https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Shobhan_BantwalShobhan Bantwal - Revision history2026-08-20T18:43:46ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Shobhan_Bantwal&diff=535205&oldid=prevGavinEspinoza2: made basic stub w/ infobox - done2025-07-12T22:13:56Z<p>made basic stub w/ infobox - done</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Indian American writer|bot=PearBOT 5}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}<br />
'''Shobhan Bantwal''' (born 1951) is an [[Indian Americans|Indian American]] writer. She is a recipient of the Golden Leaf Award for Best Debut Book.<br />
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==Early life and education==<br />
Bantwal was born in [[Belgium–India relations|Belgaum, India]] to a large [[Hindu]] family. She studied [[sociology]] at [[Karnatak University]] in [[Dharwad]], and earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees there.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=og-ovWe6UNEC&q=asian+american+theater+dictionary|title=Historical Dictionary of Asian American Literature and Theater|last=Xu|first=Wenying|date=2012-04-12|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=9780810873940|language=en}}</ref> Bantwal married her husband in an arranged marriage and the couple moved to [[New Jersey]] in the [[United States]] in 1974.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/lifestyle/books/2013/jan/13/confessions-of-a-feisty-romance-fiction-addict---442546.html|title=Confessions of a feisty romance fiction addict|work=The New Indian Express|access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref> She continued her studies in the U.S., and received an M.A. in Public Administration from [[Rider University]]. After completing that degree, Bantwal began a job at the New Jersey Department of Labor, where she would work for the next 19 years.<ref name=":0" /> She currently resides in Arizona.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/Media/Rider_Univ_Magazine_Article_The-Sari-Shop-Widow.pdf |title=Broncs in Books |website=www.shobhanbantwal.com }}</ref><br />
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==Career==<br />
Bantwal began writing in 2002 at the age of 50.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shobhanbantwal.com/bio.shtml|title=Shobhan Bantwal's Web Site - Bio page|last=Bantwal|first=Shobhan, Shobhan Bantwal|website=www.shobhanbantwal.com|access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref> Her books include ''The Dowry Bride'' (2007), ''The Forbidden Daughter'' (2008), ''The Sari Shop Widow'' (2009), ''The Unexpected Son'' (2010), ''The Full Moon Bride'' (2011), and ''The Reluctant Matchmaker'' (2012), all published by [[Kensington Books]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/blogcritics/article/Interview-Shobhan-Bantwal-Author-of-The-887147.php|title=Interview: Shobhan Bantwal, Author of The Unexpected Son|work=seattlepi.com|access-date=2017-11-23}}</ref> Her books have been published in India by Fingerprint Publishing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/pulse-of-india/article6225402.ece|title=Pulse of India|last=Rajan|first=Anjana|date=2014-07-18|work=The Hindu|access-date=2017-11-23|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X}}</ref> She writes stories about contemporary Indian women and romance, and has described her style as "Bollywood in a book".<ref name=":2" /> Bantwal's plots feature women's issues like arranged marriages, cross-cultural stories from the [[Non-resident Indian and person of Indian origin|Indian diaspora]], and New Jersey settings.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780758220318|title=Fiction Book Review: The Dowry Bride by Shobhan Bantwal, Author Kensington Publishing Corporation $14 (343p) ISBN 978-0-7582-2031-8|work=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date=2017-11-23|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780758232038|title=Fiction Book Review: The Unexpected Son by Shobhan Bantwal, Kensington, $15 paper (352p) ISBN 978-0-7582-3203-8|work=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date=2017-11-23|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780758258854|title=Fiction Book Review: The Reluctant Matchmaker by Shobhan Bantwal. Kensington, $15 trade paper (300p) ISBN 978-0-7582-5885-4|work=PublishersWeekly.com|access-date=2017-11-23|language=en}}</ref> She has received some criticism for her focus on commercial and genre fiction, but she sees her books as a useful way to introduce a consciousness of cultural issues, especially those that affect women, to large audiences.<ref name=":1" /> Bantwal's short stories have been published in ''[[Romantic Times]]'', ''[[India Abroad]]'', ''[[Little India (magazine)|Little India]]'', ''[[India Currents]]'', and ''[[New Woman (magazine)|New Woman]]''.<ref name=":2" /> <br />
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==Awards==<br />
She won the Golden Leaf Award for Best Debut Book in 2008.<ref name=":0" /><br />
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== References ==<br />
<references /><br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bantwal, Shobhan}}<br />
[[Category:1950 births]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:People from Belgaum]]<br />
[[Category:People from Robbinsville Township, New Jersey]]<br />
[[Category:Writers from Mercer County, New Jersey]]<br />
[[Category:Karnatak University alumni]]<br />
[[Category:American writers of Indian descent]]<br />
[[Category:21st-century American women writers]]<br />
[[Category:American women novelists]]<br />
[[Category:American women short story writers]]<br />
[[Category:American people of Kannada descent]]<br />
[[Category:Indian emigrants to the United States]]</div>GavinEspinoza2