Anita Pratap

September 23, 2003 (Tuesday) 4:15 p.m. Informal Seminar Standish Room, LE 8:00 p.m. Reading Assembly Hall, CC Introduction by Prof William Rainbolt UAlbany, Uptown Campus

Anita Pratap, one of India's best journalist for over 20 years, is the author of Island of Blood: Frontline Reports From Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Other South Asian Flashpoints (2003, Penguin, ISBN # 0142003662). The book is a memoir that juxtaposes the war and suffering experiences Pratap has had as a journalist against the ordinariness of everyday life. The After Despatch and Courier called the book "the most fascinating reportage book of the year." Pratap provides insights into some of the major stories in South Asia including nuclear tests, the ethnic war in Sri Lanka, the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, conflicts in India's Kashmir and North East, and border disputes between India and Pakistan.

" Island of Blood deals with some of the most important events of our time. . . the hair-raising episodes combine a reporter's perseverance and observation--by turns dangerous, tragic and hilarious." - India Today

The book became an instant bestseller when it was released in Indian in 2001. It is scheduled for release in the United States in September.

Pratap has worked for leading Indian and American newspapers and magazines including Sunday, Indian Express, India Today, and Time. Until 1999, she was the New Delhi Bureau Chief for CNN. Pratap has received numerous awards for her work including the American George Polk Award in 1997 for excellence in television reporting for coverage of the Taliban takeover of Kabul, the Eminent Indian Award conferred by the Indo-American society in 1997, and the Chameli Devi Jain Award given to an Outstanding Woman Media Person in 1998. She has also won all three nominations in the television news category for the Pinnacle Award for her stories on Kashmir, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

In addition to covering hardcore breaking news, Pratap has also reported on issues such as population, education, health care, poverty, children, women, history and culture. Pratap is currently freelancing, making television documentary movies, and writing columns for magazines.