About Me

Bio / About Me

I am a writer-illustrator, editor, and independent researcher based in Rotterdam, Netherlands. I cherish every opportunity to celebrate my abiding love for visuals, which inspire my work, and particularly love silent or nearly wordless narratives. I've published picturebooks, teen-fiction, and illustrated a graphic novel for young adults.

In 2015, I received the Bal Sahitya Puraskar, the prestigious national award for children's literature awarded by the Sahitya Akademi for the book, Mayil Will Not Be Quiet!. Some of my work has been recommended by the CBSE and NCERT boards of education for reading in schools and libraries across India.

I am a Charles Wallace India Trust Arts Scholar (2015-2017) and Erasmus Mundus Scholar (2019-2021). As a researcher, my interests lie in picturebooks, illustration, materiality, the relationship between human and non-human nature in children's books. 

FAQ

How do you come up with ideas for your work?

Almost all my ideas come from pictures, either seen or imagined. My first book was inspired by a night walk on the beach with a friend, whose description of yellow-orange swirls in the moon stayed with me for a long time. Many moons later, it emerged in Jalebi Curls. So my writing, in one way or the other, consults a picture and is guided by it. Everyday life and daily occurrences also find their place in my work.

Could you share your writing and/or illustration process?

I put my thoughts down in a notebook or sketchbook, often including rough sketches or visual notes. Once I have a draft of the text in place, I read it aloud. In picture books, in particular, each word matters, as do the syntax and rhythm. I work at it till it sounds right to my ear.

Some of my work is entirely hand-rendered. Others combine traditional and digital media. My narratives are largely character-driven. So I spend time figuring out who these characters are and how they express themselves. The biggest challenge, I find, is to carry over the spontaneity and ease that surfaces in free studies to the final artwork.

Where can I buy your books?

They're available on the publisher website and on Amazon. If you live in Chennai, you can head to the Tulika Bookstore, a lovely space where you can browse through the books before you buy them. The Tulika website also offers free shipping. Independent bookstores need our support so I highly recommend that you check the ones you love in your city.