Category: Uncategorized

When You Ask Me Where I Am Going is a powerful narrative about healing and empowerment after trauma, sexual abuse, and immigration. Through the story of Kiran and her daughter, Sahaara, whose voices have been suppressed in their world, author Jasmin Kaur gives us a very relevant and very important story about mental health and gender ideentities.

We have a conversation with her about her inspiration, experiences, and storytelling.

How big a role has writing played in you discovering your identity?

Writing poetry has been a journey inward for me. Writing helps me make sense of my emotions. It allows me to wrap my head around the issues that are affecting our world. I think that through writing, I’ve come alive and found myself in so many ways. As a naturally shy, introverted person, writing and performing poetry has (as cliched as it sounds) allowed me to come into my voice. It has allowed me to take up space and express my opinions without shrinking. I would absolutely not be the person I am today without having found poetry.

Do you remember why and when you started writing?

I began writing poetry in high school. As an avid reader of Rumi, I began writing poetry as a means of journaling and documenting my spiritual reflections. I loved how Rumi’s poems could punch me in the gut with only a handful of stanzas or lines. I wrote only for myself and kept my poems in a journal that I hid in my night table. Over time, my poetry to evolved to encompass many of the issues that I am passionate about, including social justice and activism. I slowly went from keeping my poems to myself to sharing them on an anonymous Tumblr account to posting to a private Instagram to, finally, creating a public account just a few years ago. Each step towards publicly expanding the way I shared my work came with apprehension about how the world would react to me but I’m so glad that I did!

Who are the authors and poets that you look up to, and why?

I’ve admired Arundhati Roy for many years. I feel like Arundhati bridges the gap between storytelling and activism in the most heartfelt manner possible. I am perpetually inspired by the way Arundhati stays true to her convictions as an activist despite the pressure to conform or go silent under government pressures. I can’t think of a better role model for young, South Asian writers.

If there is one message you would like to share with someone reading your book, what would it be?

Sikh women are not a monolith. There are so many layers to our experiences of the world as Punjabi Sikh women and no one story can encapsulate us completely. We deserve to be understood with just as much complexity as others are offered.

When You Ask Me Where I Am Going will be landing on your bookshelves later this month!

Featured Image Credits: Nikki Shahi

Haunted chronicles the real-life adventures of paranormal investigator Jay Alani in ten of the spookiest locations in India. Co-authored by Neil D’Silva, these exploits provide a ringside view of these hair-raising paranormal journeys for everyone who has an interest in exploring the dark side of the normal.

Read an excerpt from this spooky book below:

I, JAY ALANI, known to people as an investigator of the paranormal and all things mysterious, bring to you these stories culled from my experiences. These are my exploits in some of the most haunted places in India, some well-known and some shrouded in namelessness, and all of them guaranteed to make you see a side of our country that you have never experienced before. I begin this rollicking ride with my adventure at Kuldhara.

With all the legends and lore that revolve around the abandoned town of Kuldhara, it is a wonder that I did not visit it earlier than I did. This is a village in the Jaisalmer district of Rajasthan, established in the thirteenth century. Somewhere around 200 years ago, the people of this village vanished without a trace. No one knows where they went or the reason why they left. The mass exodus of people from Kuldhara and their subsequent disappearance remains an unexplained historical mystery. With no evidence available, strong local belief holds that it was because of a curse unleashed on them by a mystical foreigner. Today, the empty and barren Kuldhara attracts tourists, archaeologists, historical experts, as also a vast number of paranormal investigators.

My visit to Kuldhara happened by accident. That cold, fateful night, it was not my intention to be there, and I was caught unawares, ill-prepared. I made it out of the place safely, but the trip left me with memories for a lifetime. Journey with me as I recount the terrifying night that I spent at Kuldhara and the hair-raising experiences I had with a ‘lost’ child.

My visit to Kuldhara came about when a college friend invited me to his wedding in Jaisalmer. I was in Delhi then, and I drove down in my white Tata Safari. Accompanying me was a close college buddy who had also been invited, Rohan Achari. Jaisalmer is a historically rich city in the state of Rajasthan and is situated in the Thar desert. If you have been to the city, you will know that for miles around there is nothing but desert sand. Dotting the landscape are grand havelis and monuments. The people here are always colourfully dressed and display a great sense of joie de vivre. This is especially visible during the hugely famous Jaisalmer Desert Festival, which beautifully showcases Rajasthani folk music and dance, including the magnificent Kalbeliya and Ghoomar dances. Most of the local families here have inhabited the place for generations, resulting in a close-knit society where everyone knows everyone else.

The opulence of the wedding in the midst of such arid land bedazzled us. The venue was an ancestral haveli, and it was every bit the grand Rajasthani affair one would expect it to be. Music and dance pervaded the atmosphere of the place where royalty had once resided. The family of the groom were wealthy to the point of extravagance, and they left no stone unturned in the hospitality department. The entire haveli was bedecked with brilliant lights that one could see from miles afar. Sitting there, oblivious to the rest of the world outside, we felt like baraatis at a royal wedding of yore.

The event I am about to narrate took place on my first night in Jaisalmer, the night before the wedding. After dinner, Rohan and I were assigned to a room. It didn’t look like we’d get any sleep that night though. With less than a day to go for the wedding, there was quite a bit of commotion all around, with the attendants looking after the last-minute arrangements in the halls outside. The two of us chatted for a while and then Rohan said, ‘Come on, yaar, let’s go out for a smoke.’

That sounded like a good idea. Cigarettes could help us pull through the cold night. But the closest shop was at the Jaisalmer railway station, 6 kilometres away.

Rohan was already at the door, wearing his jacket, stepping into his shoes.

‘Come on, man! Don’t you feel claustrophobic all cooped up like this?’

It was true. Despite the grandeur of the mansion, the rooms were quite small. Rohan knew about my career pursuits in the realm of the paranormal, but he only had a layperson’s view of it. He had no idea that I had been in places far more claustrophobia-inducing than this—caves and tunnels and mines! In any case, I was here for a wedding.

I had no intention of raking up any talk about my mysterious career.

But he was tempting me now. So I put on my sweater, pulled up the hood and grabbed the keys to my Tata Safari. Slapping him on the back, I led him out.

We left the hubbub of the wedding haveli behind and got into the car. Only once I was out of the room did I realize what I had been missing. That lonely desert drive was invigorating to say the least. I was the one driving; Rohan provided the silent company I needed. Silences have been my long-time companions anyway, and this was the kind of rural solitude that could be both exhilarating and mindnumbing at the same time. Most people would kill for such pleasures.

We got our smokes outside the railway station and sat on a rickety bench. Puffing away into the night like that, there was no need or desire to look at the watch, but when I did, I shot up like a spring. It was nearing 1 a.m. The platform
vendors had shut shop hours ago, and the only people at the station were the passengers waiting overnight on the platform for their early-morning outstation trains.

I prodded Rohan to get up. A yawn and a stretch and much reluctance later, we walked towards my car.The return journey was not as silent.

Intrigued about what happens next? Check out Haunted

To celebrate the birth anniversary of the Missile Man of India today, let’s take a look at some of the books written by him for  young children. In this list, you will find books that will inspire, motivate and teach your children lessons that are imperative for a great tomorrow.

Ignited Minds

“What is it that we as a nation are missing? Why, given all our skills, resources and talents, do we settle so often for the ordinary instead of striving to be the best? At the heart of Ignited Minds is an irresistible premise: that people do have the power, through hard work, to realize their dream of a truly good life. Kalam’s vision document of aspiration and hope motivates us to unleash the dormant energy within India and guide the country to greatness.”

Mission India

Mission India: A Vision For Indian Youth has been written with the intention of challenging the Indian youth to bring about a positive change in the country by 2020. Kalam and Rajan tell the readers about their goal to make India one among the five top economic powers in the world by 2020. In the beginning of this book, Kalam presents the readers with a question as to whether India can become a developed country. He then provides insights into the current situation in the country, and explains that this goal is a realistic one. In the subsequent chapters, Kalam and Rajan begin to examine the five industries that need to become reasonably self-sufficient in the coming years, and each chapter tells the readers what can be done to bring a positive change in each industry.

My India

My India: Notes for the Future contains excerpts from Dr A.P. J Adbul Kalam’s speeches in his post presidency years. Drawn from Dr Kalam’s addresses to parliaments, universities, schools and other institutions in India and abroad, they include his ideas on science, nation building, poverty, compassion and self-confidence.

Reignited

Join Dr A.P.J. Kalam on a fascinating quest to explore the realm of science and technology, its extraordinary achievements and its impact on our lives in the days to come.
Co-written with Srijan Pal Singh, this book features exciting and cutting-edge career paths in areas such as robotics, aeronautics, neurosciences, pathology, paleontology and material sciences . . . in other words, careers that are going to make a difference in the future.

BONUS suggestion:

What Can I Give?

Recollecting his mentor’s values, oaths and messages to the youth, Srijan Pal Singh beautifully shares the lessons Dr Kalam taught beyond the classroom. A peek into his daily routine, travels, reflections on various national and international issues, anecdotes and quips, this book helps readers get up-close and personal with the greatest Indian of contemporary times.
Featuring many little-known stories and never-before-seen photographs, as well as certain expressions that were classic Dr Kalam, this heart-warming memoir will inspire and enlighten, immortalizing the words and actions of a beloved leader.

Photo by Jessica Ruscello on Unsplash

Take this Quick Quiz about our Fabulously Feathered Friends, inspired by The National Park Explorers: Chaos at Keoladeo !

[wpViralQuiz id=31240]

Experience all that the jungle has to offer with the first in The National Park Explorers series!

Sameera, Alex and Tarun are headed to Bharatpur with Uncle Avi. They’ve heard that the Siberian cranes have returned to Keoladeo National Park after more than twenty years.

But things just don’t seem right at the park. The three young explorers find themselves in the midst of things wondrous and wild as they spot birds and animals, bump into wildlife biologist Rauf Ali and sleuth around to solve mysteries along the way. Is the legend of the Maharani’s hidden gems more than just folklore? Who is that strange guy lurking around the park? And where are the fabled Siberian cranes everyone is talking about?

The Godmother of Silicon Valley, legendary teacher, and mother of three superstar daughters, shares her tried-and-tested methods for raising happy, healthy, successful children.

Being a parent is complicated – but the TRICK to succeed is simpler than you think.

There are no Nobel Prizes for parenting or education, but if there were, Esther Wojcicki would be the bookies’ favourite. Known as the Godmother of Silicon Valley – or simply Woj – Esther’s three daughters have all gone on to huge success in their professional fields and, more importantly, their personal lives. What’s her secret?

As we face an epidemic of parental and childhood anxiety, Esther Wojcicki’s intuitive, collaborative approach to parenting will let you climb out of the helicopter and relax.

Read on for ten essential tips to approaching parenting from a lady with incredible parenting credentials!

Respect your children for who they really are as individuals.

First, there is respect for your child as an autonomous person. Respecting the timeline of a kid’s development isn’t only about walking and talking. Development is also about turning into the person we’re meat to be. And this process requires a deeper layer of respect: accepting a child for who he is, and letting his life unfold accordingly.

∼

Let your kids take the lead in reasonable situations.

Kids need to be allowed to take the lead. That means you follow them. It pays to start early Letting kids take the lead when they’re young is important training for parents. Its gives us the skills we need to deal with more, should I say, advanced tasks once they’re older. Honestly most kids go through a period where they don’t know what the heck they’re doing—but I promise you eventually they’ll figure it out.

Trust yourself, trust your child. Trust is mutual your children must be able to trust you as a caregiver, and you must empower them by trusting them in return.

Trust is empowering in the classroom and in the world at large and this process starts earlier than you think. If children aren’t empowered with trust, if they don’t feel trustworthy, they’ll have a very difficult time becoming independent. The main problem is that they don’t learn to trust and respect themselves.

∼

Don’t do anything for your children they can do themselves, encourage them do simple tasks at least 20 per cent of the time, to instil independence.

Give them a chance. It takes more time, it can be really, really frustrating and they might end up with their shirt on backwards or their shoes on the wrong feet. I can’t tell you how many times I let my daughters out of the house looking completely crazy, but I wanted them to feel they had completed a task on their own. This is so important for instilling independence.

∼

While activities are to be encouraged, they cannot be forced on children with a complete disregard for their interests.

This is where I really differ from tiger and helicopter parents. The last thing I want to do is to force a kid into something he hates for hours on end. While we want to encourage children to try new things and not give up when they find an activity difficult, we still have to respect their feelings. We have to remember why our children have activities in the first place to promote their interests and engagement in life and to develop their character.

∼

‘Laying off’ kids is important for them to develop a sense of responsibility for their own lives.

That’s what kids need : not being constantly controlled or overprotected, but allowed to take responsibility for their own lives. For parents, that means giving kids responsibility-early and often. To say it another way, this means laying off. You have to offer guidance and instruction, but they can do a lot more and at a much younger age—than you think.

∼

Work with your children not against them, not with total control but by ‘scaffolding them with expectations’.

By contrast, authoritative parents create a warm positive but firm relationship with the child. Most notably these parents are willing to consider the child’s opinions and engage in discussions and debates, which likely contributes to the development of social skills.

∼

While as parents our instincts may be to shield children from all adversity and failure, a little failure is necessary to teach grit and a passion for life!

But I do want to point out that overcoming hardships can make us stronger, that sometimes it happens automatically, and that kids in difficult situations often end up building grit, resilience, patience and other vital life skills. But what about the rest of us? How do children raised in comfortable households develop grit? Are you praising your child’s effort over his talent? Are you teaching him that setbacks are a necessary part of learning?

∼

Instil a sense of gratitude which makes kids kinder and more willing to collaborate and best of all, less entitled!

Gratitude is part of kindness. It requires that you notice others, consider the ways in which they make your life better, and do something to show your appreciation/. Based on what I’ve seen, a lot of kids today don’t know what gratitude is. Perhaps it is because we are so focused on making sure our kids are happy. We do things for them all the time and they take us for granted. The kids are not grateful for anything because they just expect all.

∼

Instil a passion for service to raise children who are invested in improving lives, communities and the planet!

When kids have an awareness of the world around them and an interest in being of service, anything is possible. They find and champion their own causes. The great advantage of teaching journalism for teens is that it gives them a voice and an audience and they feel empowered to participate in a democracy and in the world. My students aren’t just consumers: in my classroom they become participants with a duty to serve.

Read How To Raise Successful People for more such insights!

t

t

There have been tectonic changes in the world over these past two decades—in customer expectations, environment, regulation, and above all, in technology. Disruptive technologies the likes of which we have not seen or could not anticipate have arrived or are already here. Artificial Intelligence (AI), blockchain, genomics, extended reality, 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), drones and robots—each of them by itself is an earthquake; combined, they have the power to alter entire landscapes.

The Tech Whisperer, by Jaspreet Bindra, demystifies and simplifies these emerging technologies and narrates how companies can employ these to drive their digital transformation.

Demystifying Blockchain

‘It’s gold for nerds.’ – Stephen Colbert, Comedian

There are two good reasons why I am starting with blockchain. One is that I have received more CEO questions on blockchain than on any other technology over the last couple of years. The second reason is that blockchain transcends being just a mere technology. Somewhat like AI, it is a philosophy—a way to think about the world, a new structure of economic capitalism, a radically different way to live and to do business.

Defining Blockchain as a Universal Ledger

If you were to Google search a definition of blockchain, it will give you around 150 million results. So, that is not going to help. One of the best ways is to visualize it is as a ‘universal ledger in the cloud’… Most of the money in the world does not exist in physical currency form but actually as entries on a ledger. Now, imagine that if instead of these multiple distinct ledgers there was just one shared ledger, so each of the parties had a copy of the ledger. A transaction would be initiated by one of the parties and would only be consummated if every other party would authenticate and ratify the transaction. Only when this consensus was achieved would the transaction happen. This really is the principle of a blockchain.

Who owns a blockchain?

We saw that blockchain is shared among the participants/ nodes, and so the answer is that ALL these nodes own the blockchain. While this is a fine democratic concept, it is easier said than done. Maintaining and managing a blockchain requires a significant amount of money and effort—the cost of the servers, electric power, the management, etc. So, how do we get everyone to maintain it? This is where the genius of Satoshi Nakamoto comes in. Most of us know Satoshi Nakamoto as the inventor or founder of Bitcoin and blockchain. None of us, however, know who he, she or they are—person, people, or alien from Jupiter perhaps.

Satoshi created an incentive system when he created his bankless currency. He basically worked in a coin or a token in the system which would be rewarded to the people or organizations managing the original blockchain. This coin was Bitcoin, and so the ‘people’ who manage the largest blockchain in the world today, the Bitcoin blockchain, are Bitcoin miners—the keepers of the flame. Satoshi also made the Bitcoin finite. He created a total of 21 million Bitcoins only, which are generated between 2008 and 2140; after 2140, no more Bitcoins will be created. Also, the number of Bitcoins created halve approximately every four years. Thus, Bitcoins are finite, akin to other precious metals like gold, ergo Bitcoin is called digital gold.

So what can blockchains be used for?

Thus, blockchain use cases range from money to financial services (remittances, stock exchanges, trade finance), agriculture, education, supply chain, energy, governance, etc. Wherever there are centralized business models, blockchain can help decentralize or distribute that. Think of it as distributed smart grids rather than centralized power, or peer-to-peer (P2P) money than central bank money.

Blockchain in Indian states

Many Indian states, led by Andhra Pradesh, are much more proactive than others in experimenting with and adopting blockchain. Andhra Pradesh is storing farmland records on blockchain and started PoCs for vehicle lifecycle management systems. They are experimenting with education records, and managing tamper-proof online exams and results, among other things.

Grab your copy of  The Tech Whisperer to demystify Blockchain along with other disruptive emerging technologies and understand how they can be leveraged for future success.

The authors of the highly acclaimed 2011 book, Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty, now have another reason to celebrate! On 14th October 2019, authors Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo were named as two of the three groundbreaking recipients for the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics! Of course, that is as strong a reason as any, but we have a few more words to add to the many reasons you should read their book:

“Poor Economics stands out in the literature on development economics in that it stays away from the ‘big questions’ to investigate the incredibly multi-faceted and complex lives of the poor, and imagines the policies that could have a real impact.”

Arnaud Vaganay, The London School of Economics and Political Science

“Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo want to reduce poverty. That goal is common—what distinguishes the work of these young economists, both at MIT, is their methods. They aim to inject scientific evidence into policy deliberation, and advance the debate with conclusions that can be widely agreed on while not being truisms.”

Prospect magazine

“A marvelously insightful book by two outstanding researchers on the real nature of poverty.”

Amartya Sen, Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University and winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics

“With regard to institutions and governance, Poor Economics suggests that there is more to improved outcomes than the veneer of participation. The authors’ findings affirm over and over again that knowledge really can be a powerful tool for change.”

Democracy, A Journal of Ideas

“This book is a must-read for anyone who cares about world poverty. It has been years since I read a book that taught me so much. Poor Economics represents the best that economics has to offer.”

Steven D. Levitt, William B. Ogden Distinguished Service Professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and author of Freakonomics

“Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo are allergic to grand generalizations about the secret of economic development. Instead they appeal to many local observations and experiments to explore how poor people in poor countries actually cope with their poverty: what they know, what they seem (or don’t seem) to want, what they expect of themselves and others, and how they make the choices that they can make. […] I was fascinated and convinced.”

Robert Solow, Institute Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and winner of the Nobel Prize for Economics

“Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo have written an engrossing, deeply readable book, one that moves beyond simple analyses of poverty. It examines, in powerful detail, the challenges poor households face in escaping their condition. It takes on existing poverty mitigation efforts  and puts them to test using real, empirical data.”

Nandan Nilekani, Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority of India

“It is [the] exploration into understanding the poor, rather than rendering a formula to end poverty that makes it a compelling and important read.”

Elmira Bayrasli, Forbes

“Books that make grandiose claims for themselves often disappoint – but this truly is a “radical rethinking” about global poverty. […] The result is a remarkable work: incisive, scientific, compelling and very accessible, a must-read for advocates and opponents of international aid alike, for interested laymen and dedicated academics.”

Keyur Patel, Financial World

“Highly decorated economists Banerjee and Duflo (Economics/Massachusetts Institute of Technology) relay 15 years of research into a smart, engaging investigation of global poverty—and why we’re failing to eliminate it. Aiming to change the stigma that revolves around poverty, the authors explore not just how many find themselves in economic quicksand, but why.”

Kirkus Reviews

Poor Economics: Rethinking Poverty and The Ways to End It will offer you pathbreaking insights into the causes of global poverty and the ways in which we can alleviate it.

Krishna Udayasankar is the author of the bestselling Aryavarta Chronicles (Govinda, Kaurava, Kurukshetra) based on the Mahabharata.

She has also written a book based on the founding legend of the island of Singapore titled 3 and the fantastical Immortal.

Here are 6 things about prolific author based in Singapore that you may not have known:

She knew by the age of five that she wanted to grow up to be a writer (or an astronaut)

~

Her first book was supposed to be satirical poem based on the Mahabharata but after researching more on the topic she ended up writing The Aryavarta Chronicles

~

She did research to write a book on dogs but was unable to do so because the topic was too close to her heart. She ended up writing Beast, a book that focused on werelions instead.

~

Krishna Udayasankar is a Rajinikanth fan!

~

She lives in Singapore with her family, which includes three bookish canine children, Boozo, Zana, and Maya.

~

Krishna holds an undergraduate degree in law and a PhD in strategic management.

~

The writer is/was a lecturer at the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University.

~

She has co-authored two well-adopted textbooks: International Business: An Asian Perspective  and Global Business Today.

Check out the fantastic backlist of Krishna Udayasankar featuring titles like Govinda, Kaurava, Kurukshetra, 3 and Immortal.

Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid’s Tale, is a modern classic. Now she brings the iconic story to a dramatic conclusion in The Testaments.

Read to know about her writing process, what prompted her return to Gilead and more:

What prompted your return to Gilead?

There have been many requests for a sequel. As time moved on, instead of moving further away from Gilead we started moving towards it, especially in the United States. While I couldn’t continue with Offred’s narrative, I could continue with other characters.

How do these kind of regimes disappear? I was interested in exploring that and what it would be like for the second generation in Gilead – this is all they know, this is normal life to them, they’re not engaged in the violent part of the affair.

One of the narrators grows up in Gilead, one across the border in Canada and one was there for the founding. We see Gilead from within, from without and from the founding.

On Aunt Lydia

We’ve only seen Aunt Lydia from the outside in The Handmaid’s Tale. How do people complicit to these regimes get into it? What do they use that power for? What is their justification to themselves?

How much has your involvement in the TV series affected the way you wrote the book?

Bruce Miller and I talk on the phone and we have important conversations. I read the scripts and make notes. I don’t have any actual power to make changes, but some influence. We’re in accord most of the time. He’s now read the book and has so much more whiteboard space!

How does it feel to see your book being used again in protests?

That started in Texas where an all-male legislature was bringing in more laws about women’s bodies. The photos looked like shots from the TV series. It’s the perfect form of protest because it’s peaceful. It’s a very striking visual image, too.  It’s a question of things escaping from a book into the real world. None of this would be happening if countries weren’t putting people in charge of women’s bodies who aren’t those women.

Until the Cold War ended, the US presented itself as the liberal alternative. They weren’t showcasing their shadow side. But once that opponent was gone, everything could come out of the cupboard that has always been there, and out it has come.

How much pressure did you feel writing this book three decades later? 

There’s a danger of letting down the audience at every turn on every occasion. The audience will have different opinions. There’s a danger, but it’s a danger I’ve faced before.

Do you consider The Testaments dystopia?

A dystopia is an imagined society that we assume is worse than the one we live in. A utopia imagines a better world. The nineteenth century was an age of the utopia because it felt it was improving things and things would keep on getting better. That changed around the turn of the century. After WWI & WWII, utopias became hard to write. Is The Testaments a dystopian world? Let us hope so.

What do you make of the reaction at midnight last night? 

London loves a happening! It’s quite amazing how people came in the middle of the night to see the books revealed. It was lots of fun. People had a pretty grand time!

Are you overwhelmed by the launch? Do you consider yourself a literary rockstar?

Well I haven’t yet died of an opioid overdose… but there’s time! Am I overwhelmed by it? I’m very pleased and grateful to the readers and the teams of people across the world who’ve been putting it all together and protecting the manuscript.

When did you start writing the new book?

I sent a two-paragraph summary to my publishers in February 2017. I think they were terrified. I must have been far enough along with it then to tell them what I was doing. I was thinking about it in 2015 and started proper planning in 2016.

Would you go back to Gilead again?

I never say never to anything.

Do you think writing is an act of faith?

Writing is always an act of hope because it assumes a reader, no matter what the content.

What has it been like seeing the US moving closer to Gilead?

If you look at the legislative moves made in the US you can see they’re almost there. The message is that the state will own women’s bodies. You’re forcing women to deliver babies. Cheap labour, and that’s a pun.

The Testaments contributes to a conversation that’s already taking place. For a society that claims to value individual freedom, evidently they think this freedom doesn’t extend to women.

The Testaments seems a lot more optimistic than The Handmaid’s Tale, why is that?

The Handmaid’s Tale is optimistic. I didn’t kill off the central character and we have the symposium at the end which proves Gilead didn’t last.

It’s the same with The Testaments. It’s still clear that Gilead is over and it crumbled partly from within.

Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpiece The Testaments is available now!

Diwali is round the corner and we are sure your young ones are jumping with excitement! The festival season is full of cheer, lights and colour, and India has so many of them!

Celebrated children’s author, Sonia Mehta, is back with Festivals of India to introduce your young ones to all the festival cheer that India has to offer. With its diverse range of communities and cultures, our country has many, many reasons to celebrate all year long. Here is a message to your kids from author Sonia Mehta herself!

Hello Kids!

Here’s an incredible thing about India. Because India is a mix of so many cultures, there are literally hundreds of festivals that people celebrate. I thought it would be a great idea to get to know some of them.

Many festivals have stories and legends behind them. Sometimes, people forget the reason they are celebrating a festival in the first place. I’ve tried to share with you as many of the stories and legends behind the festivals as I could. It’s not possible to write about all of them – that would end up being a giant book – but this book contains some of the better-known and lesser-known ones!

Lots of love,

Sonia Aunty

Festivals of India is part of the Discover India series of books that contain lots of fun facts and engaging activities. Through these books, get the young ones to explore the history and stories that make India such a diverse and fascinating nation!