Twelve hours of travel-time, and a three-hour workshop. I can’t promise to do it again, yet it was fun! The British Council, Mumbai, has rolled out the reading challenge programme in several schools in Mumbai. I conducted three workshops at Universal High, Dahisar, and had a lovely time. We worked with Sophie’s Snail by Dick King-Smith, a story […]
The Story-Catcher – A Review by a 9-year-old
I’ve been waiting for something momentous before writing my blog – what could be more momentous than a review of The Story-Catcher by a nine-year-old? Arushi Upadhyaya had to design a book-jacket for a school competition. The entry she submitted is with the school, but she sent me the rough plan she made. At the back, she informs me, […]
Alma Mater
Thoughts come to me in bits and pieces. The house charts are still displayed at the back of the hall. They’ve become bigger and grander, not restricted to single sheets of chart-paper. Also, the availability of print-outs means that girls with neat handwriting don’t make all the charts. There are big boards on the wall, […]
Books for Rainy Days
It’s been a while since I wrote, mainly because I’ve been reading. Here’s a look at some of what I’ve read recently. As a child, I enjoyed reading and collecting the entire Animal Ark series. As I grew older, I learned that Lucy Daniels, the author of the series, did not exist. Just like Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon. […]
St. Mary’s … St. Mary’s …
When I read the title (and when I was writing it), I could not help singing it. I’ve been writing for ages now. I’ve had about 25 stories for children published. I have a book to my credit. Yet, I can’t deny that I am happy to see an article in the St. Mary’s School magazine! […]
Paying a Tribute – Sakal Times
Thank you, Sakal Times, for the article about our Kalakshetra performance!
What Went By
It’s taken me a while to write about the last month. How full of emotions it has been! We performed in Kalakshetra for Pushpa Teacher and Jaya Teacher, my teacher’s teachers. We peaked and fell, rising and falling with a tide of emotions. We felt we underperformed, and then we were overwhelmed by everyone’s responses. […]
Day One: Reading Workshop at Atta Galatta
It’s wonderful to have a dear childhood friend attend a workshop of mine and diligently take pictures! I had a delightful morning at my reading workshop at Atta Galatta, Bangalore.
Empty Quarter (Girl on the Run Book 2)
I sat at Coimbatore train station, book in hand. “What happened?” asked my sister, looking at my face. I grinned. “I’m inside this book.” I added, quickly, “Will you keep a lookout for the train? I may not notice when it pulls in.” That’s how Empty Quarter was. As with Cat’s Cradle, I jumped straight […]
Reading Workshop at Atta Galatta, Bengaluru
I’m conducting a two-day reading workshop at Bengaluru! Highlights: >Read aloud >Act out a story >Develop a love for reading >Imagine and create >Play a vocabulary game >Learn about book-publishing >Understand what copyright is Age-group: 8-12 years Dates: 4th and 5th July, 2015 Time: 11 am to 1 pm Total duration: 4 hours Fee: Rs […]
Kalakshetra Performance – The New Indian Express
Yes, we really performed. Even though the picture does not show it, I was really there too.
Performing at Kalakshetra!
To say that we are honoured, privileged and humbled all at the same time is to say nothing at all. We are going to perform at Kalakshetra, the place where our beloved guru became the dancer and person she is … What words of mine can begin to touch upon all our thoughts and feelings? Like […]
Cauldron Spells
What happens when a foolish dragon falls into a cauldron and makes it too misshapen for it to function normally? What happens when the bottle of frogspell that you thought you were carrying turns out to be blueberries mixed with porridge? What happens when a young girl sets out to become a squire? Cauldron Spells was delightful, full of […]
The Indian in the Cupboard
I picked up The Indian in the Cupboard full of apprehension. For a long time, I have intended to read this book. Yet, I have realised of late that I have read so much modern writing that older writing seems dry and slow. 1980 is rather a long time ago, and I was not sure how much […]
Sea of Tears
The cover illustration of Sea of Tears was just lovely. The wake of a boat curving into a big ‘S’, a little girl looking out at the sea … It was a cover I could keep looking at. The book could have been better, though. I enjoyed much of it, but there were parts that left […]
Berlin Olympics
I picked up Berlin Olympics assuming it was about a real person. Sure, I expected historical fiction, but my knowledge of Olympic swimmers is not good enough to have known that Eleanor Rhys Davies is not a real person. In the beginning, I was disappointed. I don’t know why; I don’t know what I expected. Yet, as I […]
Storytelling at the British Council Library, Pune
Summer holidays are nearly over; here’s my last activity before school begins. This storytelling session is for the little ones at a venue I always love! Date: Sunday, 31 May 2015 Time: 3.00 to 4.00 pm Venue: British Council Library,Pune Overview: Stories are magical. When young children listen to stories, they develop into readers as they grow […]
Cat’s Cradle
Sometimes, especially when you read a lot of different kinds of books that you’ve picked up based solely on the cover, one book jumps out and takes you by surprise. It makes you read on and on, and it makes you chuckle even when you are in a public place and ought to be behaving […]
Reading and Writing Workshop
I have one photograph with the children at Cedarwood!
Reading and Writing Workshop at Cedarwood
Half of my reading and writing workshop at Cedarwood is over, and I’ve finally convinced myself that I am not going to be taking any photographs. I keep intending to, and then I get so involved in everything we’re doing that somewhere along the line, I forget. We’ve done so much in the last few […]