shyamala's world

Shrilok Homeless is back with a new set of mysteries. Created by Pika Nani aka Deepika Murthy, the Mumbai chaiwallah  leaves for London to solve a new challenge in Shrilok Homeless The Ultimate Adventures( Penguin Random House India).  Ten short stories keep you glued  this weekend. Pika Nani shares a slice of her writing life here.  1. How much of your life have  you spent in Mumbai? You have covered  so many parts of Mumbai in your book. I grew up in Mumbai and have spent the first 25 years of my life there. I have tried to bring in my experiences and observations of the city and its people and culture. The plan was to have cases across the length and breadth of Mumbai in the first book, and then in the second book, to extend to other parts of India and even abroad. 2. What has contributed to Shrilok's cool demeanour inspite of his homelessness? Shrilok may be an orphan and a chaiwala, but he has a rare gift of observation and de...

Prize winning children's author Khyrunnisa is out with a new book for kids. Titled The Lizard of Oz and Other Stories, the book is a collection of engaging and well written humorous stories. Khyrunnisa shares her  thoughts on this new release from Scholastic India. 1.The title is intriguing.  When and how did the title flash into you?           I love playing with words and while thinking up a story that has a lizard as the main character, ‘The Wizard of Oz’ came to my mind and changing ‘wizard’ to ‘lizard’ was but natural. This is a story that I started with only the title ready. I had to think up a suitable plot after that.  Most people are allergic to lizards and snakes. What is your equation with lizards and snakes to make them into  protagonists for your short stories ?           I wanted to write stories about animals and creatures that people aren...