Founders
Surina Narula
Surina Narula, co-founder of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, is deeply interested in the creative fields of art, theatre, dance and films and believes that literature plays an important role in understanding cultures. She has always championed the cause of South Asian literature and was the founder sponsor and festival advisor for the Jaipur Literature Festival and instituted the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature in 2010.
She has worked for over 25 years to change the plight of women and children. She was President and co-founder of the Consortium for Street Children (CSC) which has put street children and their rights at the UN level, increasing their visibility worldwide. She is a patron for Plan India and she was on the Board of Directors for Plan International UK, and is a patron for Women and Children First. She is also a trustee of PHIA (Partnering Hope into Action) and TVE (Television for Environment) which makes films that inspire change, and a founder of their Global Sustainability Film Awards. She is founder of Difficult Dialogues an annual forum examining issues of contemporary relevance in the South Asian region.
She is an advisor to Khoj, and was patron of the Independent Film Association of India. A recipient of several awards for her philanthropic work, she was commended for The Beacon Prize for her contribution to charitable and social causes in 2003. She was honoured with the Asian of the Year Award in 2005 and with an MBE in 2008. Surina Narula did her MBA from Ealing College and Indian Institute of Management. She has a Master of Science in Social Anthropology from University College London.
Manhad Narula
Manhad Narula, co-founder of the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature, is part of the DSC Group and has been responsible for envisioning and conceptualizing the essence of the prize when it was instituted in 2010. An entrepreneur with a flair for Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives he believes that good corporate ethics and social responsibility go hand in hand with sound business practices.
He has been the force to drive the group’s interest into the cultural and literary space and his vision is that being literate and reading good books is a stepping stone to empower and improve our societies in South Asian countries. Over the last decade the DSC Prize has been able to fulfill his vision to showcase and reward the immense talent writing about the South Asian region and bring it to a larger global audience.
Manhad successfully conceptualized and launched the Exhibitionist Hotel. The London based, design focused boutique hotel is a unique showcase for young artists in the metropolis. He also cofounded the Kensington and Chelsea Art Weekend.
A management graduate from King’s College in London, Manhad subsequently did his masters in Global Politics from
the London School of Economics and Political Science.