previous newsletters, you can skip to the Photo Gallery which comes right after.

1. Chef and Author Suvir Saran

Suvir Saran in a gorgeous black outfit with silver jewelry and silver sneakers!

Talent and Pain: A Slice of Suvir Saran 

Chef, writer and humanist extraordinaire Suvir Saran came to his SALA 2024 “A Slice of Life” session with VR Ferose, looking absolutely spectacular. In his words he was “in full drag,” wearing a gorgeous ivory and gold skirt, kurta and dupatta from Good Earth, a boutique in India. He accessorized with a stunning necklace made of lockets with the pictures of goddesses, and bright gold shoes. An extraordinary person in style, body and spirit, it is hard to take one’s eyes off of him when he’s in the room.

Read more here.

2. Keynote Session by Shashi Tharoor, Author, Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, India.

Erudite, Eloquent & Engaging: Shashi Tharoor at SALA 2024 

Shashi Tharoor (who needs no introduction) spoke to the media and delivered the closing keynote address after a rapid fire session with the media.

A cup of tea before the media session, and photos before Dr. Tharoor's keynote address

3. Keynote Session by Sri Lankan Author and Booker Prize winner Shehan Karunatilaka

Booker Winner Shehan Karunatilaka on Cricket, Civil War and Talking Ghosts in Colombo 

“Dictators are pretty good for landscaping and gardens,” quipped Shehan Karunatilaka, winner of the 2022 Booker Prize for his novel The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida, a satire set in 1990 in Sri Lanka during a Civil War that rocked the country and affected it for years. Karunatilaka was in conversation with Sharika Thiranagama, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Stanford University, at the South Asian Art and Literature Festival (SALA 2024) on September 29th. Unassuming and dryly humorous, Karunatilaka presented a low-key, self-deprecating demeanor, not unlike his book’s main character. 

Read more here

4. Sri Lankan Writers’ Panel Discussion

Ink from the Island: Sri Lankan Writers Have a Moment 

The panel included Shyam Selvadurai a pioneer of Sri Lankan writing in English and author of Mansions of the Moon; VV Ganeshananthan, author of the award-winning novel Brotherless Night; and Shehan Karunatilaka, the Booker Prize-winning author of The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida. Moderating the conversation was Nayomi Munaweera, Bay Area-based author of Island of a Thousand Mirrors, who steered the session with warmth and wit. 

Read more here

Photo Gallery

Encina Hall at Stanford University

Vendors at the festival presented their unique and beautiful wares.

Chefs!

Chefs Heena Patel (Besharam, SF), Srijith Gopinathan (Ettan Palo Alto, Eylan Menlo Park), and a panel with Suvir Saran and Keith Sarasin as well.

Sessions on diverse topics

Panels with poets (Vijay Seshadri with Shikha Malaviya), ice cream makers (Priti and Mads of Koolfi Creamery, and Arshiya and Ketaki of Pints of Joy), Bihar’s first woman police officer (Manjiri Jauhar with Vikram Chandra), and film director Imtiaz Ali with Tipu Purakayastha.

Old friends and new

Kalpana Mohan, Shikha Malaviya, Sukanya Chakabarti, Ranjita Chakraborty, Reshma Nigam, Kiran Malhotra, Ambika Sahay, Sunita Sohrabji, Kalpana Peddibhotla

Sunaina (the Offspring!) and her friend Rebecca dropped in after a walk.

Looking ahead, SALA 2025 is on Sept 14th and 15th at Menlo College, Menlo Park. www.salafestival.org