Dr Roanna Gonsalves is the award-winning author of The Permanent Resident (UWAP) published in India as Sunita De Souza Goes To Sydney (Speaking Tiger). Born and raised in Mumbai, she is a recipient of the UNSW Vice Chancellor's Award for Teaching Excellence and the Prime Minister’s Australia Asia Endeavour Award among other honours. 

Roanna’s series of radio documentaries, On the tip of a billion tongues, and her radio essay Doosra: The life and times of an Indian student in Australia were commissioned and broadcast by ABC RN. She works as a Senior Lecturer in Creative Writing at UNSW, Sydney.

If you could have dinner with any historical figure, who would it be and why?

I'd love to have dinner with George Jarvis (1790-1825).  He was Governor Lachlan Macquarie's Indian valet. He's the subject of my next book. I'd love to know his thoughts on living during a pivotal period in the history of empire.