Gunjan Veda

Syeda Saiyidain Hameed is a member of the Planning Commission, Government of India. She has written fiction and non-fiction on women's issues, modern Indian history, South Asia and Urdu poetry. She is chancellor of Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad and founder member of organizations which include Muslim Women's Forum, Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia, South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), and Centre for Dialogue and Reconciliation. She was member of the National Commission for Women, Government of India, and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2007. Gunjan Veda is currently the CEO, INDIAreads.com, an online library-cumbookstore. She started her career as a journalist with the Indian Express and given her specialization in Conflict Studies, worked with an NGO in north-east India. Before she started INDIAreads, she was officer on special duty with the Planning Commission. She enjoys travelling, writing and photography.