About Me

I am a writer, storyteller, educator and curriculum developer. I have written over 75 books for children. Over 30 of these are picture books. I have also written books for newly independent readers, fiction and non-fiction for confident readers, adaptations and retellings. 

I wrote my first story over 20 years ago and since then, I have not stopped writing.  Don’t ask me exactly how many short stories I have written because I stopped counting after I wrote 300! These have been published in newspapers like The Hindu, Sakal Times, The Hitavada and in magazines like Tinkle, Hoot, Toot, The Children’s Magazine and Dimdima.  My stories have featured in various anthologies and some of my stories and poems have appeared in English textbooks for school children too! 

My picture books have been published in India, USA, the UK, Pakistan and Canada. Three of my books are on the list of recommended reading, put together by the CBSE, the Central Board of Secondary Education (Pranav’s Picture, What Shall I Make? and The House of Fourteen Cats)  and two of my books (Mini’s Questions and Sometimes Mama, Sometimes Papa) are on the Parag Honour List. 
 
I love everything about being a writer! I like dreaming up stories and I absolutely love bringing them to life. 

People often wonder if I spend all my time writing stories. I do spend a fair amount of my waking hours thinking of stories, planning them and writing them. But there are other things I do too!

Here’s a list of just some of them!

The world is full of people who dream of writing – children, adults, teachers, homemakers, they all want to write! But most of them don’t know how to go about it. That’s where I come in, with workshops tailor made to the needs of my students. Interested? You can learn more about them here.

I do readings and storytelling sessions at libraries and children’s literature festivals.

Want to invite me to do a session? Write to me.

I visit schools and interact with children there. You can get more details of my sessions here.

I have worked on school and university level textbooks, and I write stories for textbooks and educational apps.

I administer The Story Clinic, a space where I offer editorial feedback on the writings of other authors.

Have a story you’d like a second opinion on? Write to me here.

I have contributed entries on 21 Indian authors and illustrators to the Oxford Encyclopaedia of Children’s Literature, edited by Jack Zipes and published by Oxford University Press, New York.

I have also contributed a survey essay on Indian Children’s Writing in India to the Indian Writing in English Online, an Open Educational Resource hosted by the University of Hyderabad.