When BijalVachharajani is not reading Harry Potter, she dreams up picture books as Editor Scissorhands at Pratham Books. Bijal is the author of four children's books including A Cloud Called Bhura and So You Want to Know About the Environment. She has edited a magazine, rescued parakeets, tigers and elephants, and is part of the Abhiyan Library movement. Bijal has a Masters in Environment Security and Peace from the University of Peace in Costa Rica and is a certified climate worrier.
Social Media
As Ms Vachharajani and Ms Hart get into the conversation, they start with how Ms Bijal ended up in the children’s book genre and how difficult it is compared to writing for grown-ups. Subsequently, Ms Bijal tells the viewers how writing for children keeps her on her toes and helps her bring out more interesting stories. As the conversation moves towards, “A Cloud Named Bhura” Ms Bijal’s work of fiction for children, she talks about how she discovered a cloud filled with toxic gases in Chile and it came to her mind what will happen if such a cloud shows up above Mumbai, a city she grew up in. As magical as her book, the conversation moves towards how she shaped the four protagonists of the book and how they manage to weave a strong storyline around the cloud and eventually save the city. The conversation between Ms Hart and Ms Bijal also moves in the direction of how children are far more climate-sensitive than adults and how they wish to make a bigger difference to secure their future. From character development to safeguarding the climate for our future generations, the conversation beautifully comes to a close.