Shifting the Focus: Centering Marginalised Stories of Colonialism

Literature reflects and constitutes society. In the imperial period, travel writing and adventure stories penned by British writers such as Rudyard Kipling did not merely represent India. They also built an image of India creating attitudes, beliefs and ways of thinking that legitimised colonial rule. Literature of post-independent India wrested the power of nation building […]
When History Comes Calling: Reflecting on the Roald Dahl Controversy | By Samantha Kokkat

Puffin Books and the Roald Dahl Story Company found themselves in the eye of the storm when they announced that new editions of Roald Dahl’s books will be revised to make them less offensive. The move came after the publisher and the author’s estate worked with Inclusive Minds, an organisation that aims to support the […]
Rain Must Fall On Friendship and Empowerment

Children start coming into their own as they inch closer to their teenage years. Confusion may reign high as teenagers embark on a turbulent journey of self-discovery. Nandita Basu delicately addresses this in her 2022 Neev Book Award-shortlisted graphic novel, Rain Must Fall. Centred around the life of an adolescent, the book talks about isolation, […]
Living Your Truth: Takeaways from ‘The Best At It’

For an adolescent, finding a niche for oneself may feel like a never-ending worry, constantly looming over one’s head. Most of us have tried hard to fit in and create an impression of a lifetime. Maulik Pancholy penned down similar struggles of his own in his book, The Best At It, a semi-autobiographical take on […]
Behind the Scenes: The Making of an Author

As Stephen King put it, “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” Inspiration, creativity, motivation, rewriting, editing – these are a few terms that belong permanently in every author’s vocabulary. For Maulik Pancholy, the author of The Best At It, […]
The Seed of a Story

Katherine Applegate told us that the inspiration for a lot of her books comes from the news, “There was a Muslim family that had moved into a small town in the United States, and somebody had put a note on their door that said, Go away. We don’t want you here. It was outrageous…we were […]