BANGALORE: Reliance TimeOut recently hosted the launch of the book, The Mystery of the Silk Umbrella by Asha Nehemiah. We find out what the author has to say about fiction for children and the responsibilities of the writer of children’s books.There was a time when India saw stories like Malgudi Days and Rusty’s adventures. Do you think we need more Indian stories for children in the twenty first century? I think there are quite a lot of stories. But they don’t get turned into books. But yes, we do need more stories for children of this generation. With grandmother’s tales slowly becoming a thing of the past, isn’t it essential to have more books that children can connect with?It’s hard to tell. There is a lot of competition that books are having these days. Children’s time for leisure has come down. Video games and television are inevitable. So I think there is more responsibility for the writer to create books that are exciting for children. Were you a storyteller for your kids?Yes. My two kids are grown up now. When they were young I used to tell them stories and also read them stories from books.Your stories for children are a mix of humour and mystery. According to you, what captivates children the most?I don’t think there is one particular thing that captivates children. Different children have different tastes. But in my observation, most children respond well to humour. Also, over-the-top quirky characters excite them a lot.You have written two novels and quite a few short stories and picture books for children. What made you get into the world of children’s fiction?I used to be a freelance writer. Slowly, I gravitated towards writing for children. I enjoy it. It is creative as well as challenging.What is most challenging when it comes to writing for children?The most challenging thing is that children don’t give you the second chance. You have to grab their attention in the first chapter. Else you’ll lose them forever.Tell us a little bit about your book.It is a mystery novel. The story revolves around a silk umbrella that a mother rents while shooting for a movie that she is making. She shoots a part of the movie and later the umbrella gets stuck. She becomes frantic because if the umbrella doesn’t open, it will disrupt the continuity of movie. So she sends her two kids to repair the umbrella. The rest of the story is an adventure.
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