Pavan K. Varma is a writer-diplomat and politician. Former MP in the Rajya Sabha and earlier Advisor Minister of Bihar, he is author of many bestselling books. His first book Ghalib; The Man, The Times, was a critically acclaimed biography of the Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib and has been translated into several Indian languages. Krishna:The Playful Divine, The Great Indian Middle Class, Being Indian and When Loss is Gain are some of his successful works. Varma was conferred an Honorary Doctoral Degree for his contribution to the fields of diplomacy, literature, culture and aesthetics by the University of Indianapolis in 2005. In 2012, Varma was conferred Bhutan’s highest civilian Award, the Druk Thuksey. Varma has received the Kalinga International Literary Award 2019.