shyamala's world

   P ublished by Puffin India, Tales from the Kathasaritsagara is a collection of nested stories from author and translator, Rohini Chowdhury. The lesser-known tales are a treat not just for kids but also adults. Rohini tells us more about this book of unique tales. How did you enter the world of translation? Growing up in the multilingual world that is India, translation was an inevitable and inextricable part of my life. We move effortlessly across languages, often without even realising that we are doing so. The UK – where I have now lived for the past 23 years – is, by contrast, a staunchly monolingual world. I realised very soon that my daughters would most likely grow up to be more comfortable in English than in any Indian language, and it became very important to me that they should be able to access and read the stories I grew up with – if not in the original language, then at least in English. And so I began translating, little storie...

Author and illustrotor Ashok Rajagopalan is out with a new chapter book for kids. Published by Tulika Books, Ha... Ha... Hasya is a humorous, entertaining book about chaos between Devas and Asuras. 1.This is your first mainstream chapter novel for kids. Did you enjoy writing it?           Very much, thank you for asking! Writing funny stories is fun. I laughed at my own             jokes while writing Hasya. 2. How long did you take to finish the book? Was the entire book written in a  few weeks?         This is awkward, but I’ll tell you the truth. I wrote the first three chapters about ten years  ago, but shelved it to concentrate on my illustration projects. Then, a year ago, I submitted the three chapters with chapter outlines for the rest of the book t...