Hiranmay Karlekar is a distinguished author and journalist and Consultant Editor of The Pioneer. He has been Editor, The Hindustan Times, Deputy Editor, The Indian Express and Assistant Editor, The Statesman. He has been a member of the Press Council of India, general secretary, the Editors' Guild of India, Director, PTI, and a Nieman Fellow at Harvard (1966-67). His latest book is Endgame in Afghanistan: For Whom the Dice Rolls. He is a member of the Animal Welfare Board of India.