Khyrunnisa A.
Book Title : Tongue in Cheek
A fun collection of short articles that deals with everyday experiences in a humorous fashion, Tongue-in-Cheek has something for every reader. Each piece offers an entertaining inside account of the experiences and misadventures of an urban woman. These easily relatable pieces on day-to-day encounters are a quick pick-me-up to drive stress away and look at the world with a chuckle. A light and easy read, the book encourages readers to laugh along. Khyrunnisas unique take on things and her humorous observations make for a delightfully light-hearted read, which would resonate with readers.
Academic, Speaker, Columnist, an Author – Khyrunnisa A.! Was writing a book a conscious decision or a part of the literary journey which eventually happened with time?
It was the latter – a part of the literary journey that happened – since a set of interesting circumstances made me a writer.
You created a popular cartoon character, ‘Butterfingers.’ which eventually got quite famous as a comic strip in Tinkle comic magazine and then a series of novels were published. How was the idea of creating a comic strip conceived? Is the character of ‘Butterfingers’ inspired from some real life person?
I didn’t think of creating a comic strip. What actually happened (here is the set of circumstances that set me on the ‘write’ path ) was that we used to get Tinkle for my young son and one day I read the announcement of an All India Short Story Competition for Adult Writers of Children’s Fiction by India Book House ( now Amar Chitra Katha) in the magazine. Just for the fun of it, I sent an entry. The word limit was 3000 words and I playfully say my story had 2999 words. The story was titled ‘Butterfingers’ and it won the second prize. I was thrilled and the writing bug bit me when I won the first prize for seven consecutive years.
Since Tinkle was bringing out the story, it needed to be in the comic strip format. A script writer wrote the script for the comic and that’s how it all started. When Tinkle requested me to create a regular character for the magazine, I brought back Butterfingers and very soon it became hugely popular. I continued to send long stories that were turned into the comic format by a script writer. Since I had the copyright of the original stories, I approached Penguin with them. I hoped they would be published as a collection. The editor loved the concept but wanted a novel. That was how I wrote ‘Howzzat Butterfingers!’
I have given my son’s name, Amar, to Butterfingers. I have taken only the name from him, not the characteristics, though he, like me, is quite a Butterfingers. But he’s a quiet chap while Butterfingers is quite the opposite.
You have successfully forayed in all three of them with a variety of books. As an author, what difference do you feel when it comes to writing novels for children, young adults and adults?
When it comes to stories for children, one should be careful about the themes. They should be children-friendly. When you write for adults, such caps and boundaries are not there, though you do set yourself certain restrictions. It’s the same with the kind of language used. My books are all humorous books and when I write humour, I do have to make some adjustments to my mindset when I’m writing for each category, but I don’t find it difficult to make the switch.
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
I never thought of writing a novel, but having successfully written one, it gave me the confidence to go for the second in the series. I just evolved as the demands were made on me. I wrote short stories on different themes, newspaper columns, articles for magazines and the Butterfingers novels were happening too. And I’m happy that I haven’t disappointed my editors, publishers or readers. Of course it’s a lot of hard work. Every writer will acknowledge that.
According to you which are the 5 books, everyone should read and also who are your top 3 Authors and what impact did they have in your journey as a writer?
There’s a plurality of taste and a great variety in the kind of books available. Tastes differ. So I really don’t think I should categorically give the names of five books that everyone should read. That’s up to the personal choice of readers. But I can give you the names of five books (among the huge lot of books I love) that are personal favourites. ) and RohintonMistry’s ‘A Fine balance.’
They are Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’, Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘Chronicle of a Death Foretold’, Gerald Durrell’s ‘My Family and Other Animals’, P.G. Wodehouse’s ‘Joy in the Morning’ (and all his other books) and Rohinton Mistry’s ‘A Fine balance.’
My top three authors?William Shakespeare, P.G.Wodehouse and Bill Bryson. I love humour; hence Bill Bryson is naturally a favourite. But P.G.Wodehouse is my all time favourite. I discovered him in class VIII and still read him. I own almost all his books. Since my writing is mostly humorous, Wodehouse’s books, and to a certain extent, Bill Bryson’s, have had an indirect influence on my writing. As for Shakespeare, he continues to delight, nourish and amaze. He’s the ultimate.
Tell us a bit about your family, likes and dislikes as a person.
If it is the family I was born into, I come from a family of eight children – seven girls and a boy. I am the youngest. My father was a postmaster who decided to settle down in Trivandrum for the education of his children. My mother had her hands full and a 24/7 job, bringing us up.
As regards my family, my husband, P.Vijaya Kumar, is a former professor of English and we have a son, Amar, an engineer in the US. Amar is married to Arpitha, also an engineer.
My likes? I like too many things to enumerate them here. I love people, animals (from a distance) and books.
Things I dislike? Not that there aren’t any, but I keep them to myself and am forever trying to get to like them.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Keep writing.
Could you share a few tips for Young Authors?
I always tell budding writers to be readers first. Reading widely broadens your mind, opens it to new ideas, and exposes you to different genres and writing styles. And, of course, your language becomes sound and your vocabulary keeps getting better. Writing should always be built on the solid foundation of reading. Writing is hard work. Self- discipline, perseverance and diligence are necessary. Be observant, patient and keep writing.
At Sharing Stories, we have an ongoing campaign ‘World Harmony through Writing’ where we encourage writers to pen down their deepest internal thoughts, daily for at least fifteen minutes. Their new ideas and profound thinking shall help to bring out some positive changes in the world we live. We would love to hear your thoughts about this initiative.
It’s an excellent initiative, and I hope it works. Writers have always been trying to make the world a better place.
Do you view writing as a kind of spiritual practice?
No, I don’t. I’m a very practical person and I write because I enjoy writing. I wish to bring laughter and joy into the lives of my readers through my books.
Rapid Fire Round
Favourite place: Thiruvananthapuram. I love the city where I live.
Favourite person: My husband, son and daughter-in-law, and that makes it threeJ. But if you meant someone outside the family, it would be my former teacher, colleague, mentor and now my very close friend, Prof Leela Subramoni.
Food: Idli. I can eat it for any meal and whether I’m well or ill. But of course, it must come with a tasty accompaniment.
Beverage: Adam’s ale; in other words, water. Love it.
Your other Talents: Teaching, maybe. You should ask my students whether that’s a talent I have . As for cooking, it is passable and my family has managed to survive.
Your First Love: Books, what else?
Favourite Quote:It’s more a misquotation. ‘Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow’, an adaptation of Benjamin Franklin’s quote, ‘Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.’
Favourite Character from a book:Captain Haddock from Tintin comics.
What if Round
What if you had to live with only three things all your life, what would the three things be?
If by things you mean people, of course I’d say my husband, son and daughter-in-law.
But if by things you mean things, then I’d go for food, water and a huge bookshelf crammed with books – nourishment for the body and the mind.
What if you were given the power to change one thing from this world, what would you change?
Remove the green house gases in the atmosphere that are causing climate change and species extinction.
What if you had all the money in this world, what would you do first?
I would use it to buy books and build libraries in every nook and corner.
