CASE REVELATIONS

WHEN was the last time you read a mystery that didn't involve small towns, cobbled streets, and characters solving crimes over lemonade? If you grew up on Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, you know the drill. But what if the next great detective story unfolded in the traffic-filled streets of Bengaluru, with children arguing over missing geometry boxes instead of stolen jewels? Enter Vidya Varadarajan – a children's author ensuring young readers in India see themselves in the stories they love.

- AASHNA REDDY

Born in California and raised in Chennai, Vidya's life has been a blend of cultures, and that diversity has shaped her storytelling. "My early education enabled me to bring out my communication and writing skills – lots of essays and book reports," she says. But moving back to Chennai in the '80s brought what she calls "reverse culture shock." "You have to understand, this was in the '80s and ABCDs (American-Born Confused Desis) were as yet unbranded. I had a very different perspective on everything compared to my peers, and I also had to learn how to see things from their perspective to fit in!"