Olivier Sanjay Lafont is an acclaimed author, screenplay writer and actor, with a very impressive body of work that appeals to all ages. You might also remember him from his big-screen outings in movies like 3 Idiots and Guzaarish. Originally from France, Olivier grew up in India and loves the country, something that shines through his work. His latest work is a fantastical piece of fiction for kids called ‘Oop & Lila: Lost in the Scarabean Sea’.

Talking about the idea for his stories, Olivier said,

“All stories are, in my mind, a seamless connection between fiction for kids and adults. Everything comes naturally. When I write, I am also enacting the story in my mind. ‘Oop and Lila’ has been written very cinematically.”

Having written fiction majorly, the author feels that fantasy is very important as it integrates adventure, fun and discovery. It aids in expanding imagination.

“It gave a whole new internal dimension to my life as a kid,” Olivier added.

He also believes that the quest is an essential part of fantasy writing as it helps to mirror every reader’s day-to-day life from a brand new angle. It shows how every reader views a particular situation or thing differently. 

Olivier has a long-standing bond with Amar Chitra Katha books.

“When I was seven years old, my family moved from France to Delhi and I didn’t speak English or Hindi. I was put into an English medium school. The culture in Delhi was so different than that in France and I also had to overcome the language barrier. We were living in the French embassy. Among the few books in the guest house, there were a couple of Amar Chitra Katha comics. In France, there is a huge comic subculture that we call bandes dessineés. Amar Chitra Katha Comics made me feel like this is something I know and I can access. The comics gave me an introduction to the people here, their lives, and their culture. That was how I connected with Indian culture.” 

Listen to hear more from Olivier and hear him read an excerpt from his book ‘Oop & Lila: Lost in the Scarabean Sea’ in the video above.

#ACKandFriends is an online talk show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. Watch Season 1: Click here

Stay tuned for Season 2 coming soon.

The post Writer Write-Up: Olivier Sanjay Lafont appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Natasha Sharma is one of India’s most well-known children’s authors, with over a dozen books to her name. Her popular books, Icky, Yucky, Mucky and Kaka and Munni, have been performed at various literary events across the country. Her iconic History Mystery series has a huge reader base and is one of the most popular series in kids’ literature.

Natasha’s tryst with writing began long before her first book Icky, Yucky, Mucky. However, it was this book that made her realize how much she enjoyed the process of writing stories for kids. Interestingly, the book was initially written in verses but was elaborated to prose when the editor of Young Zubaan, Anita Roy, told her to do so. The book hilariously touches upon some of the bad habits that kids and adults easily fall into, including not-so-pleasant table manners.

However, she does feel strongly that children’s literature in India is not given its due and that’s primarily because of the issues of discoverability.

“Indian kid-lit is often relegated to one corner of a book store with a fused bulb and cartons of stock lying in front of it. That’s the ground reality. We lack good, well-established, well-known review spaces. To be able to get the word out, you need people in the mainstream, large media houses, bloggers… you need an entire village to build this. It’s not just about us selling a book, it’s about getting a child enthused about reading which is the ultimate goal for everyone.”

Her first book from the History Mystery series,  Akbar and The Tricky Traitor, grew out of a writing workshop that Duckbill Books conducted in Mumbai. One of the exercises in the workshop was to pick a genre in which participants would have never considered writing a book. To add to the challenge, participants also had to pick a random object from a black bag and make it an essential part of the story. Natasha picked historical fiction… and a sock!

So how does Natasha balance historical settings with contemporary voices and make it sound exciting for kids?

“I do a ton of research and I don’t write anything until it’s over. The research could go on for as long as six months. I prepare notes and try to dig out some information that kids would never get to learn in their history textbooks. The fun bits of history are always left out for some reason. When I begin writing, I make sure I don’t force fit information into the story because it takes the joy away from storytelling and for the reader as well. Then I come up with interesting names for each of my character. “

Listen to hear more from Natasha and hear her read an excerpt from her book ‘Akbar and The Tricky Traitor’ in the video above.

#ACKandFriends is an online talk show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. Watch Season 1: Click here 

Stay tuned for Season 2 coming soon.

The post Writer Write-Up: Natasha Sharma appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Deepa Balsavar is a writer, illustrator and educationist, who has many award-winning books to her name such as ‘The Seed’ and ‘The Lonely King and Queen’. She has spent many years working on putting together material for a variety of educational programs including UNICEF’s empowerment series for children as well as the Avehi-Abacus Project. 

Deepa’s love for words and pictures started at the tender age of five when she could first make out what a stop sign said on a road trip with her family. Even as a kid, she would spend many nights wide awake, her nose glued to her book. Through her work, she now aims to invoke that love and passion for the written word in as many as kids as possible.  

Nani is a popular character among kids who Deepa created as a composite of all the people she is truly fond of and all the values that are important to her. Her latest Nani adventure ‘Nani’s Walk to the Park’ not only highlights these values but also helps kids discover everything that is Mumbai. From travelling in the double-decker bus to looking at piles of lychees on a fruit vendor’s cart, the book helps kids explore the real Mumbai, encouraging them to find beauty in their own surroundings. Deepa finished the book in record time too, working long hours in the day to meet her deadline.

“From the final story being given in to the final approval, the book was completed in four months which is nothing. I worked on the book for 12 to 13 hours a day, but I really wish I would have given a few more months to the book. Now when I look at it, I feel there is so much more that I could have added to it.”

The phenomenal writer also finds beauty in scrap and tatter. She is a fabulous papier-mâché artist. Her 3D models are the definition of cute and have developed a cult following. 

“I want to learn to make stuff without using any kind of chemicals and reusing all kinds of waste that I can find around at home. I use all of those to make these 3D art models of various things that I get inspiration from.” 

Watch the video to listen to Deepa read an excerpt from her book ‘Nani’s Walk To The Park’ and learn more about her journey. 

#ACKandFriends is an online talk show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. Watch Season 1: Click here 

Stay tuned for Season 2 coming soon.

The post Writer Write-Up: Deepa Balsavar appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

“It was 1994 and our office had been destroyed in a massive fire. We had lost everything we had – our library of 3000 reference books, all our copies of Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha, three huge files of ready and approved scripts and three huge files of artworks ready to be scheduled for Tinkle. It was a devastating loss and we were a little paralysed. The Mirchandanis, who owned IBH and us, stepped in and immediately gave us space in their Mahalakshmi office. Mr Pai saw to it that all of us were settled in and as comfortable as possible. I was 35 years old at that time and the assistant editor of Tinkle.

The following day Mr Pai called me into his office and said, “The next issue of Tinkle has to go to print in 20 days. What are we going to do about it?” I looked at him and remembered what he had told me when he was relating the story of how Amar Chitra Katha had become such a big success. He had said, “If I had listened to all the criticism and discouragement I would have failed. You have to believe in yourself and what you have to do.” Without thinking I said, “Don’t worry, Mr Pai. We will send the next issue of Tinkle to the press in time. The children will not miss an issue.”

Brave words but how was I going to do it. I have learned that when you have your back to the wall that’s when the best ideas come. I got the team to sit down and write fresh content for all the special pages like Tinkle Tells you Why and Super Quiz. We quickly scripted single page Suppandi stories and sent them to Mr Ram Waeerkar who drew them in record speed. I wrote to all the artists to complete and send any assignment they had been given along with the scripts (no we did not have computers or backups). Once that happened the team worked at top speed to colour, letter, proof and edit the pages. In 19 days we had all 32 pages and the cover of Tinkle ready for print. Mr Pai was the happiest man that day. He congratulated the team. Besides, he said something that I hold dear to my heart even now. “If Reena says she will do it, I know she will do it.” Appreciative words, encouraging words. More importantly, words that increased my self-esteem ten-fold.

Mr Pai knew how to make one realize one’s own potential and work towards it. That was what was special about him. He was a real guru and the perfect mentor.”

“Uncle Pai for me has always been this larger-than-life Santa Claus like figure. He brought to me and thousands of other kids the gift of stories and comics that filled the pages of Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha. So when I decided I wanted to make my career writing stories I went hunting for one of those who had sparked my imagination. However, I couldn’t meet him. But a couple of years later I got my opportunity when I applied for a writer’s position in answer to an ad for a researcher at Amar Chitra Katha. Yeah, wonky, but it got me my break six months later when a vacancy in Tinkle opened up! Plus! I finally got to meet one of my idols. Yes, Uncle Pai! It so happened that the editor of Tinkle who was to take my interview was not in yet and while I waited I got to meet Mr Pai. He was as gentle and kind as I imagined him to be. But… he wanted me to join ACK as a researcher whereas my heart was set on becoming a writer for Tinkle. It was a hard choice… it was Uncle Pai asking! Thankfully the editor of Tinkle came to fetch me for my interview and I ended up getting my dream job. 

Do you know what was the icing on the cake? The day I joined happened to be Mr Pai’s birthday! And I began the day and my journey with Tinkle with sweets made by Mrs Pai whose birthday it also was and a shloka recited by Mr Pai in his inimitable style.”

“When he asked me, “What is it that you love to do best? Is it copywriting or drawing?” This question hit me like a thunderbolt because I had never thought of it earlier. And with a bit of hesitation, I said that I liked to draw. And then he said, “Join us as a staff artist in the TINKLE team”. Mr Pai had the ability to spot talents and nurture them with a lot of patience. With me having no qualifications or formal training in art he put that complete belief and faith in me through those formative years in Tinkle. And the day when he called me to his cabin to tell me that I will have to take up illustrating Shikari Shambu as Mr Halbe was to retire. This was a huge responsibility and I was petrified but he was sure. “Oh don’t worry,” he said with a wave of his hand. “You will be able to do it!”

That was Uncle Pai who believed and never gave up!”

The post Memories of Uncle Pai  appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Jerry Pinto is one of India’s most celebrated writers, contributed some iconic books to Indian literature. In 2016, he won the Sahitya Akademi Award and the Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes for his bestseller ‘Em and The Big Hoom’. Jerry’s words charm audiences of all ages alike. Interestingly, the secret to his captivating style is keeping no rules in mind while writing.

“The purest form of writing is putting down your ideas on paper without thinking about where it is going to flow. Thus, doing it for the sheer fun of storytelling.”.   

Jerry’s popular title ‘Tickle me… Don’t Tickle Me…’ is a collection of humorous poems. In fact, one of the poems was created out of miscommunication between his sister and him. The author prefers poetry over prose, tracing his preference for verse to the womb.

“The first poem you ever hear is your mother’s heartbeat. It is the basis of all music you will ever hear. We pray in poetry and sing in poetry. Poetry is words set to music. Sometimes music plays and turns it into a song and sometimes the music is hidden, leaving it a poem. Keeping a poetry book by your side and reading one each day softens you, shapes you, and also makes you a better person.”

There weren’t many Indian writers who wrote exclusively for children back when Jerry was a boy. However, Mahatma Gandhi has been a childhood inspiration. Gandhji wrote letters to many people. He always spoke his mind and never shied away from owning his mistakes too, a trait Jerry truly admired. So how does he get such wonderful ideas?

“The world is the same for all of us. A writer just views it from a different perspective. For me, what starts a process is a series of ‘what ifs’. What if this happened? What if it turned out that way? It is all about the unusual angle a writer sees and presents in the story.”

Watch the video to learn more about Jerry’s journey so far, and to enjoy watching him read an excerpt from his book ‘Tickle Me… Don’t Tickle Me…’.

#ACKandFriends is a weekly live show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. 

The post Writer Write-Up: Jerry Pinto appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Shachii Manik loves to play with words, that’s how she came up with her impressive body of work. Over the years, she has made up jokes, puzzles, limericks, rhymes, and stories for kids. Her transition from the corporate world to writing for children was not planned though. It was after she became a mother that she first heard the call to tell stories. To keep her kids entertained, she started cooking up tall tales, and since then, there was no turning back.

Shachii has also developed a series of activity books for kids called ‘Inside India’. She recollects the great fun she had while creating the book because she researched all sorts of unusual things from different cities of India and compiled them in the form of fun activities in the book, accompanied by some fascinating factoids. 

Her observation skills have greatly influenced her writing. Whenever she can, she tries to overhear the conversations of little ones around her to get a peek inside their world view.

“It is very important to see the world through the eyes of a three-year-old. They find joy in little things. We have to be like them and talk their talk if we want to teach them something.”

That’s how she realized that kids enjoyed poetry over prose, and made a conscious switch to writing in verse. 

So how did her first book happen?

“My husband is my partner in rhyme. He’s my co-author on the book as well. We had gone to Goa and were hanging out at the pool, when our kids kept nudging us to narrate stories. My husband and I were on a roll too. That’s exactly how the story was developed. When we read it out to our family and friends, they really enjoyed it. Then the thought of putting it in rhyme and publishing came to us.”

Watch the video to learn more about Shachii and her creative journey. Shachii also does a short read from ‘The Magic Potion’ that is sure to get you excited about reading all of it! 

#ACKandFriends is a weekly live show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. The show airs every Friday at 5:00 pm on our Facebook and Youtube channels.

The post Writer Write-Up: Shachii Manik appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Nandini Nayar is an award-winning author who has written over fifty books and three hundred short stories in a career spanning over two decades. Some of her popular books include What Shall I Make?, Where is Amma?, The Great River Magic, Apoorva’s Fat Diary, and Camp Sweets. Apart from writing books, she has also worked on developing school curriculums and textbooks.

Nandini shares a history with Tinkle and Amar Chitra Katha, having written for both brands. For Amar Chitra Katha, she scripted Amar Chitra Katha’s retelling of Munshi Premchand’s classic tale, ‘Two Oxen’. “It was challenging to create a graphic format of the story but it turned out pretty good.” With Tinkle, she authored the magazine’s ‘Pranav and his Daadi’ series in the early 2000s, a project that is very close to her heart.

Nandini believes that food is a subject everyone can bond over. Hence, it is hardly surprising that food forms an essential part of all her books. For example, her best-seller ‘What Shall I Make?’  was, in her words, “one that was born out of necessity!” She had to come up with stories about food to keep her son distracted while she was busy preparing rotis. Every day, there were some improvisations in the story, based on her son’s reactions. Imagine the number of drafts she created for her story!  

Digging a little deeper into the process of ideation, Nandini says, “Ideas can strike anywhere. I get most of my ideas while performing random tasks such as cooking or walking in the market. However, asking questions helps. Wondering about events around us and questioning historic events can leave you with interesting story ideas. I also take inspiration from my childhood memories.”

In her famous book, ‘Camp Sweets’, Nandini has tried to shatter the popular myth that cooking means following instructions to the tee. The story is about a mother who runs a sweet shop and wants her son, Raj, to be her heir. With an aim to make him better at preparing sweets, she sends Raj to a special summer camp. Raj, however, hates the rigidity of following instructions while cooking, and eventually meets a boy there who shows him the real charm of the culinary arts.  

Watch the video to hear more from Nandini and listen to her read an excerpt from her book ‘Camp Sweets’!

#ACKandFriends is a weekly live show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. The show airs every Friday at 5:00 pm on our Facebook and Youtube channels.

The post Writer Write-Up: Nandini Nayar appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Ashok Rajagopalan is a veteran author and illustrator who has contributed to over 300 books and articles in an illustrious career spanning over 30 years! Ashok completed his Mechanical Engineering and took up a marketing job at Intel, becoming the IT behemoth’s only Indian representative at the time. However,  he soon decided to explore a more creative route, switching to graphic designing and slowly making his way into illustrations and writing. He has a flair of adapting his art style to the tone of the story he’s working on. From making you go ‘Awww!’ at the chubby cheeks and glittery eyes of super cute characters he doodles, to having you roll on the floor with laughter looking at the completely exaggerated features of the more wacky personalities he brings to life, his penmanship is almost chameleon-esque…     

The adorable elephant from his iconic series Gajapati Kulapati has already found its way on the shelves of thousands of libraries across the world. When asked about the inspiration behind the charming pachyderm, he says,

“I had attended a poetry workshop then. I was amazed to see how poetry could be incorporated into prose. The book is a result of the direct influence of the poetry workshop. In fact, the book was initially written for a kid’s reading session. That is one of the reasons why it is fun to enact the book. Gajapati Kulapati was supposed to resemble the walking sound of the elephant.”

A jovial personality, Ashok is very fond of humour, which prominently shows up in his books. When we asked him if humour as a genre is underestimated, especially in children’s literature, he laughed.

“Something that makes you laugh cannot be taken seriously. P. G. Wodehouse, one of the most widely read humorists, never won a Nobel prize but he is my inspiration. Any art form that makes people laugh gives satisfaction to its creator. Doesn’t this hold true for actors too? Romantic and action heroes command more appreciation but comedians are not so admired. I am happy about creating funny books for kids.”

Ashok’s bestseller ‘Ha… Ha… Hasya!’ is a book featuring a humorous take on a dispute between the devas and asuras in Indralok, where the asuras are in no mood to fight and thus arrive weaponless. Ashok said,

“I do not like unkind humour, so for me, the challenge was to write a lighthearted conversation while keeping the regality of the characters. I was very careful to not offend the beliefs of people. One deliberate attempt was to pick those characters which are usually portrayed in a fun way. I also created a new demi-god.”

Watch the video to listen to Ashok read an excerpt from his book ‘Ha… Ha… Hasya!’ and learn more about his journey.

#ACKandFriends is a weekly live show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. The show airs every Friday at 5:00 pm on our Facebook and Youtube channels.

The post Writer Write-Up: Ashok Rajagopalan appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Bijal Vachharajani is an esteemed author, journalist, and editor, who has dedicated most of her life to raising awareness about climate change and environmental issues through the written word. Some of her best-sellers include So You Want to Know About the Environment, What’s Neema Eating Today? and The Seed Savers. She completed her masters in Environment Security and Peace at the UN-mandated University for Peace in Costa Rica. Bijal has a day job where she serves as Editor Scissorhands with prominent children’s publishers, Pratham Books.

“Children’s books take us to a safe and wonderful place. We all return to kid’s literature for comfort and joy. I cannot believe that people pay me to read kids’ books. It’s a dream job.” 

When quizzed about the editing process, she said that she is blessed to have a wonderful team that gels very well together. No manuscript is passed without the consent of all the team members. The final question they all have to answer after reading a manuscript is, ‘Did we enjoy the book and get lost in it?’ Only if the answer is a unanimous ‘yes’ do they proceed! When asked about the design process behind picture books for younger readers and the balance between art and words, she said that there is no fixed formula.

“A lot of discussion goes into it. We look at the age group and the kind of emotion each page can evoke in the kids. Knowledge of design rules definitely helps but it is a constant juggle.” 

Her latest title, A Cloud Called Bhura, deals with the crucial subject of climate change, and has been very well received by readers. So how was Bhura born? “Bhura came to me when I was studying at the University of Costa Rica. We learnt that there were brown clouds being formed in the southern part of the world. Reports suggested that this would impact monsoon patterns, human health, and more. However, government bodies are yet to take this seriously. I started wondering, ‘What if Bhura was a tangible body hovering above Mumbai? How would everybody react to it?’ Thus, Bhura was born!”

Watch the video to learn more about Bijal and her journey so far, and listen to her read from the book as well!

#ACKandFriends is a weekly live show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. The show airs every Friday at 5:00 pm on our Facebook and Youtube channels.

The post Writer Write-Up: Bijal Vachharajani appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.

Harshikaa Udasi completed her masters in Economics before turning to journalism. After spending nearly two decades reporting the news, she followed her passion for writing stories. 

She traces her love for writing stories to when she was 15 years old. That’s when she first attempted to write her first novel. Unfortunately, she stopped writing after the first two pages,  but the thought of having an unfinished book made her come back to it 25 years later. When Duckbill Books announced the Children First writing contest, she finally penned down her first book and submitted it, winning first prize! Kittu’s Very Mad Day was born, and since then, there has been no turning back. The book was very well received by the audience, going on to win the 2018 FICCI Publishing Award for Best English Children’s Book.

When we asked her about the inspiration behind the differently-abled Kittu who is the protagonist of the book, she had a lovely story to share. 

“My friend had been blessed with a baby girl who did not have the gift of sight. I was deeply saddened and couldn’t help but sympathize with her. ‘Why does God have to be so unfair?’ I thought. I avoided meeting her, wondering what I would talk to her about. Years later, when I met the child, I found her to be one of the most cheerful and lively kids I had ever come across. That made me realize that one need not pity the differently-abled.” 

Harshikaa also runs the Book Trotters Club, a unique book club for kids with the aim of building the habit of reading. The club hosts various events for kids such as read-alongs, speech and drama programmes, creative writing and film appreciation, and much more. Additionally, she also leads a reading programme in Akshara High School, Mumbai. She loves spending time with kids and narrating stories to them. It was only after becoming a mother that she realized how differently parents and children see the world around them, something she has touched upon in her recent release, Friends Behind Walls. 

The book is set against the beautiful backdrop of quaint Deolali in Nashik. The plot and the characters are all inspired by real-life incidents, with an extra dash of humour and imagination. Watch the video to learn more about it, and hear Harshikaa read out a little bit too! 

#ACKandFriends is a weekly live show by our Amar Chitra Katha editorial team, where we connect with India’s top children’s authors and give audiences a sneak peek into the creative process behind writing books for kids. The show airs every Friday at 5:00 pm on our Facebook and Youtube channels.

The post Writer Write-Up: Harshikaa Udasi appeared first on Amar Chitra Katha.