Prabha Khaitan Foundation in association with Muskaan and Kitaab hosted the launch of the newest book by renowned children’s fiction author Khyrunnisa A. Initially known for her comics in the Tinkle magazine, Khyrunnisa has published over six books — three novels and three collections of short stories. The author, in 2019, wrote the humorous Tongue In Cheek: The Funny Side of Life for her adult readers. As an English professor in Thiruvananthapuram, Khyrunnisa’s books and stories have the exactitude one gets from being an expert of the language.
With no exception, the newest of the Butterfinger series — Smash It! Butterfingers — was launched by Shashi Tharoor. Lovingly called Khairu by him, the author conveyed her gratitude to the MP for being there as a supporter since the beginning of Butterfingers. Tharoor took the virtual stage to talk about the author and her books and seemed very pleased to do so not only because they both are from the same city but he finds Khairu’s writing extremely “humorous along with contrived and clever plotting”.
For the author, Butterfingers was a word she came across in Charles Dickens’ The Pickwick Papers, as she found inspiration, she thought someone with butterfingers playing cricket is exactly what the world needs to add a little joy and humour to it. The author took it upon herself to explain the things that perhaps made Smash It Butterfingers a hit. Abhijit Kinney’s illustration added colour and life to the books, with badminton playing a large role in it. She took this opportunity to make subtle commentary on the intriguing topic of superstitions as well.
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The illustrator brought the character of Amer to life, “Abhijit Kinney drove Butterfingers from where it began... Amer is exactly the way I thought him to be.” Khyrunnisa added that when her publisher Sohini asked her for a sports novel, she wanted it to be about badminton, a sport she has played with a sense of familiarity and “it has more to it than just hitting the shuttle with the racket”. She wanted to play around with western superstition of inauspiciousness, such as the beliefs surrounding Friday the 13th and how people’s lives are organised around it.
The story revolves around a badminton match that a millionaire wants to hold on Friday the 13th to prove it to be just another ordinary day. Khyrunnisa added twists to the storyline with the optimism to knock off irrational beliefs and add a hint of sensibility. The book is filled with “fun, mishaps and disasters”. She also added, “I do not believe in in-your-face messages in my books.” Which is why her books are filled with hidden ones. Her books are not an attempt to escape reality but they have idealistic elements that provoke joy and camaraderie.
During the Q/A session, the audience flooded the author with questions, most of which were little kids struggling to cope with the pandemic. The author shared beautiful advice with the children, conveying that the unpreparedness of anything results in aggravation, the only thing that is available in these times are the laptop/phone screens and “one has to make use of what is available”.
On a closing note, she advised the budding writers to read more books and always have a notebook along. Reading has “so many advantages but the biggest of all is that it opens up your imagination and introduces new words to you. Anything around you can trigger your imagination, write something and give it to someone to read, get honest comments,” she concluded.
“It was such a marvellous experience hosting the launch of the latest book by Khyrunnisa A., followed by an interactive session. The warm introduction, sprinkled with the typical humour by Shashi Tharoor as well as the insightful responses by Khyrunnisa to the eager students, were equally gratifying,” said student programmes advisor at Muskaan, a PKF initiative, Sumitra Ray.