Mala Dasgupta

Mala Dasgupta is an indie author, editor, communications consultant, and certified life and business coach. She has lived many professional lives, with each one adding a new layer to her voice as a writer. Today, her fiction carries humour, emotion, and cultural resonance, shaped by decades of work experience across industries. Also, conversations with people like hansom cab drivers in Manhattan’s Central Park, Uber drivers on London streets, village sarpanches in Goa, and houseboat drivers in the backwaters of Alleppey, Kerala.

Before becoming a full-time author, Mala spent nearly thirty years in travel and hospitality, print and television journalism, and the corporate world. She has also been a filmmaker and magazine editor, roles that sharpened her eye for detail and her instinct for narrative rhythm. Across these diverse careers, she learned a truth that has stayed with her: people are united not by where they come from, but by the stories they carry, the food they share, and laughter that bridges all barriers.

Her debut novel, Mira and Dev, introduced readers to her witty storytelling—deeply rooted in Indian culture while effortlessly global in its appeal. Her second novel, Dosa in Manhattan, established her as a writer who can take the most familiar of things—in this case, the humble dosa—and spin it into a tale of identity, belonging, and love that resonates far beyond cultural borders. Her upcoming book promises more of her signature blend of comedy and cultural observation, proving that humour travels just as easily as people do.

Raised in Calcutta, Mala’s childhood was all about books, music, movies, and TV shows—early influences that continue to shape her writing today. Summer holidays were spent with Satyajit Ray’s Bengali detective stories, evenings with ABBA on the record player, and late nights watching Hollywood comedies and American sitcoms like I Love Lucy. And often, laughing along as Bengali comedy legend Bhanu Bandopadhyay did his thing and entertained the whole family. That eclectic mix, Bengali comedy sketches on one side and Cary Grant’s sparkling repartee on the other, infuses Mala’s writing with a distinctive rhythm: profound yet playful, deeply Indian yet joyfully cosmopolitan.

When not writing or coaching, Mala lives to watch movies. A lifelong cinephile, she has a soft spot for classic Hollywood comedies, film noir, and anything with sharp, sparkling dialogue. She mentors international university students, creates mixed-media art, and as a coach, she works with individuals and organizations to promote wellbeing, develop a positive perspective, cultivate resilience, and nurture character strengths.

If stories can connect, heal, and change us, Mala believes that laughter is the truest universal language — it does all three at once.