Interview with Paro Anand, winner of Sahitya Akademi Bala Sahitya award winner 2017
It's not easy to find a copy of the latest Bala Sahitya award winner 2017, Wild Child and Other Stories. Written by Paro Anand, the book has been reprinted by Penguin(India) with a new cover and a new title, Like Smoke. Kahani Takbak interviewed children's author, Paro Anand to know more about her writing and award winning book.
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| Paro Anand |
1.
How did this book come into existence? Did the
characters or the plots drive you into writing this book?
I
owe much of Wild Child (now re-launched as Like Smoke, with additional content)
to Jaya Bhattacharji who was the consulting editor for Puffin. She really
held my hand, being gentle and firm as I needed. It was a difficult time for me
while I was writing. And this process saw me retain my own peace of mind. My
writing really centers me.
I am not necessarily driven by plot or
character. It can come in any way. And you just hope that something comes. In
the story, Wild Child, I had met a child in my early teaching days. She was as
wild, disruptive and tough as the character. Obviously, this feeling of
wondering what made this child the way she was lingered in the recesses of my
heart and mind and came out in this story. The story, Those Yellow Flowers of
August, comes from something I overheard in a Delhi school some years ago. Those
careless words had pierced me then and it’s taken me quite a while to get them
into a story. They were just 3 words...but they had a big impact.
So short answer is, it could be anything- a
character, a plot, a title or a word.
2. Do you think this is the best book you have written so far? Did you
expect the prize for this particular book?
For
me, as I think for many writers, a book is like my child and just like a parent
cannot say that this is my favorite child over that one, I can't say. Does one
love a more successful child more than the one that struggles? No. In the same
way, some books - like this one as well as like No Guns at my Son's Funeral,
have been very successful and high profile, but i am very committed to each of
my books.
3.Are these eleven stories based on people you have met ?
Each story has threads
that connect with my life in some way. Something I heard, something I saw.
Khalid in Those Yellow Flowers of August looks like a terrorist I met, but as a
character, he is the opposite. The girl in the story has fragments of many
young people I met in Kashmir but also many parts of India. So yes and no,
really…
A lot of personal experience does come in,
but again, these are fragments from something read, observed, seen, felt and
even smelt. None of these is a whole narration of a whole episode from my life.
And I don't think young people need sugar coating anymore. Look at the open
access that social media provides. If they have access to that, then why not
address the issues that they are already discussing in a way that is written
and presented specifically for them.
The only thing that I do keep in mind is
that, when writing for young readers, I try and end the story on a note of
hope. not necessarily a happily ever after, tied up with a pink bow, but at
least to say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how dark
that tunnel may seem right now
4. What’s
unique about your next book of short stories?
My forthcoming book which is still a work in
progress is called THE OTHER and will be published by Speaking Tiger. It takes
off from where Wild Child and Like Smoke left off. It tackles even
more sensitive issues, takes on difficult topics. This is also a collection of
stories about young people caught in crisis.
5. You have written for children in all ages
(3-16). What do you enjoy writing the most?
Honestly, I enjoy the story that I am
writing at that time. And I don't decide which age group I am writing a story
for. The story decides its own level.
6. Do you write every day? How many words? When?
Yes, I write every day. Or try to. I lead a
pretty complicated life. So I steal time
to write. I try and write for 2 hours every day; even if that is not possible
in one chunk of time.
And I love writing in traffic jams. In the
back seat of my car, I have all that I need - my laptop, music, water and a
cushion. I often get my best writing done while my driver fumes. Sometimes,
when the jam is opening up, I feel, oh no, not yet, let it jam up again. I call
this ‘Riding the Jam.’
7.
Do you outline your novels
before you write or are you a pantser?
Again, I let the book decide what it wants
to do. But usually, I dive in feet first into the deep end and just bang it
out. Not deciding, age group, short story or novel or anything. I let it flow.
1.
Your writing has no extra
flowery words or graphic details which is sometimes present in young adult
novels. How many drafts do you write? How have you trained as a writer? Do
words flow naturally or do you edit the flowery words in advance stages of your
manuscript?
Each book is different. No Guns at My Son's Funeral was written seven times over five
years. The Little Bird who held the Sky
up with his Feet basically came in the course of one night. And then I
spent a little time expanding and sharpening it.
1.
How has the recent ban on Smoke and No Guns at My Son’s Funeral affected your choice of subjects for
future writing projects?
It’s made me more convinced that I need to
write the kind of subjects that I do write. I will always write what I need to
and what I feel young people should be reading. Along with the bans on one
hand, there are also accolades - so many schools have my books on recommended
reading lists and course books. And then, of course, there is the Sahitya
Akademi award. So I know that there are others too who think I am on the right
track.
1.
In the current climate of
bans, trolls, and censorship how should writers insulate themselves and focus
on writing?
Don't insulate. Get out there and fight it
with your words; The school where my book was withdrawn because parents
objected - well I just requested them to let me meet the parents and let's
talk. That didn't happen, but maybe, sometime, I will get that chance too.
1.
What's new with Literature in Action? What can other
children authors do to further the cause of Literature in action?
I keep thinking that i should get more
people into this; People who I can hand over the idea to. I haven't done it as
yet because I am writing and travelling and interacting so much constantly. But
yes, I should.
To know more about Paro Anand, visit www.paroanand.com
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