Just Like Papa - was shared with close to a hundred third graders from Pathways, Noida...sharing stories of successes, 'failures,' snippets of a fun quiz...and of course... the story of Gia in 'Just like Papa'
Monday, October 26, 2020
October Events - book sessions go online!
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Friday, October 16, 2020
'Just like Papa" gets its first fabulous review
Wow. 'Just like Papa' received this wonderfully insightful review at Grey Matters!!
Love how the review is full of ideas of how parents and educators can share the book with children
Especially for children facing failure for the first time; or those with a tendency to compare (or get compared) and let it affect them... check out how this story can start some all-important conversations...
Of kids' dreams and struggles and a brush with failure... Just like Papa is a beautiful picture book by Nandita da Cunha...
Posted by Grey Matters on Monday, October 12, 2020
Sunderbaag ready to travel overseas! Plus this great review on Toka Box
The Miracle on Sunderbaag Street got a lovely review from Toka Box!
"...such a wonderful and heart warming story". The complete review is at this link.
And the news gets better - the Seattle based Toka Box team will be stocking the book as a part of their curated library of children's books - and they ship to 22 countries around the world. For all those outside India waiting to get their copies - here's the link to pre-order.
Tuesday, October 06, 2020
A fantabulous launch for Sunderbaag
What a blast I had this Sunday! Over 70 minutes of games, book reading, art activity and fun interaction ... over 70 children ... and their energy and enthusiasm made my day
Thanks so much
Katha Mehfil
and Kalpavriksh
... couldn’t have asked for a better launch for “The Miracle on Sunderbaag street”. Thank you Dream Grove team for your special appearance and lovely share out. And thanks to all the lovely children who made this such a memorable and fun book event
Yay! Such a lovely Sunday surprise - came across this recommendation from Funky Rainbows Book Buzzar
"A wonderful addition to any child's bookshelf - especially those children who say.. 'what can I do to make our planet a more beautiful place?'..." So touched with that review, Vidya Mani
Here's the link to the video - a great compilation of books on nature, with a special discussion with the one and only Zai Whittaker. Sunderbaag comes in at around 25 min
Happy wildlife week, folks!
Thursday, October 01, 2020
Monday, September 28, 2020
Introducing.. 'Just like Papa'
My second Picture Book has also just released!
'Just Like Papa' has been published by Tota Books (Full Circle Publishing), with whimsical, watercolour illustrations by Shreya Sen.
Set in Goa... this is a story about dealing with failure and about following your heart...
Young Gia wants to become an artist, just like her father, a famous Goan artist. But when she lifts a brush, her mind
goes blank. Does this mean she can never be... Just Like Papa?
Available on Amazon and on the publisher's website
https://fullcirclebooks.in/product/just-like-papa/
More soon...
Thursday, September 17, 2020
Here are the details! 'The Miracle on Sunderbaag Street' is a picture book for children (6-8 years)
It was inspired by a beautiful patch of green revived by a bunch of wonderful people at Bandra’s Dreamgrove (D’Monte Park road.)
You can order copies at kalpavriksh.org/our-store/the-miracle-on-sunderbaag-street/ Or email the publishers at kvbooks@gmail.com for your copy.
SO excited...
Thursday, September 10, 2020
Sunday, December 09, 2018
A long overdue post..
The wonderful time of the my life that was... 'Writers' Bloc 4.' India's premier playwrights' program, organized by Rage Productions and the British Council.
An honor to be selected from 200 entries across India to join the final bunch of 14 playwrights. 2 years of workshops, our wonderful wonderful mentors from the Royal Court Theatre, UK, incredible learning, new friends, never ending discussions on theatre, writing and life...which culminated in a festival of plays and performances.
A staged reading of my play 'The Side Effects' (later titled 'The Pacman Pill') was held at Prithvi House, Juhu, in May 2016. Directed by Trishala Patel and featuring Shernaz Patel, Sohrab Ardeshir, and Devika Shahani...it was a tremendous leaning experience to see the play come alive - from script to stage!
https://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/dramas/english/side-effects-english-staged-reading.asp#
SIDE EFFECTS by Nandita da Cunha
Meet Kavya. Single mother. Hotshot financial consultant. She's taken on the top dogs in her world of big pharma.
But when she stumbles upon a dark secret - will she choose to do the right thing by her daughter... or to do the right thing?
With a special mention of the play by Quasar Padamsee in his article below:
http://www.asianage.com/arts/reading-right-thing-167
"Nandita da Cunha’s The Pacman Pill directed by Trishla Patel was an exercise in airing out a new play to an audience, and then asking those present for comments and feedback. The play, created out of the Writers’ Bloc workshops, was steeped in medical and pharmaceutical jargon and took us to a new world. The stage directions, simply read, told us where we were and our imagination did the rest. The 75-minute performance in the tiny Prithvi House, kept us engaged and absorbed. It was a special treat to have a conversation with the writer about her influences. As an audience we felt we were part of the journey of this text becoming a proper play."
The wonderful time of the my life that was... 'Writers' Bloc 4.' India's premier playwrights' program, organized by Rage Productions and the British Council.
An honor to be selected from 200 entries across India to join the final bunch of 14 playwrights. 2 years of workshops, our wonderful wonderful mentors from the Royal Court Theatre, UK, incredible learning, new friends, never ending discussions on theatre, writing and life...which culminated in a festival of plays and performances.
A staged reading of my play 'The Side Effects' (later titled 'The Pacman Pill') was held at Prithvi House, Juhu, in May 2016. Directed by Trishala Patel and featuring Shernaz Patel, Sohrab Ardeshir, and Devika Shahani...it was a tremendous leaning experience to see the play come alive - from script to stage!
https://www.mumbaitheatreguide.com/dramas/english/side-effects-english-staged-reading.asp#
SIDE EFFECTS by Nandita da Cunha
Meet Kavya. Single mother. Hotshot financial consultant. She's taken on the top dogs in her world of big pharma.
But when she stumbles upon a dark secret - will she choose to do the right thing by her daughter... or to do the right thing?
With a special mention of the play by Quasar Padamsee in his article below:
http://www.asianage.com/arts/reading-right-thing-167
"Nandita da Cunha’s The Pacman Pill directed by Trishla Patel was an exercise in airing out a new play to an audience, and then asking those present for comments and feedback. The play, created out of the Writers’ Bloc workshops, was steeped in medical and pharmaceutical jargon and took us to a new world. The stage directions, simply read, told us where we were and our imagination did the rest. The 75-minute performance in the tiny Prithvi House, kept us engaged and absorbed. It was a special treat to have a conversation with the writer about her influences. As an audience we felt we were part of the journey of this text becoming a proper play."
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Quoted in the Hindu 'Business Line'
(Extract from Business Line article) Monday, Apr 23, 2007
Great to have a day dedicated to `celebrating reading'
To mark the occasion of World Book Day, Business Line sought to obtain the views of a few authors on what the day means to them.
Come electronic communication come Internet, books will go on forever. They are the lifeblood of a country's culture.
M. V. Kamath
To me, books are the next closest to living beings.
They speak to you, commiserate, understand... and so long as you respect them, they will stick by you.
They almost have a mind of their own!
Derek Bose
The day means one must finish reading all those books one always meant to read like classics by Leo Tolstoy and the third Harry Potter or throw them out of the house and admit once and for all that you will never get around to reading them EVER. The day also means quoting from Pierre Bayard's bestseller How to Talk About Books That You Haven't Read.
Shinie Antony
It's great to have a day dedicated to `celebrating reading'. When we are living in the times of 300-plus TV Channels, DVDs, gaming and endless distractions, this can especially play a role in bringing back to children the importance of the written word. I can recall how the wonderful world of fantasy definitely enriched my own childhood!"
Nandita da Cunha
Great to have a day dedicated to `celebrating reading'
To mark the occasion of World Book Day, Business Line sought to obtain the views of a few authors on what the day means to them.
Come electronic communication come Internet, books will go on forever. They are the lifeblood of a country's culture.
M. V. Kamath
To me, books are the next closest to living beings.
They speak to you, commiserate, understand... and so long as you respect them, they will stick by you.
They almost have a mind of their own!
Derek Bose
The day means one must finish reading all those books one always meant to read like classics by Leo Tolstoy and the third Harry Potter or throw them out of the house and admit once and for all that you will never get around to reading them EVER. The day also means quoting from Pierre Bayard's bestseller How to Talk About Books That You Haven't Read.
Shinie Antony
It's great to have a day dedicated to `celebrating reading'. When we are living in the times of 300-plus TV Channels, DVDs, gaming and endless distractions, this can especially play a role in bringing back to children the importance of the written word. I can recall how the wonderful world of fantasy definitely enriched my own childhood!"
Nandita da Cunha
'The Magic of Maya' - Book Review by Usha K R in SAWNET
Extract from SAWNET (The South Asian Women's NETwork Forum) review by Usha KR. Usha is the author of Sojourn (Manas, 1998) and The Chosen (Penguin India, 2003). Her next novel, A Girl and a River (Penguin India) is to be released in May.
"by page 35 of this 260 page book, we have a good idea of Da Cunha’s inventiveness, her eye for description, her musical ear and her playful turn of phrase. Here, for instance is her description of the Flatte Chief --
‘He had thin and wispy bright yellow hair that fell to his knees, which colour seemed to leak all over him, right down to his yellow veined flat feet. Strangest of all, he had piercing yellow double-rimmed eyes, with which he looked her up and down. What with that and his doleful expression, he reminded her of a slice of lemon gone sour!’
Each place that Tara journeys through is attractively described. Flatte land is a beautiful sunshine filled land, full of the chimes of golden bells, where the inhabitants live on gold leaf trees, on which golden apples grow. Sharpes live on the stems of Moneytrees and their streets are paved with diamonds. Maya is ruled by Illusory Laws – everyone hears what they want to hear, so Melan Kohli always hears the blues and Tara, happy melodies.
Or take the names of her characters, which would charm children and adults alike – the musical clutch of Queen Rana Aria, Herr Moan Niem, the seer, Seetar and Geetar, the wise sisters, the rejuvenating tonic, Harmonica, Prince Ta-din-ak-din; we have the sad Chief Melan Kohli, Caliph Sojah, Khem Mystry, adept at black magic, Maneck Tarantella, the crazy old Flying Spider, Biswacks the candlemaker, and even Jatack-in-the-box.
Da Cunha uses her talents to make good (and original) use of all that the literary and cinematic palette has to offer, the staples that engross children – fantasy, both of the Lewis Carollian and the newer Rowlingian variety, the magic spells and mystery of Tolkein as well as Snow White, the dark forces that are for ever trying to take over the world and the array of supermen who have arisen from time to time to fight them; she also understands the unshakeable appeal of the clash between Good and Evil, of pitting brother against brother, of turning the most trusted one into the betrayer"
"by page 35 of this 260 page book, we have a good idea of Da Cunha’s inventiveness, her eye for description, her musical ear and her playful turn of phrase. Here, for instance is her description of the Flatte Chief --
‘He had thin and wispy bright yellow hair that fell to his knees, which colour seemed to leak all over him, right down to his yellow veined flat feet. Strangest of all, he had piercing yellow double-rimmed eyes, with which he looked her up and down. What with that and his doleful expression, he reminded her of a slice of lemon gone sour!’
Each place that Tara journeys through is attractively described. Flatte land is a beautiful sunshine filled land, full of the chimes of golden bells, where the inhabitants live on gold leaf trees, on which golden apples grow. Sharpes live on the stems of Moneytrees and their streets are paved with diamonds. Maya is ruled by Illusory Laws – everyone hears what they want to hear, so Melan Kohli always hears the blues and Tara, happy melodies.
Or take the names of her characters, which would charm children and adults alike – the musical clutch of Queen Rana Aria, Herr Moan Niem, the seer, Seetar and Geetar, the wise sisters, the rejuvenating tonic, Harmonica, Prince Ta-din-ak-din; we have the sad Chief Melan Kohli, Caliph Sojah, Khem Mystry, adept at black magic, Maneck Tarantella, the crazy old Flying Spider, Biswacks the candlemaker, and even Jatack-in-the-box.
Da Cunha uses her talents to make good (and original) use of all that the literary and cinematic palette has to offer, the staples that engross children – fantasy, both of the Lewis Carollian and the newer Rowlingian variety, the magic spells and mystery of Tolkein as well as Snow White, the dark forces that are for ever trying to take over the world and the array of supermen who have arisen from time to time to fight them; she also understands the unshakeable appeal of the clash between Good and Evil, of pitting brother against brother, of turning the most trusted one into the betrayer"
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Review in the Times of India, Westside Plus
24th March, 2007
Westside Plus, Times of India
Magic of Maya by Nandita Da Cunha
Fantasy never ceases to amaze. Whether you are 8 or 80, the innate desire for escapist fantasies forms the crux of human emotions. Magic of Maya strikes that very chord in every individual, thus ensuring a diligent interest from every reader, old and young.
Magic of Maya is the story of 10 year old Tara, a spunky & unusually strong headed girl in a quiescent village. It illustrates the travails & adventures the young lady faces in a quest to save her world from falling prey to certain destruction. But what set this novel apart from so many other fantasy novels is its simplicity and its extremely simple narrative style which brings to life the various curious creatures in the land of Maya. The various tongue in cheek names & references elicit a chuckle as soon as you realize where the author is going. Mr. Kolorov Muzik (Color of Music) is who else but a great musician handed the job of bringing Tara to the musically enchanted land of Maya. Dholakia is a well rounded individual not so representative of his race in generic terms. The Flattes and Sharpes are a particularly funny take on the truly diverse nature of the two genders.
The author, Nandita Da Cunha, rarely shows signs of first time jitters. She manages dry humor as well as macabre characters with fluid grace and effortless ease. The novel has its fair share of tumultuous twists & astonishing turns. The chapter where the identity of Tara’s father is revealed leads to a whirlwind of activity which further draws the reader into a thrilling vortex of perfidy and the clichéd triumph of good over evil. Magic of Maya is one of those novels which seem disenchanted with the purblind leadership & shallow outlook of people in today’s world. A fantastic La-La Land where music permeates the air through pipes and houses change color depending on the mood of the occupant offers the reader a brilliant ethereal land where he identifies with his innermost concupiscence.
There are a few penumbral sections in the novel but these are few & far between. Comparisons with the Lewis Carroll novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’ are not unwarranted but to deem this novel as a rip off would be an unfair judgement. Overall, the novel is an honest and stimulating work of art. The novel might not be an epoch defining moment in literature but it is definitely an indication that honest first timers can churn out works which are original, entertaining & full of the chutzpah expected out of a good work of fiction.
By Robin Singhvi
http://www.westsideplus.com/fullStory.asp?articleID=WP11ART000324200771017
Westside Plus, Times of India
Magic of Maya by Nandita Da Cunha
Fantasy never ceases to amaze. Whether you are 8 or 80, the innate desire for escapist fantasies forms the crux of human emotions. Magic of Maya strikes that very chord in every individual, thus ensuring a diligent interest from every reader, old and young.
Magic of Maya is the story of 10 year old Tara, a spunky & unusually strong headed girl in a quiescent village. It illustrates the travails & adventures the young lady faces in a quest to save her world from falling prey to certain destruction. But what set this novel apart from so many other fantasy novels is its simplicity and its extremely simple narrative style which brings to life the various curious creatures in the land of Maya. The various tongue in cheek names & references elicit a chuckle as soon as you realize where the author is going. Mr. Kolorov Muzik (Color of Music) is who else but a great musician handed the job of bringing Tara to the musically enchanted land of Maya. Dholakia is a well rounded individual not so representative of his race in generic terms. The Flattes and Sharpes are a particularly funny take on the truly diverse nature of the two genders.
The author, Nandita Da Cunha, rarely shows signs of first time jitters. She manages dry humor as well as macabre characters with fluid grace and effortless ease. The novel has its fair share of tumultuous twists & astonishing turns. The chapter where the identity of Tara’s father is revealed leads to a whirlwind of activity which further draws the reader into a thrilling vortex of perfidy and the clichéd triumph of good over evil. Magic of Maya is one of those novels which seem disenchanted with the purblind leadership & shallow outlook of people in today’s world. A fantastic La-La Land where music permeates the air through pipes and houses change color depending on the mood of the occupant offers the reader a brilliant ethereal land where he identifies with his innermost concupiscence.
There are a few penumbral sections in the novel but these are few & far between. Comparisons with the Lewis Carroll novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’ are not unwarranted but to deem this novel as a rip off would be an unfair judgement. Overall, the novel is an honest and stimulating work of art. The novel might not be an epoch defining moment in literature but it is definitely an indication that honest first timers can churn out works which are original, entertaining & full of the chutzpah expected out of a good work of fiction.
By Robin Singhvi
http://www.westsideplus.com/fullStory.asp?articleID=WP11ART000324200771017
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Interview-Feature in the Mid-Day Metro
Feature in the Mid-Day Metro on March 02, 2007
An Excerpt:
"Nandita da Cunha, resident of St Andrews Road, has always thought of herself as a "Bombay girl" And she certainly encompasses all the qualities of a true-blue Mumbaikar - dynamic, creative and ambitious. No wonder then, that being an MBA graduate, an adept pianist, and a full time consultant at KPMG Consulting, she also had the time and drive to write her first full length novel at 24. ...
According to her publishers Rupa, the book has done exceptionally well in the metros, especially in Mumbai where the first lot sold out in the first month itself."
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Review in the Deccan Herald
Extracts from the review in the Deccan Herald, (Sunday, Feb 25th, 2007)
Dream World
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb252007/books200522007224.asp
"It's as fantastic as fantasy can get. That is, The Magic of Maya by Nandita Da Cunha for you"
"And it is indeed this journey that fascinates, particularly the young reader. Here houses change colours according to moods, they move and open doors on their own. And the inhabitants, they are all the colour and stuff that strange dreams are made of. Da Cunha's imagination grows wings, as she describes the different states. There are golden apples, whispering woods, underground piping that produces music, flying spiders and dancing. So very full of sights and sounds."
Dream World
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/feb252007/books200522007224.asp
"It's as fantastic as fantasy can get. That is, The Magic of Maya by Nandita Da Cunha for you"
"And it is indeed this journey that fascinates, particularly the young reader. Here houses change colours according to moods, they move and open doors on their own. And the inhabitants, they are all the colour and stuff that strange dreams are made of. Da Cunha's imagination grows wings, as she describes the different states. There are golden apples, whispering woods, underground piping that produces music, flying spiders and dancing. So very full of sights and sounds."
Friday, February 16, 2007
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