Songbyrde was born from a belief in the transformative power of storytelling—an idea inspired in part by a memorable conversation between co-founder Sumi Sastri and the celebrated American author Maya Angelou. Angelou spoke passionately about creativity as a force that liberates the human spirit, reminding us that “we all have a story to tell, and every bird has a song to sing.” Those words became a lasting foundation for Songbyrde’s identity.
Angelou’s own journey—marked by silence following childhood trauma and a rediscovery of voice through poetry—deeply influenced Songbyrde’s ethos. Her resilience and eventual embrace of the spoken and written word affirmed the importance of creative expression as both a form of healing and empowerment.
The roots of Songbyrde trace back to the early 2000s, when Prema Sastri, a pioneering Indian author writing in English, set out to establish a literary publishing house. Inspired by Angelou’s multifaceted life as a writer, performer, and creator, the name “Songbird” resonated strongly. However, when the domain name proved unavailable, a simple yet distinctive shift to the Old English spelling—“Songbyrde”—gave the brand its unique identity.
Between 2008 and 2017, Songbyrde Publishing nurtured and published literary fiction from writers in Bengaluru, India, contributing to a vibrant local literary culture. Following Prema Sastri’s passing in 2017, intellectual property rights were transferred to her daughter, Sumi Sastri.
After a period of dormancy, the Songbyrde logo was modernised, and the work of its founders continued from 2024 as the arts marketing brand of concentric circles digital.
