Bilquis Fatima, an innate lover of nature and speaker for social issues, has allowed her feelings and ideas to be expressed as short writes and speeches from her college time. Being a post graduate in Chemistry she has also mastered the skills of poetry appreciation and writing. Her poems reflecting the situations that are prevalent in the society, have been appreciated by many groups of poets and writers lately. Her literary works are embellished with eloquent expressions that seem to pour out from the heart.
Sheela Banu is an Associate Professor of English, in Tamil Nadu, India. Born in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, she has put in two decades of teaching experience. Having completed her Undergraduate and Postgraduate Course in English literature at Sri Sarada College for Women, Salem, she specialized in African American literature for her Doctoral Degree from Annamalai University, Chidambaram. Right from her childhood, she evinced a great deal of interest in English language and literature. She is the Chief Sub-editor of Rock Pebbles, a Peer- Reviewed International literary journal from Odisha. She also serves as an editorial member of the Nigeria-based International Journal of English Language and Culture. She has edited an issue of the UGC Approved Journal of Literature, Culture and Media Studies. She is a multi-faceted personality who is busy in teaching, creative writing and music. She has published her stories in reputed journals and magazines. Some of her short stories include, “Attestation”, “A Sore in the Crow’s Neck”, “Affection”, “Miser” and The Veena of Life”. Literature is her passion. She has sundry awards to her credit. Her research paper entitled “Patriarchal Domination and Female Resistance in Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God” was adjudged the Best Paper in the International Conference on Women Empowerment in 2013, at Kanyakumari, the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent. Rock Pebbles, the literary journal from Odisha, honoured her with the prestigious Rock Pebbles Literary Award for her creative endeavours in 2015. The same year she received the Award of Invaluable Contribution to Serve Education in Goa by Jabalpur Management Association and South Asian Management Association, Madhya Pradesh. She was conferred the Best Teacher in Salem District by the Isai Gnani Fans Club, Salem in 2017. She was honoured with the coveted Bharat Ratna Mother Teresa Gold Medal Award for her active teaching service in 2018 by the Global Economic Progress Research Association, Tamil Nadu. She was also adorned with the Seva Rathna Award in the same year for her musi-tech teaching style by the South Indian Cultural Academy, Chennai. She is a music practioner. Besides singing, she also plays the veena. She has given radio talks on various youth related topics and has lent her voice for ads. She loves reading, writing, translating, music, swimming, cooking, travelling and gardening.
