Sumaiya Khan along with her book ‘Paper Boat’.
A student’s love for reading and writing has turned her into an author, with the recent publication of her first book ‘Paper Boat’, which is being sold on Amazon.
Sumaiya Khan, a student of Std 11 in the Humanities stream, says her book ‘Paper Boat’ is a collection of 21 poems, covering different themes.
“Like the title suggests, the thoughts contained in the poems ebb and flow like a paper boat trying to float on water. It is mostly written in the form of narrative ballads and poetic tales,” says Sumaiya.
Sumaiya has been studying at Sharada Mandir School, Miramar, for the past 6 years and has been an avid reader.
“My mother made sure that from a young age I read as many books as I could. Around the age of 7, I read the first book that left a deep imprint upon my mind ‘The Secret Garden’ by Frances Hodgson Burnett,” explains Sumaiya.
“I have spent hours in my school library which has never disappointed me with its collection of books.”
Asked when she developed her passion for writing, Sumaiya replied: “I do not know exactly when my love for writing emerged. As far as I can remember, ever since I was little, even before I could read and write, I used to narrate short stories to my grandfather and make him write them down for me.”
“Apart from that, I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with amazing teachers year after year, further developing my love for literature.”
Sumaiya then got an unexpected opportunity to turn into an author.
“My mother came across an advertisement about a poetry challenge organised by BookLeaf Publications and she urged me to participate. I sent them my poems and got selected for publication.”
Her book ‘Paper Boat’ is available on Amazon.in for Rs 180 and as an e-book on the BookLeaf Publications website.
School Administrator Oscar Gonsalves and Principal Sharmila Umesh have praised Sumaiya on her achievement.
“Our school administrator and I feel so proud of Sumaiya's achievements. She is one of our shining stars and we wish her all the best so that she writes many more books and brings honour to herself, her family and her school,” said Umesh.
“At Sharada Mandir, we inculcate the reading habit right from the elementary section itself. We have 3 libraries in our school, one each for the Junior, Secondary and Higher Secondary section, all well-equipped with contemporary novels, classics, self-help books as well as reference books.”
“Students have a library period every week where they can peruse the books and take one or more books home to read. Students are even encouraged to use the library during the holidays and borrow books. Many avid readers take 5 to 6 books at a time, to keep themselves busy during the holidays,” added Umesh.
