Renée Sarojini Saklikar


Renée Sarojini Saklikar is an Indian-born Canadian lawyer, poet and author. Raised in New Westminster in Greater Vancouver, she married Adrian Dix. Rob Taylor of Prism International wrote in 2013 that "If you’ve spent much time in Vancouver’s literary community, you’ve probably heard of, or run into, Renée Saklikar."

Personal life

She was born in Pune, India. After moving to Canada from India, Saklikar had lived in Newfoundland, then Montreal and Saskatchewan as well as other places where she did not spend as much time. She then moved to New Westminster. Saklikar's father was the Rev. Vasant Saklikar, a minister of the United Church of Canada. He was a Hindu who, after arriving in Canada, converted to Christianity. Zebunnisa Jethwa and Umar Jethwa, Saklikar's aunt and uncle, perished on Air India Flight 182. A gynecologist and surgeon, the two were Indians visiting relatives in the Vancouver area. Saklikar was one of the interview subjects of the film Air India 182, and her mother Bhanu Saklikar, was also interviewed.
She attended the University of British Columbia, getting a Bachelor of Arts in English literature, and then an LL.B. in 1990. In 1991 she was called to the British Columbia Bar. She had been trained as a barrister and solicitor.

Writing career

Saklikar was originally a lawyer, but as she grew older she became a poet and writer. In 2010, she graduated from the Writers Studio of the Continuing Studies Department at Simon Fraser University; she stated that the Writers Studio had revealed to the world that she was a poet. Saklikar co-founded the Lunch Poems reading series of Simon Fraser University. As of 2014 she serves as an instructor and writing mentor for the SFU Continuing Studies department. As of October 2015, Saklikar was named the Poet Laureate for the City of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada.

Awards

Saklikar was awarded the Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry in 2014.

Works