hopscotch

  An interview with Bhakti Mathur, who has been penning, Amma, Take Me series, introducing her children to various faiths. The interview was published in Sakal Times  Ambika Shaligram Published on :  05 Jan, 2020 , 9:18 am On her trips to India, Bhakti Mathur and her two boys, Shiv and Veer, often visit religious shrines and places of worship. The Hong Kong-based former banker has an agenda up her sleeves — firstly, to introduce her children to the country of their origin and the many festivals and mythology tales that make India a very vibrant and inclusive country. Secondly, the interactions, questions and the introspection that occurs finds its way through the books that Mathur has been writing for her children and other readers their age.  Her first book was Amma Tell Me About Holi! in 2011 and now she is working on a new series — Amma, Take Me — in collaboration with Puffin Books. So far Mathur and her kids visited Golden Temple in Amritsar, the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Tirupat

  Tanu Shree Singh talks about her book Darkless. The interview was published in Sakal Times Ambika Shaligram Published on :  19 Jan, 2020 , 8:57 am Darkless. If you are in a hurry, you are bound to read and mutter to yourself, Darkness. Let us tell you that it’s a common enough mistake, surrounded as we are by situations that are anger and sorrow inducing. Why blame Ani who is awake one night when the moon shines on and little specks of light dance on the ceiling? In the morning, when the sun peeps in, the boy whispers, ‘It’s dark. Still dark.’ When Nani exclaims that it’s a bright, sunny day, just right for ice cream, Ani keeps quiet. It seems that everything has lost its colour. Why is the boy so dispirited? It’s because Ani is missing his Mumma. ‘I wish she comes home,’ he whispers to Dobby, his dog. And, when he sees the familiar car, Ani rushes inside his home and straight into her arms. Mumma is home, but her hair is gone...She is ill with cancer and that’s why Ani is desolate.