Shabd Manch - A Festival of Letters - Author Asha Nehemiah

The children of Classes II and III were delighted to interact with Asha Nehemiah, a prolific writer of children’s books, in another Shabd Manch experience.

She narrated from her book ‘The Grand Chapati Contest.’ Every time she repeated the phrase - “perfectly round, soft, hot and fluffy-puffy chapatis”, the Class II children joined in enthusiastically. Asha Nehemiah then asked the children how they would make a perfect chapati for the imaginary character of the king in the story and what special cooking implements and ingredients they would use. The children let loose their creativity; one drew a chocolate chapati, and another thought of a rocket-propelled stove to deliver the chapati straight to the king’s hands.

In the session with Class III, Asha Nehemiah took the children through her process of creating the book ‘A Pinch of Magic.’ She shared her first thoughts for the book jotted down on a page with supporting ideas in a word cloud and then described the way she collaborated with her editor and illustrators to create the final copy and cover. To end the session, they shared their magic solutions like a spray to rid you of shyness or a cream to instantly cure the disabled.

It was a treat for the children to draw from the wealth of experience that Asha Nehemiah holds in the world of writing.