Below are
the people involved in the transcreation process of the compilation of my
stories in English. Click here for the project details.
The Editor
Amir Muhammad is the founder of the
book-publishing company Buku
Fixi and the movie-producing company Kuman Pictures. He has written several
books but they are now out of print — Yasmin
Ahmad’s Films (2009) and 120 Malay Movies (2010) among them.
Amir has also directed several movies,
including two documentaries that got banned in Malaysia — The Last Communist (2006) and Village
People Radio Show (2007). He believes in Universal Basic Income so that
people can spend more time doing what they like.
The Transcreators
Lalita Sinha is a literary scholar, translator, and critic. During her
service with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Wawasan Open University,
Lalita’s works were published in Malaysia (Universiti Sains Malaysia Press,
Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Institut Terjemahan & Buku Malaysia), the UK
(Cambridge Scholarly Publications, Routledge, Taylor & Young), the USA
(World Wisdom Books), and Canada (Sacred Web). She received the Best Academic Publication
Award (Arts) from the Malaysian Association of Academic Publishers and the Best
Thesis Award from USM for her Ph.D.
research in mystical symbolism. Specialising in the field of Comparative
Literature, Lalita’s works cover a range of disciplines, from mysticism and
literary translation to children’s literature. Since her retirement in 2006, Lalita
has been an active freelance translator. In 2022, in collaboration with several
local universities, she completed a UNESCO-funded project, Kids of Malaysia Initiative for Covid-19 Stories (KOMICS). Lalita
continues to publish academic articles and has also ventured into creative
writing.
Nanthini Muniapan is a seasoned IT professional with over
13 years of experience in the industry. She is a graduate of Computer Science
from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and has a Master’s Degree in Business
Administration from the Unitar International University. Apart from her
technical expertise, Nanthini is also an avid reader. She has a keen interest
in Indian mythology and folklore, and has been reading and studying these
stories for many years.
Pragalath Kumar @ K. Pragalath is a writer who works as an editor
at a Malaysian news website, Harapan
Daily. Previously he was a journalist with several
news portals including Malaysiakini, Free Malaysia Today, Berita Daily, and The Leaders Online. Pragalath is also involved in digital
marketing, especially content marketing, for a variety of sectors through
Elyown Solutions & Consulting. He has also been involved in fiction writing
and has authored two short stories in Bahasa Malaysia.
Roshini Muniam is a first-class B. Ed. TESL
(Hons) graduate from Universiti Selangor (UNiSEL) and has a Masters in English
Language Studies from Universiti Malaya (UM). Trained as a graduate English
Language teacher, she has a unique 13-year experience in language teaching and
training, leadership, and entrepreneurship. Currently, she is a lecturer at the
University of Technology Sarawak (UTS) in Sibu. She is also a HRD-Corp certified
corporate trainer and a language consultant for affiliated private and
government bodies. Born in Muar, Johor and raised in Banting, Selangor, Roshini
experienced growing up in a multi-racial, rural community. Her passion revolves
around community service and volunteerism, and she advocates bridging the
urban-rural gap in education. In 2021, she was awarded the Community Role Model
Award for her involvement in community development. Roshini believes that
everyone has a story to tell and translation allows these stories to travel.
The Writer
Uthaya Sankar SB is arguably the most hated Malaysian writer. He is hated for his courage, outspokenness, wits, and guts; loathed for openly writing and criticizing on topics deemed too sensitive and a taboo in Malaysia. Uthaya was born in Taiping, Perak in 1972. He completed his bachelor’s and master’s degree in Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur. Uthaya has been a prolific writer in Bahasa Malaysia since 1992 and some of his writings have been translated into English, Tamil, Mandarin, and German. He is the author of over twenty books and has written extensively on topics including language, culture, literature, politics, and religion. In 1999, Uthaya founded Kavyan Writers Group and since 2009, he has been a columnist for various online news portals. With numerous literary awards under his belt, Uthaya has also been presented the Ambassador for Peace Award by the Universal Peace Federation in 2008. In 2023, The Hindusthan Art & Music Society (India) conferred him the Saraswati Samman Award. In April 2022, Uthaya was arrested by the police from Bukit Aman and he spent a night in the lock up for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad. Uthaya lives in Shah Alam, Selangor and enjoys being a full-time activist, researcher, writer, and publisher.
