Other stunning sessions at the time of the Litfest saw young adult books and popular children of Paro Anand writer and the writer of young adult thrillers and practicing Homeopath Apekthera Rao in conversation with the author and editor of the famous children of Vidya Mani.
‘Young-adults’ as a term and genre are relatively new for the world of literature.
While Paro Anand can be registered as one of the pioneers of the genre, with the book 2005 ‘There is no weapon at my son’s funeral to be the first few books labeled under the genre, Apefsha Rao has made its enemy with the genre with his first thriller’ throughout the coming spyder ‘.
Like entered Vidya Mani, “Two authors straddling the gamut wrote” enlivened the discussion with various interesting insights and opinions about children, adults and young writings.
This session was held on September 8, 2021 at Times on-Going Litfest 2021 which was held virtually this year.
Paro Anand is a drama teacher and therefore finds himself mostly around children.
He found the lack of contemporary Indian games and books during his practice.
After also spending time with orphans in Kashmir, the idea of ​​’growing in the crisis and conflict in the middle’ and the consequences pushed him to write ‘no weapons in my child’s funeral.
While the other book, ‘Weed’ presents the other side of the coin, and shows what happens to the family of a child who turns into a terrorist.
He believes that the teenage years are a dark time, no matter how big the physical state and books and the tip, especially ‘there is no weapon …’, is a means to give hope to them.
“I want to tell them that there is light at the end of the tunnel.”
Apeksha Rao, who has written a spy novel, is intimidated as a child.
Living in the parallel world itself, where he can take the full problem in his own hands, he weave the story and believe in the existence of ‘disguise’ ego.
The personal detail layer found in his book comes from his life as a child.
He associated the hypocrisy that the protagonist’s grandmother showed in condemning his grandfather’s profession as a spy but agreed to his son to do the same with the lack of women’s freedom to deal with all professions, firmly.
Writing for a group of age groups because young adults is a big responsibility problem.
Talking about a two-edged sword that it is, Anand said, “a story can be moral without moralization.
It can give something without hitting your throat.” While Rao talks about how things need to be taught have changed from one generation to another.
“There is a classic problem of children’s literature where the final consumer is one person and a different gatekeeper whether they are parents or teachers.” said Vidya Mani.
To fulfill both of them became the task of Herculean because there was a strong termination between the actual reality of young adults and what was served by their gatekeepers.
Rao ‘smoke’ faces the consequences of this termination as it is not approved by parents because it is prescribed as part of the school syllabus.
It is also a reason for imprisonment that the author must face the vis-à-vis theme that they can base their writing and increasing shame and doubt that is associated with sexuality, religion and other unpleasant themes.
“This is a classic problem where children’s literature goes but hopefully everything looks now.” said Vidya Mani, when he spoke concern that the two authors were raised.
It concluded in the note of hope the session when the two authors talk about instill empathy, enthusiasm and proactive sense of their young readers to take advantage of their potential change.
(Byline: Bhavya Sharma)