My Science School

Agatha Christie is famed as the best-selling author of all time, However, she was not the most prolific writer of her family. Agatha grew up with two older siblings, out of them, her older sister Margaret (nicknamed Madge) also pursued writing and was considered to be the more promising writer.

By 1916, Madge had already written and published a few short stories, while Agatha had not published any. So when the latter shared the idea of writing a mystery novel with Madge, her sister was not as enthusiastic. She bet that Agatha would not be able to craft a compelling mystery and it certainly would not be something she could not solve. Taking up the challenge, the 26-year-old Agatha got to work and wrote, what would become her debut mystery novel, The Mysterious Affair at Styles. Today, this novel stands alongside hundreds of mysteries Agatha crafted during her illustrious writing career.

Crafting a perfect mystery

Agatha Christie's stories are like a puzzle box full of clues, misdirection and drama. But what are the essential elements of crafting a perfect mystery?

Setting

One of the most important decisions while designing any story is choosing the setting. Whether it was a remote island or yacht or a snow-stalled train stall, the author would always favour eerie and isolated locations, a trend that most of her stories follow. By doing so she limited the movement of her characters and build tension by forcing these plausible suspects to stay put, with the killer lurking among them.

In some cases, she would heighten the drama by making the characters strangers, unsure of who they could trust.

Characters

As a keen observer of human behaviour, she would often use peculiar traits or habits of the people around her to create authentic characters. However, one of the most popular criticisms of her novels is her use of two-dimensional characters that would easily reflect the stereotypes of her time. Future writers are advised not to emulate this trait of hers.

Language

It is a mystery writer's job to concoct stories that are complex and full of riddles and clues. Making it merely a balancing act between being clever and not confusing. The English author used simple, precise and accessible language to accomplish this task. The clarity of her language makes her stories palatable and engaging and can be credited with making her the 'Queen of mystery'.

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Inspired by Karthyayani Amma, who passed the literacy examination at the ripe old age of 96, chef Vikas Khanna has directed Barefoot Empress, a film tracing her journey. He also aims to help educate five million girls in India

In 2018, Karthyayani Amma hailing from Kerala wrote the Aksharalaksham literacy examination conducted by the Kerala State Literacy Mission Authority. She scored an impressive 98 out 100- bagging the first rank, and shot to national fame. What is so impressive about scoring 98 when students score 100 on 100 all the time, you ask? Karthyayani Amma was 96 years old when she took the test! A widow "who had never gone to school and used to work as a domestic help and cleaning staff, her determination and perseverance was duly acknowledged. On International Women's Day in 2020, she was awarded the Union government's Nari Shakti Puraskar.

And, to this day, she continues to inspire people. Among them is Michelin Star Chef Vikas Khanna. He has directed Barefoot Empress, a 15-minute short film, produced by Oscar-nominated Doug Roland. It chronicles her remarkable journey, displaying tremendous courage and resilience "when she joins a first grade class at the age of 96". The chef highlights that Barefoot Empress a "love letter to never giving up on your dreams" while also shining a light on the lack of educational opportunity for girls in certain parts of India. It has been garnering critical acclaim globally and won the Biogen Award for Best Short Film at Tokyo's prestigious Short Shorts Film Festival this year.

He's not stopping with just the film, though. Vikas Khanna is now focussed on setting in motion a movement that involves rehabilitating classrooms for better educational environment, improving nutrition by providing healthy meals, providing basic educational supplies in partnership with non-profit organisation Leap to Shine, and training girls in culinary skills to be financially independent. Inspired by Barefoot Empress, Leap to Shine has named Amma a global ambassador and pledged to educate five million girls in India.

For Khanna and his team, the "mission around Barefoot Empress is focussed around starting a movement to bring girls back to school while impacting education and livelihood skills. Our goal is to deliver this for five million girls". The movement to bring five million girls back to school in three years will include rehabilitating and renovating classrooms and creating an enabling learning environment. While 18 classrooms were renovated recently, the plan is to rehabilitate 25 classrooms in phase one. The movement also aims to focus on nutrition, the lack of which leads to school drop outs. Khanna's team estimates that it takes 10 dollars to support and provide meals to a girl child for one year and they plan to serve 1,00,000 meals. Under the initiative, school bags, pencils, books and tablets are being distributed to girls in marginalised schools to bridge the educational and digital divide.

He hopes that the one step that Amma took at the age of 96 towards a school will herald in hope and possibilities for millions of young girls in India and beyond to fulfil a similar dream that Amma nurtured for decades - that of a good education.

• Barefoot Empress, a 15-minute short film, is a "love letter to never giving up on your dreams" while also shining a light on the lack of educational opportunity for girls in certain parts of India.
• The "mission around Barefoot Empress is focussed around starting a movement to bring girls back to school while impacting education and livelihood skills. Our goal is to deliver this for five million girls", says Vikas Khaana.

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In her debut children's novel "Searching for the Songbird", anthropologist Ravina Aggarwal pens a story about the curiosities of children, of young friendships, and of finding harmony with nature. The book details the exploits of Johnny Raut and his friends as they set out to find Kastura, the missing ‘songbird' and the prime suspect in a burglary in the Himalayan foothills. In this interview, the author speaks about her new book and why it's important for children to develop an intimacy with the songs and sounds of their environment. Excerpts....

What prompted the decision to write a children's book?

My love for books came through mysteries. As a child, the imagined world of clues and detection fascinated me. I had grown up imbibing the experiences of children in England through the works of English authors. The characters in these stories eat scones, live in cottages, and form secret societies in garden sheds. But growing up in India, in Mumbai, that wasn't quite my experience. So I wanted to write a mystery that is reflective of our Indian context.

"Searching for the Songbird" is set in the foothills of the Himalayas in Dehradun. Why did you choose this setting for your book?

My quest has always been to convey the geography and the experiences of the Himalayan region, which I have loved and studied through various genres of writing. The Himalayas are not static mountains. They are undergoing a lot of change and turmoil. I think cities such as Dehradun capture the complexities of balancing the environment with a desire for growth.

When Johnny arrives in Dehradun, he struggles to deal with his new surroundings as he knows almost nothing about the mountains. Like Johnny, children growing up in urban areas are often unaware about their local flora and fauna. Do you think it is necessary for children to interact with nature?

It is absolutely essential for the children of this generation, who are growing up with the looming cloud of climate change, to bond with nature. Children today are living with the negative consequences of unbridled human growth, and so it is important that our parenting and education systems reflect a relationship with nature. There has to be a curricular shift, along with experiential learning, creating opportunities for children to be with nature. We also need to think of exposing children to alternative, more sustainable lifestyles.

From the crimson sunbird to the slaty headed parakeet and the Indian paradise flycatcher, why are birds central to the story?

When you are in Dehradun, you can't help but notice different varieties of birds. The book is about listening to the songs and the sounds of the mountain; the birds are part of that soundscape. Unfortunately, we are at a time when there's a lot of human-wildlife conflict because natural habitats are disappearing.

Kastura, the missing 'songbird' is portrayed as a caste musician and the book highlights caste discrimination prevalent in India. Could you elaborate how difficult it was to weave such a complicated topic into a children's book?

For urban kids, understanding caste- in particular, the prejudices or stigmas that people in their peer group might be enduring- is important. In modern India, you need to know about caste and engage with its history. And how do children grapple with that? I think it's through social relationships. The protagonist Johnny, although he is from Mumbai and is living in the mountains, has to start understanding these differences to form social bonds and solve the mystery.

After solving the mystery of the missing 'songbird’, Johnny and his friends form the Himalayan Catchers Society. Can we expect more adventures from them?

Certainly! I intended this book to be part of a series and I hope to write the second part soon.

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