Shalini is a practicing doctor. After decades of writing long biopsy reports and applications for research grants, she decided to explore creative writing.
Her book Stars from the Borderless Sea (2022) was longlisted for the Auther Awards 2023 (Debut category). It is a collection of three non-linked novella-length stories. The book is an unconventional, empathetic look at the most universal human emotion — love. The book has been featured on many websites and platforms like Kitaab.org and Women’s Web.
Shalini was awarded a Jury Appreciation Citation at the UNFPA Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (2022). Her stories on women’s identity have won many short story contests and two Orange Flower awards (Fiction, 2022 and LGBTQ issues, 2021). Five of her short stories have found home in 3 anthologies. A humorous short story was selected for the Juggernaut Selects program (2020).
Medical Humanities is an area in which she has a keen interest, and her poetry has been published in reputed journals. She believes that arts and humanities offer different ways of thinking and have the potential to positively influence healthcare practices and priorities. She is copyeditor and on the Review board of the journal ‘Research and Humanities in Medical Education’.
She feels that writing creative nonfiction is an endeavor of vulnerability and honesty and that tales of personal strife, inner journeys and lived experiences can be transformative and must be told.
She has been an invited speaker at Literary events like the Delhi Literature Festival, Women in Literature Festival, Midnight at Book Store, House of Harmony Spring Festival and the Golden Door Dialogues. She is a columnist and panellist for platforms like eShe, Ananke, Beyond the Box, Women’s Web and Incredible Women of India. She has been invited to prestigious schools and educational institutes to share her experiences, judge contests, and speak at career counselling events. She has also been an invited guest on audio and video podcasts, and other online forums.
Having trained at the prestigious Lady Hardinge Medical College and worked extensively in domains and organizations with many women in the workforce gave her a unique vantage into the inner lives, situations and challenges that women often find themselves confronted by. She empathises with these unique situations and weaves this understanding into her writing.
She is known for crafting short stories that capture the essence of modern feminism and call out gender stereotyping and misogyny in subtle ways. This is what makes them resonate with many and sparks off introspection, which she believes is the first step in the journey of growth and self-discovery. Her strong conviction that words have the power to change the worlds we live in comes together with the sensitivity of her writing as she tells stories that uplift, empower and engage.
A late entrant to the world of writing, Shalini finds it takes her away from noise, and towards silence. It is also a good excuse to avoid hitting the gym; and stops her from helicopter parenting her teenage children. She is happiest in the company of books, chocolate and old hindi movie songs.
Though she has beautiful memories of her years in Bangalore and has now put down roots in Gurgaon, Shalini remains a Dilliwali at heart
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