Dr. Krishna Udayasankar is an Indian author, academic, and now a social entrepreneur. She is the founder and current CEO of Kshetra Foundation for Dialogue since 2021.[1]
She is known for her work at the intersections of mytho-historical fiction, speculative thrillers, poetry and literary fiction, alongside research in Business-Government-Society Interactions, all with recurring themes of agency and choice, governance, and collective action. [2][3]
Her novels have sold over 370,000 copies worldwide.
Personal life and education
A graduate of the National Law School of India University (NLSIU), Bangalore, Krishna holds a PhD in Strategic Management from the Nanyang Business School, Singapore and has published two textbooks: International Business: An Asian Perspective (2015) and Global Business Today (2014).[4] Her book Beast (2019), an urban fantasy thriller is published by Penguin Random House, who have also taken over the rights for her entire backlist of five novels. In a session at the Bangalore Literary Festival in 2018, Udayasankar spoke of how she started writing fiction entirely by accident, and that her first work, The Aryavarta Chronicles, started out as a satirical poem.[5]
Academic Career
Udayasankar has held academic appointments at major Singaporean universities, including Nanyang Business School (2009–2016) and the National University of Singapore (2005–2009).[6][7] Her research examines corporate governance, the business–government–society nexus, and corporate social responsibility.
She is co-author of the Asian editions of International Business and Global Business Today (McGraw-Hill Asia), and her articles have appeared in journals such as the Journal of Business Ethics and Corporate Governance: An International Review.[8] Her research and conference papers have won multiple awards from the Academy of Management and other scholarly bodies. Her single-author paper, Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Size, published in the Journal of Business Ethics in 2008 has over 1000 citations to date.[9]
Writing Career
Udayasankar’s fiction re-imagines mythology through a contemporary lens. She is best known for The Aryavarta Chronicles trilogy — Govinda (2012), Kaurava (2014), and Kurukshetra (2015) — which reinterpret the Mahābhārata as political realism.[10]
Her standalone works include Immortal (2016), a time-spanning thriller; Beast (2019), an urban fantasy; 3 (2015), based on the founding legend of Singapore; The Cowherd Prince (2020), a prequel to Govinda; and Objects of Affection (2013), a collection of prose-poems. Her writing has been praised for blending philosophical depth with narrative pace, and for exploring the human dimensions of epic and legend.
Reception and Critique
Udayasankar’s books have been widely reviewed in Asia and internationally, with critics praising her world-building, realism, and re-interpretation of myth.
The Daily Star (Bangladesh) wrote of Govinda: “In Govinda, the heroes are mythic characters and yet they are ordinary... Imposing this kind of realism onto mythical characters is an achievement in itself.”[11]
The Hindu Literary Review noted that she “balances narrative momentum with philosophical depth, making the epic intimate without trivialising its scope.”
The Hindustan Times described Immortal as “a well-researched, fast-paced thriller that keeps the reader guessing across centuries.”[12]
The New Indian Express – Indulge observed that Immortal “successfully bridges myth and modernity, using the thriller format to raise questions about power and immortality.”
The Bohemian Bibliophile on Beast: “An urban fantasy… a crisp, fast-paced thriller that has you turning the pages while pondering the monsters within us.”
Valley of Words jury note (2019): “Taut, cinematic and unexpectedly tender — Beast pushes the boundaries of Indian urban fantasy.”
The Hindu Weekend Edition on The Cowherd Prince: “Shows Udayasankar at her finest — melding myth, strategy and emotional depth.”
Deccan Chronicle (Books page) wrote that The Cowherd Prince “revisits familiar legend with freshness, focusing on the making of a strategist rather than the fall of a hero.”
The Straits Times (Singapore, 3 Nov 2013) on Objects of Affection: “An interesting take on modern-day poetry – succinct, articulate and philosophical… seals her reputation as a talent in multiple genres.”
The Economist (26 Nov 2016) referred to Udayasankar as “one of the most successful (women) authors in a now-crowded field.”[13]
The Straits Times also highlighted Immortal, quoting her remark: “It’s time for the rise of the Asian superhero,” while noting growing international interest in film adaptations of her work.
Deccan Chronicle (2024) concluded: “From re-telling the Mahabharata to re-imagining community dialogue, Krishna Udayasankar has made questioning itself an art.”
YourStory (2025) wrote: “Her grasp of dialogue — both in fiction and in social practice — frames conversation as the true measure of understanding.”
Screen Adaptation Rights
Her novels have attracted adaptation interest.
In 2017, The Straits Times reported that actor-producer Sonam Kapoor acquired screen rights to The Aryavarta Chronicles.[14]
Around the same time, Phantom Films (Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane) purchased the rights to Immortal.[15]
Awards, Honours and Appearances
Udayasankar’s academic and literary achievements have received several honours.
Best Paper Awards, Academy of Management (2005) and Corporate Governance Conference (2008).
Beast shortlisted for the Valley of Words Literary Awards (2019).
Featured in India Today’s “Writers of the Future” series (2016).
Named among “15 Writers to Watch” by The Hindu Weekend (2020).
Invited speaker at major literary events including the Singapore Writers Festival, London Book Fair, Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Times Literary Festival, Bangalore Literature Festival, and the Goa Arts & Literature Festival.[16]
Legacy and Influence
Udayasankar’s reinterpretations of epic narrative and her cross-cultural storytelling have become the subject of academic analysis. Graduate dissertations and journal articles have examined The Aryavarta Chronicles and Immortal in studies of post-colonial identity, gendered re-readings of myth, and contemporary Indian fantasy.[17][18] Scholarly works such as Vinita Chandra’s “Postcolonial Fiction: Constructing National Identity through Mythology in The Aryavarta Chronicles” (IJEEL, 2025) and M. M. Nivargi’s “A Brief Survey of Myth and the Contemporary Indian English Popular Novel” (2014) discuss her fiction as part of a broader revival of classical epics for modern audiences.[19][20] Her novels and short prose have also been referenced in university courses and creative-writing curricula in India and Singapore.
Current Work
In December 2021, Udayasankar founded Kshetra Foundation for Dialogue, a Bengaluru-based non-profit that develops and applies the “Dialogic Method” — a structured, inclusive approach to help communities, organisations and institutions and business engage in dialogue, resolve conflict and co-create solutions across a range of stakeholders and complex situations by embedding the capacity for dialogic problem solving within changemakers, communities and organisations.[21]
Under her leadership, Kshetra has designed and facilitated programmes on dialogue for governance, collaboration, and community reconciliation. Media features describe it as “turning conflict into collaboration” and “a unique model of conflict resolution and self-governance.” Kshetra’s work has been profiled by YourStory and Deccan Chronicle for its grassroots-to-policy engagements and capacity-building initiatives.[22]
Books
Works in Collections and Anthologies
Her poetry and short prose appear widely in anthologies including:
LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction (Vol. 6, 2016)[23]
UNION: 15 Years of Drunken Boat, 50 Years of Writing From Singapore (Ethos Books, 2015)
A Luxury We Cannot Afford: An Anthology of Singapore Poetry (Math Paper Press, 2014)
BONES: Prairie Schooner Fusion #8 (2013)
Body Boundaries: The Etiquette Anthology of Women’s Writing (2013, Editor and Contributor)
Sayang (Math Paper Press / Singapore Writers Festival, 2016)
Novels and Poetry Collections
Govinda (novel) (Hachette India, 2012)
Objects of Affection (poetry anthology) (Math Paper Press, 2013)
Body Boundaries: The Etiquette Anthology of Women's Writing (non-fiction) (The Literary Centre,2013)
Udayasankar, K. (2008). “Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Size.” Journal of Business Ethics.
Udayasankar, K., Das, S. S., & Krishnamurthi, C. (2007). “Corporate Governance and Firm Performance: Effects of Regulation and Competitiveness.” Corporate Governance: An International Review.
Das, S. S., & Udayasankar, K. (2013). “An Institutional Model of International First-Mover Advantages.” Journal of International Business Research and Practice.
Hill, C. W., Wee, C. H., & Udayasankar, K. (2011). International Business. McGraw-Hill Asia.
Hill, C. W., Udayasankar, K., & Wee, C. H. (2013). Global Business Today. McGraw-Hill Asia.
↑Singapore Writers Festival, London Book Fair, Ubud Writers Festival, etc. official speaker archives. https://www.singaporewritersfestival.com/; https://www.ubudwritersfestival.com/
↑University repositories listing graduate dissertations on Udayasankar’s works (available via ProQuest / Shodhganga)
↑Journal of Indian Literature and Culture – articles on contemporary myth retellings. https://ijelr.in/
↑Chandra, Vinita (2025). Postcolonial Fiction: Constructing National Identity through Mythology in The Aryavarta Chronicles. IJEEL. https://ijellh.com/
↑Nivargi, M. M. (2014). “A Brief Survey of Myth and the Contemporary Indian English Popular Novel.” Research Journal of English Language and Literature. https://rjelal.com/
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