It was with great pleasure that I read Atula's letter about Reading Rainbow children's interest in my books. I felt honored to be chosen as worthy of being added to their list of celebrated children's authors. It felt wonderful for me to know that my books have touched their lives.
I spent many years as a scientist before deciding to write. Why? Because, for me, writing is the greatest challenge.
I still remember the first time I was given a book that wasn't full of pictures. My aunt, Sundari, always brought us presents when she came from Kolkatta to Chennai to visit. I was very disappointed that morning, when I found she had brought a colorful board game for my cousin Ramya (who is also my age) and brought me a colorless book - The Naughtiest Girl in School, by Enid Blyton. She said she had been told that I was able to read, and so she had brought me a book. I think I was well behaved enough not to tell her that I only liked books with pictures.
Disappointed, I sat on the verandah with my word-filled book. What was the point of a book that didn't even have any black and white drawings? Sun spilled onto the mosaic floor as I sat on a ledge perched on the front door and glanced at the bright yellow cover. Then, just to be polite, I opened the first page and began to read.
I still remember the moment I made that discovery – somewhere between page 2 and page 3 – that though there were no illustrations in the book, there were pictures dancing before my eyes. Words - those little marks on paper - had created a world in mind that was more magnificent and colorful than any painting or photograph or film could ever be.
For the rest of my life, the thrill of that discovery stayed with me – and even through all my years of scientific research, I never forgot it. That's why I eventually returned to the world of words and decided to write books. That's why I am so impressed by the work that Reading Rainbow does.
The religious festival I've loved most, ever since I was a child, was Saraswathi Poojai. That day when we celebrate the sacredness of the written word and place books on an altar always seems too long to me, because I can't read on that day! Yet, when it is over, I return refreshed and renewed to the world, with an increased respect for all that I have in my life, and knowing how lucky I am to be literate. Literacy is a blessing indeed, and a gift that no one can take away.
I believe that few skills are as important to a child as developing a love of books and reading. In my first novel, Climbing the Stairs – which I hope the adults at Reading Rainbow will read, and which you can also all read once you are at least thirteen years old – my heroine, Vidya loves books. Every day, she secretly escapes to her grandfather's upstairs library, which is forbidden to her – and there she finds comfort, love and the strength that she needs to fight for her personal freedom.
Just as Vidya does in my novel, Climbing the Stairs, I hope each one of us will find that books can help us transcend boundaries of time and space. I trust also that one day -? will go beyond the pages of books to find peace and spirituality, and to come to an understanding that all of humanity is one, and that we are all equal even as we celebrate the diversity of our cultures and religions. In this journey that you have already begun, I am humbled to be a small part.
I thank these young readers from the bottom of my heart for their sincere appreciation of my work. My very
Best wishes to all readers, always.
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