Founder & Managing Editor
Vandana Bhagra, a passionate entrepreneur from Shimla, Himachal Pradesh, founded, publishes, and serves as managing editor of Keekli An Ode to Innocence (www.keekli.in) in 2013. Guided by the maxim “Bachpan, Masti aur Hum,” this pioneering children’s webzine and bilingual monthly newspaper (running until 2020) celebrates innocence through an online news and views magazine where kids express creativity via articles, photographs, sketches, and more. Inspired by her late husband, Amit Doegar, Keekli fulfills her dream of nurturing young minds, showcasing their pure emotions and achievements like awards, accomplishments, college info, quizzes for two age groups, website reviews, and even appointing child reporters. A mother of two daughters, she balances family with her mission, holding a bachelor’s in Arts, bachelor’s and master’s in Journalism and Mass Communication from Himachal Pradesh University.
Publishing Journey
Vandana’s twenty-seven-year career began in 1998 as an apprentice at The Himachal Times, Shimla, during her bachelor’s. In 1999, she joined Delhi’s NGO for Consumer VOICE magazine. The 2000 dotcom boom led to Britannica.com, where she rose to Editor without formal software training, gaining tech savvy amid vibrant culture. Returning to Shimla in 2002 for her master’s, limited opportunities sent her back to Delhi as Project Editor for Dorling Kindersley’s Travel Guides. Married in 2005, she freelanced from Shimla: editing/proofing/indexing for Pragun Publications, Oxford & IBH, Indus Publications; Associate Editor at Sudershan Frank; conceptualizing Himachal Pradesh: A Himalayan Dreamland; Project Editor at Energy India (Himachal Times Group, 2011); and travel articles for My Times of Shimla (Times of India supplement). Today, she freelances with AuthorsUpfront and leads WICCI Media Council as Himachal State President, having edited/proofread over 130 books.
Editorial Excellence
Keekli’s content shines through Vandana’s meticulous vetting—from ideation to publication—ensuring ethical, age-appropriate journalistic excellence without self-promotion, which she sees as redundant. Blending print mastery with digital innovation, she covers school-literary events, fostering cultural narratives on a multimedia platform that promotes local art, heritage, and contemporary expression.
Mentoring & Youth Initiatives
Keekli nurtures budding authors, writers, artists, and creators with sections for short stories, poetry, illustrations, and digital video. The 2017 Keekli Book Club offers monthly book discussions, reviews, creative writing workshops, and journalism career counselling, inspiring reporting, editing, and media exploration. In 2018, she founded the Keekli Charitable Trust along with group of passionate friends for underprivileged children/women, running short story competitions, literary events, theatre festivals, and skill-building to instil reading habits and confidence.
Awards & Recognition
Accolades validate her impact: 2015 ‘Encouragement in Best Women Entrepreneur’ at Vibrant Gujarat’s BigB Contest for Keekli Website; 2022 ‘Swayamsiddha Srijan Samman’ from Being Woman for journalism/child creativity; 2023 ‘Sushma Swaraj Award’ for literature promotion; A3F Foundation, Chandigarh, awarded the Trust’s anthology 51 Scintillating Tales – Short Stories by Children, A3F Literary Award – 2023; Food4Thought Foundation presented the India Reading Olympiad Role Model – Best Book Club Award to Keekli Book Club in 2024.
Keekli embodies Vandana’s vision: elevating young talent through curation and opportunity, proving leadership in empowerment over acclaim.