Jyoti Guptara
Encyclopedia
Jyoti Guptara is a young novelist of British
and India
n heritage, best known as co-author of the Insanity Saga
(writing together with twin brother Suresh Guptara).
, Surrey
, UK, to an English mother (Philippa Guptara) and Indian father (Prabhu Guptara
), and raised in Farnham
, Surrey
, until the age of seven, when he moved to Weinfelden
, Switzerland
, where he is currently based as probably the youngest full-time writer in the world starting at the age of 15.
He and his twin brother Suresh finished the first draft of their critically acclaimed fantasy epic, Conspiracy of Calaspia
, at the age of eleven. At the age of fifteen, Jyoti became the youngest known journalist to publish a piece in The Wall Street Journal
. Soon after this he left the Kantonsschule Frauenfeld to study on his own (homeschooling, but teaching himself), successfully completing his O-levels before becoming a professional full-time writer.
At the age of seventeen, Conspiracy of Calaspia made him one of the world's youngest bestselling authors.
Jyoti and his brother have finished the 2nd Book called "Warrior Code/Codex Cumulus". The book was released in German in March 2009. No release date is known for other countries. They are now busy working on the 3rd Book.
The weekly national magazine Schweizer Illustrierte selected the twins for their list of the "100 Most Important Swiss" (100 Wichtigste Schweizer) of 2008.
Due to Swiss citizenship
, Guptara was drafted
into the Swiss Armed Forces. After scoring high marks in his recruitment
, Guptara trained with the Armoured
Grenadiers, one of the nation's toughest units. His military service lasted from June to August 2009, when he was dismissed for medical reasons. During this time, he wrote a weekly column for Tages-Anzeiger
, Switzerland's largest subscribed daily newspaper. Instead of switching to a less challenging unit, Guptara decided to do civilian service
.
TV, Al-Jazeera English (the Riz Khan Show), and Fox
. In 2008, aged 19, they gave over 100 readings for the German translation of book 1, Calaspia. Die Verschwörung.
Launch, at which were such eminent personalities as the Chief Minister
of Delhi H.E. Sheila Dixit and Tarun Tejpal, founder of Tehelka (Guests of Honour). In January 2007 the twins appeared at their Goa book launch, where Calaspia was released by the Governor
of Goa, H.E. S. C. Jamir. Suresh then returned to school in the UK while Jyoti Guptara continued for his first book tour, alone, through Hyderabad, Chennai
and Bangalore
. In February again Jyoti returned to India, to Bombay this time, for the International Media Festival Kitabfest, where he spoke alongside such entertainment personalities as Gregory David Roberts
(author of Shantaram
) and Oscar-winning director
and producer
Shekhar Kapur
among others. These and other appearances helped push the book up the Indian Fiction Bestseller List (source: Associated Press), where from #3 in the week of 22 December 2006 - incidentally, behind Shantaram - it rose to #2 in the week of 19 January 2007, second only to Booker Prize Winner Kiran Desai
's The Inheritance of Loss.
and New Jersey
on the East Coast to San Francisco, San Jose
, Monterey and Los Angeles
on the West Coast. In Los Angeles, the Guptaras were awarded with "enriching lives" Scrolls of Honour by the County of Los Angeles for Special Services to the County (they donated 1000 copies of Calaspia to inner-city children and visited deprived areas to promote reading). "They are really very outstanding and distinguished, but they're also doing something wonderful for the County of Los Angeles and for children here," said Supervisor Yvonne Burke of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Despite these appearances, the Guptara Twins have yet to sign with a US publisher.
, Suresh and Jyoti Guptara appeared at the Geneva World Youth Summit for ICT
and Youth
for Development in Geneva
from 23–27 September 2007, organized by the UN-GAID (United Nations Alliance for ICT and Development). Jyoti spoke on a Panel titled "Building Human Capital and Intellectual Capacity" in the main hall programme, and as the representative of Europe
on the Youth Panel.
The Guptara Twins are confirmed speakers at the inaugural Youth Forum of the Kofi Annan
-headed Global Humanitarian Forum
in Geneva
, 17–19 March 2009.
, Austria
and Switzerland
with German-language publisher Rowohlt
. Due to popular demand, they were invited to many more cities, including the Fantasy Festival near Frankfurt and Switzerland's most prestigious literary festival, the Solothurner Literaturtage (2008 and 2009).
Switzerland, donating 10% of their earnings from the German second book, Calaspia. Der Schwertkodex, as well as commending the charity's work in schools and public readings.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n heritage, best known as co-author of the Insanity Saga
Insanity Saga
The Insanity Saga is a fantasy series written by twin teenage novelists Suresh Guptara and Jyoti Guptara.Book One in this saga is Conspiracy of Calaspia, the first draft of which the Guptara Twins penned at the age of eleven. It was published when the authors were 17 and became a bestseller...
(writing together with twin brother Suresh Guptara).
Biography
Jyoti Guptara was born in FrimleyFrimley
Frimley is a small English town situated 2 miles south of Camberley, in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire. It is about 31 miles west south-west of Central London. It is part of the Borough of Surrey Heath...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, UK, to an English mother (Philippa Guptara) and Indian father (Prabhu Guptara
Prabhu Guptara
Professor Prabhu Guptara is an authority on the impact of technology on globalization, on strategy, on knowledge management , on corporate social responsibility , on comparative and cross-cultural ethics, and on management and leadership issues...
), and raised in Farnham
Farnham
Farnham is a town in Surrey, England, within the Borough of Waverley. The town is situated some 42 miles southwest of London in the extreme west of Surrey, adjacent to the border with Hampshire...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, until the age of seven, when he moved to Weinfelden
Weinfelden
Weinfelden is a municipality in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the capital of the district of the same name.Weinfelden is an old town, which was known during Roman times as Quivelda .-History:...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
, where he is currently based as probably the youngest full-time writer in the world starting at the age of 15.
He and his twin brother Suresh finished the first draft of their critically acclaimed fantasy epic, Conspiracy of Calaspia
Conspiracy of Calaspia
Conspiracy of Calaspia is a fantasy novel written by twin teenage novelists Suresh and Jyoti Guptara. It is the first book of the Insanity Saga that follows the story of Bryn Bellyset - a 16 year old heir to an enormously successful drink empire - his fellow barue and others as they race to save...
, at the age of eleven. At the age of fifteen, Jyoti became the youngest known journalist to publish a piece in The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
. Soon after this he left the Kantonsschule Frauenfeld to study on his own (homeschooling, but teaching himself), successfully completing his O-levels before becoming a professional full-time writer.
At the age of seventeen, Conspiracy of Calaspia made him one of the world's youngest bestselling authors.
Jyoti and his brother have finished the 2nd Book called "Warrior Code/Codex Cumulus". The book was released in German in March 2009. No release date is known for other countries. They are now busy working on the 3rd Book.
The weekly national magazine Schweizer Illustrierte selected the twins for their list of the "100 Most Important Swiss" (100 Wichtigste Schweizer) of 2008.
Due to Swiss citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
, Guptara was drafted
Conscription
Conscription is the compulsory enlistment of people in some sort of national service, most often military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and continues in some countries to the present day under various names...
into the Swiss Armed Forces. After scoring high marks in his recruitment
Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies.The recruitment...
, Guptara trained with the Armoured
Armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
Grenadiers, one of the nation's toughest units. His military service lasted from June to August 2009, when he was dismissed for medical reasons. During this time, he wrote a weekly column for Tages-Anzeiger
Tages-Anzeiger
Tages-Anzeiger, also abbreviated Tagi or TA, is a German language Swiss national daily newspaper based in Zurich. Among newspapers in Switzerland, it has one of the largest readerships, reaching around 550,000 readers. The Tages-Anzeiger was first published in 1893...
, Switzerland's largest subscribed daily newspaper. Instead of switching to a less challenging unit, Guptara decided to do civilian service
Swiss Civilian Service
Civilian service is a Swiss institution, created in 1996 as an alternative to military service.Any man who is unable to do compulsory military service for reasons of conscience can submit an application to be allowed to do substitute civilian service instead. The applicant is then forced to attend...
.
Appearances
Thanks to their unusual personal story, the Guptara Twins have been widely covered by the media, including BBC WorldBBC World
BBC World News is the BBC's international news and current affairs television channel. It has the largest audience of any BBC channel in the world...
TV, Al-Jazeera English (the Riz Khan Show), and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. In 2008, aged 19, they gave over 100 readings for the German translation of book 1, Calaspia. Die Verschwörung.
India
After Conspiracy of Calaspia was launched in India in November 2006, Suresh and Jyoti spoke at the DelhiDelhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
Launch, at which were such eminent personalities as the Chief Minister
Chief Minister
A Chief Minister is the elected head of government of a sub-national state, provinces of Sri Lanka, Pakistan, notably a state of India, a territory of Australia or a British Overseas Territory that has attained self-government...
of Delhi H.E. Sheila Dixit and Tarun Tejpal, founder of Tehelka (Guests of Honour). In January 2007 the twins appeared at their Goa book launch, where Calaspia was released by the Governor
Governor
A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
of Goa, H.E. S. C. Jamir. Suresh then returned to school in the UK while Jyoti Guptara continued for his first book tour, alone, through Hyderabad, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
and Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
. In February again Jyoti returned to India, to Bombay this time, for the International Media Festival Kitabfest, where he spoke alongside such entertainment personalities as Gregory David Roberts
Gregory David Roberts
Gregory David Roberts is an Australian author best known for his novel Shantaram. He is a former heroin addict and convicted bank robber who escaped from Pentridge Prison in 1980, and fled to India where he lived for ten years.-Life:Roberts had become addicted to heroin after his marriage ended,...
(author of Shantaram
Shantaram (novel)
Shantaram is a 2003 novel by Gregory David Roberts, in which a convicted Australian bank robber and heroin addict who escaped from Pentridge Prison flees to India where he lives for 10 years...
) and Oscar-winning director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
Shekhar Kapur
Shekhar Kapur
Shekhar Kapur is an Indian film director and producer. A critically acclaimed director, he rose to popularity with the movie Bandit Queen...
among others. These and other appearances helped push the book up the Indian Fiction Bestseller List (source: Associated Press), where from #3 in the week of 22 December 2006 - incidentally, behind Shantaram - it rose to #2 in the week of 19 January 2007, second only to Booker Prize Winner Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai
Kiran Desai is an Indian author who is a citizen of India and a permanent resident of the United States. Her novel The Inheritance of Loss won the 2006 Man Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award...
's The Inheritance of Loss.
USA
To promote the "Calaspia Competition" http://www.twins.guptara.net/news.htm, literacy and creativity among young people, the Guptara Twins did a 2-week tour of the USA from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
on the East Coast to San Francisco, San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, Monterey and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on the West Coast. In Los Angeles, the Guptaras were awarded with "enriching lives" Scrolls of Honour by the County of Los Angeles for Special Services to the County (they donated 1000 copies of Calaspia to inner-city children and visited deprived areas to promote reading). "They are really very outstanding and distinguished, but they're also doing something wonderful for the County of Los Angeles and for children here," said Supervisor Yvonne Burke of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors. Despite these appearances, the Guptara Twins have yet to sign with a US publisher.
United Nations GAID
As the Youth Ambassadors for NABU (Knowledge Transfer Beyond Boundaries, now part of the International Commission On Workforce Development), a partner organization of the United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, Suresh and Jyoti Guptara appeared at the Geneva World Youth Summit for ICT
Information and communication technologies
Information and communications technology or information and communication technology, usually abbreviated as ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology , but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of...
and Youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
for Development in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
from 23–27 September 2007, organized by the UN-GAID (United Nations Alliance for ICT and Development). Jyoti spoke on a Panel titled "Building Human Capital and Intellectual Capacity" in the main hall programme, and as the representative of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
on the Youth Panel.
The Guptara Twins are confirmed speakers at the inaugural Youth Forum of the Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
-headed Global Humanitarian Forum
Global Humanitarian Forum
The Global Humanitarian Forum was a non-profit foundation in Geneva, Switzerland, active from 2007 to 2010. Presided over by former United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, its secretariat was led by CEO and Director General Walter Fust. The Forum intended to serve as an independent platform...
in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, 17–19 March 2009.
Germany, Austria and Switzerland
As of March 2008, the Guptara Twins were on a three-month tour of GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
with German-language publisher Rowohlt
Rowohlt
Rowohlt Verlag is a publishing house based in Reinbek and also Hamburg and Berlin, part of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Group . The company was created in 1908 in Leipzig by Ernst Rowohlt.- Parts of the company :* Kindler Verlag...
. Due to popular demand, they were invited to many more cities, including the Fantasy Festival near Frankfurt and Switzerland's most prestigious literary festival, the Solothurner Literaturtage (2008 and 2009).
Hair
Jyoti grew one strand of hair for over two years, that hung to his shoulder from behind the right ear. He vowed not to cut it until their book was published (before they had received any acceptances from publishers). Originally he grew all of his hair, but this was annoying during schoolwork and exams, when he says he leaned over his papers in typical student fashion. As a surprise, the strand was cut off on the Swiss TV talk show Aeschbacher in March 2008 by the talk show host Kurt Aeschbacher. Since then, Jyoti's hair has been short.Philanthropy
As of 2009, the Guptara Twins are ambassadors for World VisionWorld Vision
World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical relief and development organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of...
Switzerland, donating 10% of their earnings from the German second book, Calaspia. Der Schwertkodex, as well as commending the charity's work in schools and public readings.
See also
- Suresh Guptara, fraternal twin brother of Jyoti Guptara
- Prabhu GuptaraPrabhu GuptaraProfessor Prabhu Guptara is an authority on the impact of technology on globalization, on strategy, on knowledge management , on corporate social responsibility , on comparative and cross-cultural ethics, and on management and leadership issues...
, father of Jyoti Guptara
External links
- Official homepage www.twins.guptara.net
- Official Guptara Twins biography
- Calaspia Competition Literary Tour of England
- Indias News Article and Interview
- Recorded audio of interview with Guptara Twins from BBC World ServiceBBC World ServiceThe BBC World Service is the world's largest international broadcaster, broadcasting in 27 languages to many parts of the world via analogue and digital shortwave, internet streaming and podcasting, satellite, FM and MW relays...
- Jyoti Guptara talks about their lives Recorded audio of interview, Jyoti Guptara talks to Hans Fischer of SwissEduc
- Business Standard Q&A, 24 December 2006, New Delhi