Los Angeles-based writer Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla was born in Mombasa, Kenya where at age 5 he discovered his true calling and began writing his first novel.  It wasn't until he was 13 years old, the aspiring young novelist published his first article on infertility in a national magazine.  Since then he's written for various publications including Genre, Instinct, Detour and Details where he covers film reviews, celebrity profiles and spirituality.  An excerpt from Ode to Lata was featured in the award-winning anthology Contours of the Heart: South Asians Map North America (Rutgers), which went on to win the 18th Annual American Book Award.  Past recipients of this award include Toni Morrison, Isabel Allende and Chitra Devakaruni.

Dhalla first started to write Ode to Lata as a series of vignettes.  He was inspired by his love of Bollywood film music (especially the playback singing of renowned Lata Mangeshkar) and his desire to understand issues closest to his heart - the complexities of familial ties, the Indian diaspora and how art is the ultimate director of our pathos.  The novel freely moves back and forth between time and continents, painting a compelling picture of love and longing across three generations.  Some of his influences are Dorothy Parker, MG Vassanji and the poetry of Rumi.

East Indian in heritage and a passionate activist, Dhalla co-founded the South Asian program for AIDS intervention for the Asian Pacific Aids Intervention Team in L.A. and continues his outreach and education efforts through Trikone Los Angeles. Currently, Dhalla is working on his second novel.

©2003 Ghalibdhalla.com