Winner of Landmark’s annual storytelling initiative, tells that her book store will offer kids unlimited books and cocoa

Tamara Khanna, SHIKHA JAIN

‘green crackers’ exist only in utopian minds; there are only ‘Made in China’ everywhere else. And two hours’ cracker time in 24 hours or two hours after a gap of every hour wasn’t specified na, our desis got conphused, they burst morning and night.

Speaking of Diwali, you have the killjoy ones also. Like the disclaimers for insurance advertisements, these real jalkukdas and kukdis will send messages asking you to watch your weight. And now in newsrooms and middle class homes there is an existential crisis, whether to follow Dr Dixit or Diwekar diet. One is you get two 55 minute periods in the day to complete your entire day’s meals. The other is, eat every two hours. Like situations, but the best part is he still wriggles out of them. Pollyanna is another book I love because I love her attitude of finding good in every situation however bleak it may be. I like Fancy Nancy because she’s so fancy and posh. I wish to be like her one day,” she says, eyes sparkling.

Bonding with Bond

"You know, I had really prepared well for this meeting. I had my exams from Monday, but still I spent the last three days before leaving for Mussoorie to make a gift box for Mr Ruskin Bond,” says Tamara. She wrote a colourful threepage letter for him, packed three books which she had written and illustrated on her own and also put in two postcards which she especially made for him to write to his friends. “I also sneaked in a bar of chocolate for him to eat despite my mother refusing,” she adds.

She was quite petrified wondering whether Mr Bond would talk to her or not since she was the youngest of the lot. She wore her best frock for the occasion. “When I saw him first, I was delighted. He didn’t seem strict or serious like the usual elders. He was very cute and chubby like a sweet and loving grandfather,” she recalls. Bond smiled, cracked jokes and patiently answered everybody’s questions. He also gave everyone several tips on life and writing books. “Then he took pictures with all of us including the parents and gifted us a signed copy of his book that I’ll always cherish,” she adds.

Future story

When she grows up, Tamara plans to become an author and book illustrator, and own a book café, where kids will be allowed to drink hot cocoa and read as many books as they like. “I want to write stories that I want to tell and also want them to make people laugh. Mr Bond advised me to write stories that make me happy and then my readers,” she explains. She plans to write all kinds of stories but mostly funny ones. Maybe a bit about ghosts too to scare people, but nothing sad certainly.