BOOKS
Superpowers on the Shore
Published by Penguin Randomhouse, 2022. Order here.
From the space between land and sea, revealed only at low tide, comes a coruscating kaleidoscope of colours and brilliance: the intertidal zone. And the marine lifeforms of these zones are capable of superpowers. The Indian coastline hosts some magnificent intertidal species: solar-powered slugs, escape artist octopuses, venomous jellies, harpooning conus sea snails, to name just a few. It is as biodiverse as a forest wildlife safari, and twice as secretive. From bioluminescence and advanced sonic capabilities to camouflage and shapeshifting, these cloaked assassins are capable of otherworldly skill.
Come witness the magic of our intertidal superheroes, their fragile beauty and their iridescent drama. Put on your waterproof shoes, pack a bottle of whimsy, bring your sense of wonder. And prepare to be mesmerized
Grandma Tales
This is an anthology of essays and stories on, as the title suggests, Grandmothers.
Ma lived at 74, at Chummoter, in Ahmedabad, and the house, that number is a big part of my childhood. This was therapeutic to write, because for all the fatakda Ma was, I wasn't the nicest to her. She was a matriarch that I wish I'd known better.
You can read the story here or buy the book here so you can get the beautiful stories from the other authors too.
Watch Out! The Tiger is Here
The first from the PhoneStories written for Pratham Books Storyweaver. These are digital books (also out in print later in the year) for Level 1 students. Illustrated by Rohan Chakravarty and edited by Bijal Vachharajani and Aparna Kaur.
What happens in a forest when a tiger moves to hunt? What if children could listen to the alarm calls that follow a tiger at its slightest move? What if they could be virtually transported into the forest with the help of an audio visual book?
This was the most fun I've had writing and conceptualising a story.
You can read/ listen to the digital story here or buy a hard copy here. Some of the Pratham books are also available as part of reading sets on Amazon.
Did you hear?
The second from the PhoneStories written for Pratham Books Storyweaver. These are digital books (also out in print later in the year) for Level 1 students. Illustrated by Rohan Chakravarty and edited by Bijal Vachharajani and Aparna Kaur.
Identifying birds through bird call was the best way I could fall in love with birds. It's helpful to know that a Malabar Whistling Thrush sounds like a whistling child, or a Brahminy Kite sounds like a crying baby. Now what if, children could read and listen all at once?
You can read/ listen to the digital story here or buy a hard copy here.
Wild Cat, Wild Cat
The third from the PhoneStories written for Pratham Books Storyweaver. These are digital books (also out in print later in the year) for Level 1 students. Illustrated by Rohan Chakravarty and edited by Bijal Vachharajani and Aparna Kaur.
I am a big cat girl through and through and this was interesting, to showcase the different types of big cats in India and Rohan Chakravarty, the genius that he is, opped them with a housecat for scale.
You can read/ listen to the digital story here or buy a hard copy here.
Who Ate All That Up?
The fourth and final one from the PhoneStories written for Pratham Books Storyweaver. These are digital books (also out in print later in the year) for Level 1 students. Illustrated by Rohan Chakravarty and edited by Bijal Vachharajani and Aparna Kaur.
Who keeps the forest clean? We wanted to show how nothing goes to waste in a forest, how everything is cleared away, everything is used, and nothing toxic is allowed to fester.
You can read/ listen to the digital story here or buy a hard copy here.
Walking in the Wild
Take a walk with Zakhuma, a brave forest guard who lives in Mizoram. As Zakhuma takes us through his forest, we learn about the different animals and what it means to protect the jungle.
The book is a level 4 story, and is illustrated beautifully by Barkha Lohia and edited by Yamini Vijayan and Bijal Vachhrajani from Pratham Books.
The print version will be available later in 2018, but for now, you can read it online.
You can read/ listen to the digital story here.
Magical Women
An anthology of short stories with these themes: fantasy fiction, magic and feminism. Mine's a story that is titled: Earth and Evolution Walk into a Bar. I had a lot of fun writing it, hope you have fun reading it, and the other 13 stories in the book. Edited by Sukanya Venkatraghavan.
You can buy the book here.
Whoop, Goes The Pufferfish
You can read/ listen to the digital story here