About the Author:
The short stories in this book have been authored by children aged 8 to 14, during a program envisioned by Ms Randeep Mand, who guided them on the finer nuances of fiction writing and edited their stories.
Randeep Mand has been an effervescent teacher, known to spark the curiosity of children and engage them into compelling lessons.
After a rewarding career as an educator at a school in Jalandhar, she ventured into the world of informal education with ‘The Fable Garden’, an enterprise that was initially aimed at reviving the enthusiasm for stories and novels in the region, and has now forayed into creative writing too.
A prolific writer, she pens down heartwarming write-ups that regularly appear in the ‘Hindustan Times’ and ‘The Tribune’.
Interview:
Q. Your favourite Story from the book?
Ans. I have spent several days with each story, and they are all close to my heart, though, I must confess, being an adult, I connected better with the stories rooted in reality,as compared to the ones that had magic and fantasy as the theme. Also, the ones where the protagonist revealed a different perspective touched a chord. a lizard that feels low for being a scorned being , tractors on a farm or the insect on a picnic! These stories evoke empathy in the reader, which is a principal aim of children’s literature.
Q. How much time did it take in the process of writing?
Ans. It has taken more than a year and the the journey is still in progress.
To teach fiction writing, I didn’t want to make use of content readily available on the internet. It took me a couple of months to design a broad overview of what all I would teach in 16 one-hour long sessions. Once I had prepared the content for four sessions, I circulated the idea on the social media, and within 24 hours, all slots were booked. Submission of stories was slow, all schools had different examination schedules.
Editing the stories of children took longer than I had anticipated. Once the book went through the printing process at the publishing house, the second wave of Covid played spoilsport. After the release of the book, the promotion process carries on. The book is gradually catching the attention of people in other states of India.
Q. What did the process of writing this book teach you?
Ans. More than anything else, it has taught me and the children patience. Good things take time and one can’t fast track the process.
Q. What inspired you to write this book?
Ans. The fact that children rarely get an opportunity to express themselves through stories. They are seldom storytellers.
Q. Your favourite book and favourite author?
Ans. I would choose The Blue Umbrella by Ruskin Bond as my favourite because of its ability to transport me to that small village in Garhwal that is the world of Binya and Bijju. In fact, I tweaked the setting in the story titled ‘Tiny Feet On Treasure Trail’ to pay tribute to the bonding between siblings named Manthan and Mithila who live in a Himachali hamlet.
About authors, I adore the humour and quirkiness in Roald Dahl’s books, the timelessness of Enid Blyton’s stories and the characters that JK Rowling creates, the ones you can root for.
Q. Tell us about the fun you had while creating this book?
Ans. There was never a dull moment in our online classes when I was teaching them the finer nuances of fiction writing. The children created some wonderful alliterations in the live sessions, had fun with adjectives and twisted plots of some popular stories.
Q. A message for your readers?
Ans. Appreciate the candour of the little authors. It is not easy to share your writing with the world, even adult authors do it with some trepidation.
Q. How has your life changed after this book?
Ans. The book has created a stir in the region and earned accolades. It is heartening to see it gradually getting popular in other states of the country also.
My writing before this book was confined to non-fiction as I usually wrote Middles for newspapers. Now, after experiencing the freedom and joy of creating stories, I only want to pursue it.
Q. Your biggest support while writing Stories?
Ans. Me, the children and their Mums have been a close-knit group all through this journey. Writing can be a lonely process, but I am glad we had each other at every step, be it practising creative writing, crafting the plots or marketing the book.
Q. Your favourite Story from the book?
Ans. I have spent several days with each story, and they are all close to my heart, though, I must confess, being an adult, I connected better with the stories rooted in reality, as compared to the ones that had magic and fantasy as the theme. Also, the ones where the protagonist revealed a different perspective touched a chord. a lizard that feels low for being a scorned being, tractors on a farm or the insect on a picnic! These stories evoke empathy in the reader, which is a principal aim of children’s literature.
My writing before this book was confined to non-fiction as I usually wrote Middles for newspapers. Now, after experiencing the freedom and joy of creating stories, I only want to pursue it.
