Earlier this year, I was asked if I could write a set of picture books for very young readers about the different kinds of transportation - land, water and air. I won't lie, I wasn't entirely over the moon with the brief. A set of books for very young readers about cars, boats and aeroplanes? No thanks right?
But, after a chat with my extremely enthusiastic (and convincing) editor at Pratham Books, Shinibali Mitra Saigal, I found myself saying yes. Shinibali told me I could write the books however I liked - straight up, non-fiction or I could weave a fictional story around the concepts. All I had to keep in mind was that the stories couldn't be longer than 350 words, and that I should keep in mind that the readers would be in grades 2 and 3. And try to make them fun?
I opted for the fictional route, and as I rattled around in my head, KR Vijayan a tea shop owner (who sadly passed away recently) who travelled the world tour with his wife Mohana came to mind. Ah! Senior citizens travelling? That could be fun! But, for some reason I didn't want a married couple travelling the world together, or a senior citizen and their grandchild. And then, I remembered V. Nanammal, India's oldest yoga teacher and Kamalathal, an octogenarian social worker famous for making idlis for migrant workers. They both were subverting the idea of what a grandmother or a yoga teacher should be or look like. And so, the idea for the books came to shape - two women travelling the world together - by land, water and air - and their escapades.
Young readers love contrasts - neat and messy, big and small, loud and quiet - so I gave the two women distinct and contrasting personalities. One loves bajjis, the other loves cassata ice cream. One likes comedy movies, the other binge watches Kung-fu flicks. One is shy, the other friendly.
In the first book, Nanammal and Kamalathal Travel by Road, the two friends are getting ready to leave on a vacation, but one of them, as always sleeps in. How will they reach the station on time? With some help from the local watermelon farmer and his cart of course.
In Nanammal and Kamalathal Travel by Sea, the friends are vacationing on the backwaters of Kerala, and birder Nanammal is determined to spot the Willow Warbler. This desire leads to them being stranded on a local island. How will they get back to their houseboat?
When I sent the manuscripts in to Shinibali, I was a little apprehensive. Did Nanammal and Kamalathal seem too out there? Were their names - which young readers in Tamil Nadu would relate to - too different for children in other parts of the country? Were the stories complete in themselves? I heaved a big sigh of relief, when the manuscripts were okayed and we went into edits.
As a picture book writer, one of my most favourite moments is getting to see the first line illustrations or storyboard come in. That anticipation is something else. And I was delighted to see Sushant Ahire's art for the book. He had perfectly captured Nanammal and Kamalathal's spirit with his vibrant, quirky illustrations, which I am completely in love with.
The last in the series should be out soon, and I can't wait to share it. Till then, I do hope you'll read the first two to a young person you know!
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