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Kids & Teens

Let’s go ‘Bonkers!’

Indian book Bonkers! has recently won the 2014 Crystal Kite Award. Here, we met with the author Natasha Sharma and the illustrator Deepti Sunder to know more about the book that has created waves in the children world.Bonkers!, published by Duckbill Books, written by Natasha Sharma and illustrated by Deepti Sunder has won the 2014 Crystal Kite Award for the Middle East, Asia and India. The Crystal Kite Awards are given by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) to recognize great books from the seventy SCBWI regions around the world. Along with the SCBWI Golden Kite Awards, the Crystal Kite Awards are chosen by other children’s book writers and illustrators, making them the only peer-given awards in publishing for young readers.

Bonkers! plot line....

Bonkers! follows the adventures of a boy named Armaan and his overactive dog Bonkers. The story begins at the point when a brown and white pup, soon to be named Bonkers, enters Armaan’s life. What ensues is utter chaos as Armaan deals with puppy teething trouble, toilet training and Bonkers’ antics that unwittingly get Armaan into more trouble with the school bully, TT. Bonkers! talks about pets, responsibility as well as bullies.

Natasha Sharma, the author...

Natasha Sharma’s childhood had crazy episodes, featuring dogs, rabbits, ducks, guinea pigs, horses, buffaloes and the occasional squirrel, all in her backyard. She graduated in Math, did an MBA, worked as a brand manager, and is now happily doing what she loves most—writing books for children. Natasha’s other books include Akbar and the Tricky Traitor and Ashoka and the Muddled Messages (Duckbill Books), Icky, Yucky, Mucky (Young Zubaan) and Rooster Raga (Tulika Books).

Deepti Sunder, the illustrator...

Deepti Sunder graduated in architecture, but towards the end of her course, she knew she didn’t want to practise as an architect. She then went through this period of trying to decide what do next, which involved a lot of considering and dropping options. Somewhere in the middle of all the searching, she got the chance to do an internship with illustrator Tanvi Bhat. That was when she realised illustration was possibly the kind of career she had been on the lookout for. Following that, she applied to Duckbill and got to work on Bonkers, and ever since, there’s been no looking back!

Varsha: Tell us something about your award-winning book Bonkers!? 

Natasha: Bonkers! is completely inspired by real life! I grew up in a house full of dogs, with four at any point of time and often a litter of pups added in. With a whole host of doggy escapades, the idea had always existed in my head. Sometimes a wealth of ideas can overwhelm. I think I took time sorting through them before sitting down to write this one.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a dog of my own with the constraints of apartment living and incessant travel. My parents, however, have a young dog, all of one year, named Obi Singh. He is the current and original Bonkers and is by far the naughtiest dog we have ever had. He recently enacted the entire first chapter from my book Bonkers! much to my mother’s exasperation since she was left with a chewed up pair of spectacles. (We suspect Obi can read.)

Deepti: I still can’t quite believe Bonkers! has won an award! That said, however, I think it’s a brilliant book. Natasha has written it wonderfully, with her trademark sound effects, come-to-life-when-you-read-them descriptions, and all-around craziness and humour. I remember really loving the story when I read it for the first time. When you read Bonkers!, the story comes alive in your head, and I think this especially helped with getting the characters onto paper. The characters I was most excited about illustrating (apart from Armaan and Bonkers, of course) were Guvi and Beeji. I loved Guvi with his alliterative exclamations and love for food, and couldn’t wait to draw him. I also found the idea of a grandmother who was scared of dogs and kept screaming around Bonkers hilarious. All in all, I had a lot of fun illustrating the book.

Varsha: In your opinion, what is the hardest part of writing/illustrating a book? Why?

Natasha: I think this would be different for each writer since the process of writing can vary drastically. For me, I breathe easier only when I have some framework of a plot. Characters of all sorts keep popping up in my head. Often they lead me to find their story. At times it is a concept with a strong character. Laying out the plot is the hardest part for me. Once that is done, writing it is the fun bit.

Deepti: Well, I’ve never really thought of any part of the illustration process as difficult. For me, the step that takes the most effort is probably conceptualising the characters, but the time it takes can vary a great deal. Some characters just take longer to take form than others, and you keep working at them until you are satisfied. For instance, Armaan came to me rather quickly, but I drew many, many versions of Bonkers before I was happy with how he was looking.

Varsha: What factors are kept in mind while writing/illustrating for children?

Natasha: Age, conceptual understanding by level, vocabulary to some extent (I don’t worry too much about it since there will be some words they may not know, but it is good for them to be challenged). I use humour in my writing and have to make sure it works for a child and for that age group. While writing picture books, the reason for each word to exist in that book becomes important. Page turns become crucial to hold a child’s attention.

Deepti: I think the main thing to keep in mind is that the illustrations need to be relatable for children who will be reading the story. So it’s important to make sure the drawings suit the age group at which the book is aimed, and it’s also important to add details and objects in the drawings that children can identify with.

Varsha: What publishing advice do you give to aspiring artists of any age?

Natasha: If you love writing, stay at it. The more you write, the better you’ll get. Since writing is self-driven, you have to be disciplined and write often. Don’t take feedback, critiques and even rejection letters as personal affronts. They are great learning. Observe the world. Keep a notebook and jot stuff down before you lose the idea, phrase or dialogue.

Deepti: My advice is very simple, really. I would say that it’s important to believe in yourself, have faith in yourself and to keep trying. When you send in applications, don’t lose hope when you are rejected. There’s always room to learn and grow. Also, stay positive and keep looking ahead. Being an artist is essentially about you trying to better yourself at your craft every step of the way. Learn from others, but don’t get bogged down in comparisons.

Varsha: We live in a time when young people have numerous choices for entertainment. What would you like to say to children who may be hesitant about reading a book for "fun?

Natasha: Books are the most fabulous fun! Try many different authors, titles, series, genres and you’ll be sure to discover something you like. Everyone’s taste in books is different and sometimes the most unexpected books can be the ones that get you hooked on to. So be adventurous with your reading. There are also many review sites and online reading groups where you can discover new titles.

Deepti: Books can be the most captivating, exhilarating source of fun ever if you just give them the chance. When you are so deeply immersed in a book that you cannot put it down, all that will matter will be you and whatever the book is saying, and nothing else. So pick up a book you seem to like today, and read it. You won’t regret it!

Varsha: Which is your next book that readers can look forward to?

Natasha: Raja Raja and the Swapped Sacks - the third in the History Mystery series (Duckbill Books); Squiggle Takes a Walk (Young Zubaan) and Anaya’s Thumb (Pratham Books).

–Varsha Verma

Kids hooked to books for a day at Friends Club

Friends Club, Friends Colony (West), New Delhi, in association with All About Book Publishing, recently organised a Children’s Books Day, a library event for children (4-14 years). This fun-filled event for children and their parents aimed at engaging the curious minds! Children could choose and buy books they liked; interact with peers, authors, publishers; and enjoy interesting sessions.

The first session was a book reading session by Simi Srivastava: master storyteller and founder – Kathashala, a story telling institute for adults. She is the architect of numerous engaging and insightful workshops across the country on storytelling for teachers as well as parents. Children were enthralled and loved this interactive session, where Simi read aloud and performed on her book Give Back my Ball, published by Vishv Books.

This was followed by an eye-opening session for young parents by Dr Bindu Sehlot, professional parent counselor and author of Goodbye Mom & Dad See You in the Afternoon published by Sterling Publishers. Dr Sehlot has a vast experience of 20 years in the education industry.

Another story telling & story acting session under the guidance of Manas Ranjan Mahapatra from the National Book Trust, hooked the children as well as parents equally. Everybody got to write a story and few enthusiastic children even performed them. Manas heads the National Centre for Children's Literature division of National Book Trust, India. He is also an educational activist, editor, poet and writer for both children and adults.

Kids love to eat...so a session on Young Chefs: Hassle-free Cooking for Kids by Kavita Gupta from Nita Mehta Publications, was thoroughly enjoyed by children, who gathered around Kavita and learnt to cook lip-smacking delicacies, while their parents looked at them in awe.

Another interesting Storytelling session, which kept the kids glued to their seats was by Jason Quinn, who recited from his book Magical Animals published by Campfire. Progressing from comic writer to editor, to TV and back to comics, Jason is a man who carved himself a steady creative career. Presently, he is the creative content head at Campfire Graphic Novels.

And with ebooks progressing fast in the digital world, a session on Fun with eBooks: Learn Beyond Books With Multimedia by A2Z Teaching & Learning Solutions Pvt Ltd was truly apt. A2Z teaching and learning solutions endeavours to provide the best answers and solutions to all types of requirements of educational institutions under one roof, be it school library books, teacher resource books, children and activity books or school books.

And that was not all! Children even got into the splash pool with bath books from Dreamland Publications. Besides, Friends Club offered their old library books at throwaway prices.

The participating publishers at the event included Dreamland; Vishv Books; Macaw Books; A2Z Teaching and Learning Solutions, Apple Publishing, Quixot Publications, Sterling Publishers, Nita Mehta Publications, Aadya Books, Campfire and Little Pearl Books.

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“Books teleport a child to fantasy land”

shares the dynamic and successful children illustrator Nancy Raj.

Nancy Raj

Nancy Raj graduated with a master’s degree in Fine Arts and specialization in Graphic Design from Stella Maris College, Chennai. She has been in the field of illustrations and design for a decade, with hands-on experience with many children’s book publishers and organisations for children in India and across the world. Some of her important accounts include World Health Organisation, Deaf Child India (NGO), SRA McGraw Hill, Oxford University, Tulika Publishers, NCERT, Katha Publishers, Sesame Street, Chandamama children’s magazine, etc. Her book Days with Thathu by Katha Publishers, has been selected in the 101 Best Indian Children’s book list recently. While, Malli and Mala’s Silver Anklets by Tulika Publishers, has been recommended by CBSE for schools. Here’s more about this prolific illustrator.

Artist since child…

Normally, children exhibit their strengths right from childhood. “My interest to draw and doodle began when I was a child. The clean whitewashed wall of my little house was an inviting canvas. I remember making many mad curls, lines, circles, sun, moon, girl, boy, house, apple, mango, vegetables, flowers, leaves and so on. Every Christmas the house would be whitewashed and my mother would warn me not to "dirty" it again. Anyhow I would be at it - I would start with a small dot which later would transform into gigantic flowers,” laughs Nancy.

She started illustrating when she was in her last year of graduation. “It happened when there was an ad on “artist wanted” put up on the notice board of our department. I was the only one who got in touch with them. It was a small NGO for children with hearing impairments in rural schools. I drew simple pictures for flash cards, story boards, greeting cards, posters, etc. These study materials were used to teach the children with hearing and speaking disabilities. I loved making quick sketches of the boy and girl, mainly because the organizers liked my “style” – I drew “local” colourful south Indian scenes such as dark skinned cheerful children, fat rounded dads in “baniyan and lungi”, thin, dark and beautiful featured mothers with a big bun and jasmine flower around it. This style of illustrations helped the children connect to their real lives. I loved my first assignment, though it took me a lot of hard work to balance between my college assignments, and I was paid very less, or sometimes nothing,” she remembers.

Her actual commercially published first book was Malli with Tulika publishers. “It’s the same girl I drew for the flash cards for the NGO. Malli is an extremely cheerful girl, typically south Indian in style. This book is still a hit! I’m glad to announce that this book has been recommended by the CBSE for schools recently,” she adds.

The most difficult aspect of illustrations…

People may think the hardest part in illustration would be the anatomy, proportions, perspective and shading… but Nancy says that the challenge in illustration is to capture the spirit or rather exuberance and feeling of the characters, that's the life giving factor in a picture book. “It’s also the elements we combine to form a composition that adds to it. For example when I say " A south Indian grandfather, in his room" - I would show a wrinkled, toothless old man, lying in an easy chair, reading a book, and next to him is little window, and the curtain flowing in the breeze, a small coffee tumbler on the floor, a table with books and a pen and on the wall is a calendar, in the corner of the room is a mosquito coil...Bringing together these elements in a composition captures the feeling and the spirit of the character,” she explains.

Besides, another difficult and interesting thing is to keep the child engaged throughout a book. “While I’m sitting with my pencil and papers, squinting at my latest character with a big nose and maybe curly hair, and wondering if that is enough for my little reader... I'd rather finish by adding in the corner of the page a branch with a nest and a little bird it - this element would teleport my little reader to a new world of fantasy. I always think children like watching even the smallest and un-noticed things. I like doing it too; I go away from the actual story track and look into the details that will tour you to a sweet memory left behind in life…that’s the aspect I try to bring in my pictures. This is a kind of a creative exercise that helps creative thinking and imagination in a child's mind,” she adds.

Inspirations…

“My illustrations are strongly 'South Indian' as I am attached to the ethnicity of my land, the colours and culture. Local people and life around are my great inspirations - fussy children, loud hawkers, motorist, overflowing buses, shared autos, markets, greasy mechanics, grumpy neighbourhood and so much more to watch around. I love pets, I never miss to capture a pet in my story, and it could be a baby goat, cat, puppy, or a hen. These are some interesting motifs that one can always expect in my art,” she tells amusingly. And yes, artworks of other illustrators are inspirations too. “My favourite artists are Bill Watterson, Quentin Blake, and most of the children's book illustrators from publishers like Tulika, Katha, Tara, etc. I pick inspiration from anything that's interesting to watch,” she adds.

Publishing advice to artists…

“Well, the only advice that I can share with budding artists is to "love" what you are doing! This is not a get rich quick field, but there are many pockets in illustrations like newspapers, comic books, magazines, animation, etc. Just let your creativity wonder and do a mix of things. Don’t give up and this is where the loving what you are doing kicks in. Also keep watching, sketching, reading and spend time with children and pets…this will make you stay creative,” shares Nancy.

Encouraging reading habit…

Nancy hopes that more publishers, writers, illustrators, readers, buyers, critics, art schools will emerge and evolve in India as there are numerous choices for entertainment around that’s hiding books from children. “I would recommend parents to gift their children Indian picture books to encourage reading. For children, I would like to say that reading books is a hep and cool thing to do! And start with picture books, as the pictures in it will actually 'teleport' you a beautiful world of fantasy. Try it!” Nancy concludes happily.

New Saraswati House: another feather added to S. Chand Group

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Mergers and acquisitions seem to be a buzzword in the publishing industry. More recently, a major acquisition has been that of Saraswati House by a major conglomerate – S. Chand Group. Here, Varsha Verma talks to Shammi Manik — business head, New Saraswati House about this acquisition.Varsha: Tell us something about the acquisition of Saraswati House by S. Chand Group? 

Shammi: S. Chand Group has been very active in mergers and acquisitions for last three years. After acquiring established companies like Vikas Publishing House & Madhubun, S. Chand felt the need to further strengthen its portfolio by acquiring an established publishing house which has a sizeable market share at national level and growing market share in regional languages as well.

Varsha: How is this acquisition going to help both the publishing houses? 

Shammi: S. Chand traditionally has been very strong in plethora of subjects and there was a void for subjects like Hindi, Sanskrit, French and Art & Craft market. By acquiring Saraswati House, the group will have presence felt in these subjects other than its traditional and significant product portfolio. Being part of the S. Chand group, the largest education publishing group Saraswati House, renamed as New Saraswati House India Pvt Ltd will witness enhanced investments in people, infrastructure, processes and products.

Varsha: What is the new organisation structure? 

Shammi: In the new organisation structure, we have created professional positions like legal, IT, Corporate Communication and HR to support the ambitious growth plans and cope up with the expectations of evolving market and customer needs. The regional sales & market structures are being strengthened in order to increase our outreach and to service customers efficiently.

Saraswati House has grown from a very modest level to a decent size organisation in terms of people and revenue of over Rs 100 crore. It was a family owned and run business. The New Saraswati House will attempt to retain its traditional values while introduce modern practices.

Varsha: What genres are Saraswati catering to and are there any new subjects coming up? 

Shammi: Saraswati House is very strong in languages like Hindi, Sanskrit, French and 9-12 segments of CBSE schools. They have also made inroads into state specific subjects across the country.

Varsha: Tell us about the expanse of Saraswati, in terms of the branches, Indian/overseas sales, etc? 

Shammi: New Saraswati House has its head office in Delhi and has 14 branches and marketing offices across the country and employs 500+ people. We have reasonably good revenue coming in from the overseas markets like Africa, Middle East and other SAARC countries.

Varsha: As the business head of the organisation, what are you aiming at? 

Shammi: It's a huge responsibility of maintaining the traditional values of the organisation and bringing in innovations across levels. We aim to create a forward looking people friendly organisation.

Varsha: What are your targets for this year and the long-term perspective, say five years from now? 

Shammi: It’s very interesting to know that company of this size has never believed in assigning revenue targets and inspite of that has been growing at the pace of 25 percent year on year. Going by this track record, one can expect to double the turnover in about five years.

Shammi Manik has over 27 years of experience in publishing industry; starting his career with Orient Longman (now Orient Black Swan) way back in 1986, he later joined Oxford University Press as sales executive in 1993 and rose to the level of sales & marketing director - Education Division. In 2008, he had a stint in Taylor & Francis Group India as managing director.

Practise makes a writer perfect: Anand Neelakantan

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Growing up in a village in Cochin with more temples than was necessary, it was no wonder that the Ramayana fascinated him. Ironically, he was drawn to the anti-hero of the epic – Ravana, and to his people, the Asuras, and that became the title of his first book. He did not stop at this; his second book Ajaya has Kauravas of Mahabharata as his heroes. Meet Anand Neelakantan in conversation with Varsha Verma.Anand Neelakantan is known for his debut novel Asura Tale of the Vanquished & AJAYA: Epic of the Kaurava Clan - Roll Of The Dice. Anand’s debut work Asura: Tale of the Vanquished was a surprise bestseller of 2012, breaking into the top seller charts within a week of its launch. And so is Ajaya.

So what is Ajaya all about? “If Jaya is the Mahabharata of Pandavas, Ajaya is the Mahabharata of Kauravas. Ajaya is Suyodhana’s (Duryodhana is more popular parlance) Mahabharata where Kauravas are heroes rather than the despicable villains they are usually made out to be. The first part of the book- Ajaya epic of Kaurava clan, Roll of the dice has been published on December 1, 2013 and the second and last part, Rise of Kali (note: Kali as in Kaliyuga) is slated for release by mid August this year,” tells Anand Neelakantan.

The book has featured in the top position in booksellers lists like Crossword, Landmark, Oxford, etc. “The response and reviews of the book has been fabulous so far. What is icing on the cake is that my first book Asura: Tale of the Vanquished is still in the charts,” he shares. The book has recently been launched in Tamil language and is receiving rave reviews.

And this is just the beginning, Anand is working on a few more books, all related to mythology. On asking why, he replies, “An author writes what he or she is most fascinated about. For me, it is mythology. I am working on Mudrarakshasa from Rakshasa’s view point. Traditional tellings say Chanakya’s story with Rakshasa as the villain. My novel will take the story from Rakshasa’s view point, at the eve of Alexander’s invasion of India.”

Since all such books make interesting trilogies, we asked Anand if he’s planning one. “Yes, I am planning a trilogy soon. Though, I prefer to work on single books as it gives a sense of completion to both author and readers. However, certain stories need a bigger canvas and I may have to write a trilogy for something I have in mind, as the story requires it,” he shares.

So, what’s the most satisfying and difficult part of writing? “When I write my first draft, I write for myself. That is the most satisfying part of writing. Nothing can beat its satisfaction. The hardest part is editing the first draft. Every word has been put with a lot of passion, but when I read it after a few days, I start doubting my sanity and writing ability. Editing out chunks of what I have poured my heart on is painful, but necessary,” tells Anand.

Anand feels that his journey so far as an author has been wonderful. “Three years before, I used to wonder whether anyone would ever read my books. Today, when my books are topping bestseller charts, it gives me a lot of satisfaction. I hope to write more and more books and perhaps try my hands in television or films,” he adds.

Cartooning remains his first love and he likes reading comics and children’s books. “The best thing to happen in the world is Tom and Jerry series, which I enjoy watching with my children. Other than that, I love to do oil painting,” laughs Anand.

As an advice to aspiring writers, Anand says, “Keep writing. The craft improves as you keep practicing. A musician practices for many years before he dares to perform in public, a sportsman spends most of his childhood practicing, yet many people who want to write expect that their first attempt to write would get published and they will earn universal fame. Writing is no different from any other profession. Practise makes a writer perfect.” 

“Read my books just as another fiction. They are not research papers and I am not a scholar by any stretch of imagination,” concludes Anand