Published, in small font

Ten-year-old Zuni Chopra, daughter of Bollywood director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, released a book, Land of Dreams yesterday. She's the newest entrant to join India's band of young authors. Today, on International Children's Book Day, Surekha S speaks to some of these budding talents on how they took the write turn

Aboutu00a0Hans Christian Andersen
The birthday of Hans Christian Andersen is celebrated as International Children's Book Day across the world. The Danish author and poet captured the imagination of kids around the world for his stories including The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen and The Emperor's New Clothes.

His works, which included short stories, poems, travelogues and fairy tales, have inspired animated movies, films, plays and ballets. 2005 was the bicentenary of Andersen's birth and his life and work was celebrated around the world. In Shanghai, there is a $13-million theme park based on Andersen's tales and life.u00a0

Anshuman Mohan (Potato Chips, Harper Collins India, July 2010)
Anshuman Mohan wrote Potato Chips when he was just 14 years. The novel, about 14 kids in seventh grade in a Kolkata school did sold nearly 10,000 copies in the eight months. That was two years ago. Now 16, Anshuman believes his novel clicked with youngsters because it was realistic and spoke not just about the fun but also the problems that teenagers face and how they overcome it. He says, "When adults write young adult novels, it is very fictional and removed from the lives of children.

'The book talks about tricks, even about cheating," adds Anshuman, breaking into laughter. His book wasn't drawn entirely on personal experiences. Anshuman received plenty of mail from readers who found a similar connect in their lives. His fans might be disappointed since the young author has no plans to take up full-time writingu00a0-- "I would like to continue writing though not as a full-time profession. I would like to do something that involves computers, travelling and photography.'"

Zuni Chopra (Land of Dreams, Ameya Prakashan, April 2011)
Zuni Chopra, all of ten and daughter of director Vidhu Vinod Chopra, released her debut novel yesterday. Land of Dreams is a compilation of poems and short stories that she wrote over the last few years. She developed a love for words when she was very young and began writing poems since she was 5. "When she could barely spell words, she liked to read and write," recounts mother Anupama Chopra.

Zuni is a big fan of JK Rowling and has read and re-read the Harry Potter series. She writes dairies for Hermoine and the other characters from Harry Potter. "JK Rowling and Enid Blyton are the best," says Zuni, who is excited about her book release. She believes that everything around her is inspiration to writeu00a0-- "I write about anything I see; I love writing poems and fiction." Unlike Anshuman, she wants to become an author when she grows up.

Nityasya Belapurkaru00a0(You're Not Alone, Bombadil Publishing, Sept 2010)
The number 14 surfaces once more; this time it's Nityasya's Belapurkar's novel, You're Not Alone, which includes 14 short stories about 14 girls. It's an interesting story about the unexplored side of young adults and deals with the problems girls face while growing up, the changes they undergo and how overcome these problems.

"There is so much that girls face while growing up, which I did too and at one point I felt that I needed to express myself and I decided to pen them down," shares Nityasya who realised she wanted to convert her writings into a book Every character in her book has darker shades. "Most of us portray an external image of being cool and happy. But we all have insecurities; I have these in my novel. It was also convincing myself that there is always hope. If today's gone there is always tomorrow," she says. The teenager, whose favourite authors are Ayn Rand and Patrick Suskind, wants to continue writing and author may more books in the future.

Tanisha Avarsekaru00a0(Beyond The Horizon, Embassy Books Publishers, Dec 2010)
Beyond The Horizon is a published collection of 60 poems by 13 year-old Tanisha. On last count, she had completed 220 poems. She wrote her first poem in May 2010 while at an adventure camp when she tore a ligament and had to stay away from physical activity. That's when Tanisha decided to start writingu00a0-- "I discovered my passion for writing. My friends were supportive."

When she returned home, she showed these poems to her mother, Shweta. Surprised, her mother encouraged her to continue writing with similar dedication, so it could be compiled into book that Shweta would present to Tanisha. Excited, the little poet was ready with a collection of 82 poems after five months. Shweta showed Tanisha's work to a few writers, who advised that it be converted into a book.

They found a publisher and Tanisha released her collection in December 2010. According to a leading book chain's figures, 169 copies of Tanisha's book were sold in Mumbai in four months. The young poet is also an Odissi dancer and a pianist and wants to become a lawyer. "Soon, I will release 100 poems in a collection called The Audacity to Dream. Besides I have also started working on a fiction novel," she says.