Eminent author Amitav Ghosh will stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan as Writer In-Residence from July 10 to July 14. He will be accompanied by his wife Deborah Baker, it was announced on Friday.

The ‘In-Residence’ programme was launched by the President on December 11, 2013 with the aim of providing writers and artists an opportunity to stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan and be a part of the life of presidential precinct.

“The programme seeks to provide an environment which will inspire creative thinking and rejuvenate artistic impulses. It is intended to honour and recognise eminent and established artists and writers as well as young upcoming talent from different parts of the country,” Rashtrapati Bhavan said in the statement.

The ‘In-Residence’ programme invitations are extended to grassroots innovators, artists, writers, teachers from central universities, award-winning school teachers and scholars from IITs, IISERs, IISc-B and NITs.

Ghosh is an award-winning author and essayist whose works include ‘The Circle of Reason’, ‘The Shadow Lines’, ‘In An Antique Land’, ‘Dancing in Cambodia’, ‘The Calcutta Chromosome’, ‘The Glass Palace’, and ‘The Hungry Tide’ apart from the Ibis trilogy.

Around 140 persons have been part of the ‘In-Residence’ programme so far.

The first person to stay at Rashtrapati Bhavan as part of the programme was eminent artist and Member of Parliament, Jogen Choudhury. Sculptor Subodh Gupta and artist Paresh Maity have also been part of the programme.