Becoming One's Own Sandalwood

In Bengaluru recently, children's writer Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan talks about her new book, Sandalwood's Story

- Gayathri M Kurup

A deep, wise voice echoes within the walls, and children are immediately immersed in its soulful eloquence. Their curious eyes search for answers, eager to speak up and share their perspectives. Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, with a copy of her recent book Sandalwood's Story (Wonder House Books; ₹399), looks at the children with excitement. Her expressions change with every turn in the story as if she is reading the book for the first time, taking all of us into a world of imagination and innocence and bringing the story to life.

Sandalwood's Story tells the tales of a resilient sandalwood tree reassuring the other trees of the beauty of being unique and different. Throughout this narrative, Srinivasan conveys stories of human experiences, affirming to children that despite their differences, they are special in their own ways.