Mahboob Ali Mohammad (AFSAR) (Elementary Hindi, 2007) earned a M.A. in Literature from Osmania University. Presently he is a lecturer, Asian studies, University of Texas - Austin. He is teaching 'South Asia and the Novel' 'Modern India and Literature' and Telugu courses. He is also working on his Ph.D. on Village Muharram Rituals in South India at University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Afsar is a published writer in India - three poetry collections, one short story collection and one book on modern literary theories. He has received many awards and honors including the Ugadi National Integration Honor from the Madras Telugu Academy. In 1991 he was awarded Free Verse Front Award for the best poetry volume of the year. In 2007, he won a prestigious Bhaasha Samman Award from the Government of India for his collection of poems in Telugu.

He has been working for SASLI since 2003 Summer and taught Hindi & Urdu.