Literula Week 2021 - Celebrating Authors, Young and Old

Whether it is an 18-year-old first time author, or a 55-year-old seasoned writer with several enthralling books up her sleeves, their advice for budding authors is the same, “don’t wait for inspirations, just keep writing”. Whatever comes to your mind, put it down on paper. That makes all the difference.

Anamika Ghosh, a Shiv Nadar School alumnus and a first time author, and Venita Coelho, a veteran author with 7 books to her name, both feel that what they write is a part of their life; a reflection of their mind and soul. Speaking to the students and teachers at Shiv Nadar School during the Literula Week, they expressed that situations that we perceive as negative and disturbing have been the source of inspiration for their stories and poetry. While Venita’s books talk about issues that enrage her, Anamika feels that the process of expressing herself through words and art is cathartic.

Shrey Gupta, who nurtured his skills as a sportsperson, lyricist and musician at Shiv Nadar School, mirrored the liberating experience. Sharing his book ‘Sixteen’, Shrey said that poetry has helped him to get over emotional turmoil.

At a time when everyone is going through some sort of challenge, taking up writing as a therapeutic medium can be quite effective. Venita advices the young writers to pen down five sentences a day, without being judgmental about the quality of writing.

At Shiv Nadar School, we put the same philosophy to action through the year, encouraging students to create short stories, poems or essays. These activities amplify during the Literula Week, wherein we celebrate literature, books and authors.

Ms. Coelho also talked about how authors need to possess an inherent and indiscriminate curiosity. Our young student authors Mavis Lawrence and Tarisha Kaushik exemplify the same in their books, ‘Sunny Menthoil, the comet’ and ‘Ouroboros’. Their writing is about looking at life from different perspectives. Tarisha says her years at Shiv Nadar School helped her to expand her horizon through reading and introspection. She shared with her fellow students the importance of self-criticism, which takes one on a journey to be a better writer.

Famous playwright Feisal Alkazi, another guest author during the Literula Week, stressed that the magic is in the details. If one can sketch the characters in detail, describe the surroundings and build a clear context, then readers will feel involved with the writing. He also advised students to keep reading and use new words frequently in their writing.

The youngest writers featured during the Literula Week were the creators of a weekly news digest ‘The Paperless Press’ that has completed 38 editions till date. Agastya, Abhimanyu and Mihir started with an effort to spread positive vibes in the midst of negative happenings. They follow a well-planned approach for research and draft the articles together. Expressing what they believe in, is the key to making their efforts rewarding.

We are delighted that these young authors are consistently learning, exploring, innovating and evolving and are such great ambassadors for the school. We wish them and all budding authors the best in their writing journey!

Jun 11, 2021 by Shiv Nadar School