CHENNAI: Anuradha Majumdar is not a writer of child fantasy. So, when she was asked to come up with a book for children, she was perplexed. But Anuradha gives credit to an owl, which she feels was a great source of inspiration to her and continues to be. “When I had the least idea of how I should go about with the storyline, I saw an owl during my morning stroll. It looked at me for 10 minutes and then something unusual happened. It turned its head 180 degrees. I got the synopsis for my story that very day and came up with a storyline,” says Anuradha, at the launch of her book Infinity Papers on Saturday.
The story narrates the journey of three kids and a parrot called Spark, and their search for the infinite. Through the book, Anuradha wishes to convey a message for the betterment of society and peaceful environment.
“The main characters in the book are Marina, Gautam, Tenzin and a parrot named Spark,” she says, and divulges more details about them. “Marina is born near the Marina Beach and loves watching the sea waves. She’s a nature lover and gets her name from the Marina Beach. Gautam, her brother, has a very peculiar persona. Tenzin comes later in the story. He’s the grandpa of Marina and Gautam (who stays in Kodaikanal). They unite and go on a journey in search of the ‘infinity’ documents. Spark, the talkative parrot, accompanies them,” she says.
We ask Anuradha why she chose Marina over other beaches in the city. She responds with a smile, “Well, Marina is identified with dirt and filth, and my story is all about moving towards a cleaner environment. It seemed to have a bond with my story.” She talks about her love for parrots. “I can still personally connect with the character of Spark as I had a similar parrot. Parrots are very talkative, yet very clever,” she says.
She reads a couple of paragraphs to the gathering, comprising mostly children. Her lines talk of hills, mountains and beaches. Her book takes us across different places, traversing the beauty of India, all the way from Kodaikanal to Dharamshala.
Speaking about the title of the book, which in itself encompasses infinite meanings, Anuradha explains, “The story mainly deals with the island of infinity and talks about research on infinity. A scientist loses important documents needed for the research. We have a villain too — Dargat, a corporate arms dealer, who wants to stop the scientist from pursuing the research work.” She adds, “The book has a suspense element too, and talks about the journey of the trio, grandfather and the parrot all the way from Kodaikanal to Dharamshala.” After Anuradha reads out a few paragraphs, children from Arsha Vidya Mandir, who were present at the event, engage in discussions with the author. As part of the event, children from the Rainbow Fish Studio had displayed their art works inspired from Majumdar’s story.
Infinity papers is priced at `295 and is published by Roli Books.