Flower/Phool (Hindi)

Sandhya Rao is one of the finest writers for children in India. Her books have won awards and accolades: My Friend the Sea won the Ambitious Children’s Book Project award at the Berlin Children and Youth Literature Festival, 2005. My Mother’s Sari was chosen as an Outstanding International Book, 2007, by the United States Board for Books for Young People (USBBY) and the Children’s Book Council. Rights to the book have been sold for USA, Canada, Australia and the U.K. In 1996, she joined Radhika Menon to create multilingual books for children at a time when independent children’s publishing in India was nascent. She has written over 20 books. Chennai-based Sandhya has an eclectic taste in books, music and films and loves listening to stories, especially real stories. She works at The Hindu.

Ashok Rajagopalan writes and illustrates children’s books. His mission in life is to make people, especially little people, laugh. His funny and evocative illustrations fill the pages of many Tulika picture books, the all-time favourite being the Gajapati Kulapati series. This is his first work of fiction for Tulika. He lives with his family and books in Korattur, Chennai.