Zara Chowdhary is an Indian writer, educator, and former media producer. Born in Chennai, she worked in film, advertising, and television before turning to creative writing, and now teaches in the United States. Her work explores religious violence, memory, family, identity, and the lived experience of contemporary India. She received the 2025 Shakti Bhatt Prize for her debut memoir. Her *The Lucky Ones* recounts her experience as a sixteen-year-old Muslim during the 2002 Gujarat riots, weaving personal history with a broader examination of communal violence, democracy, and belonging in modern India. Widely acclaimed upon publication, the memoir was named one of the best nonfiction books of 2024 by several major publications, including *TIME*.
