While most teenagers these days are hooked online chatting with their friends, Ashaani Taneja is little different.
All of 14, Taneja won the prestigious ‘Manuscripts Award' at the famous Dehradun literature festival recently. The annual festival aims to give literary exposure to both students and residents of Uttarakhand.
A Class 9 student at Welham Girls School, Taneja is an avid reader and often found in a room corners absorbed in her favorite novels.
Her favorite books include Charlotte Bronte's ‘Jane Eyre’ and Roald Dahl's ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’.
She started writing her book when she was 12 and the book is a tale of two lovers at Mars. Dehradun Literature Festival director Anurag Chauhan told Zee Media that, "her book has been selected not because she's just a 9th grade student also because the book is so apt, intriguing and displays very mature writing for her age".
She now falls in the category of young published authors, the likes of whom include Alexander Pope's An Ode on Solitude (written when he was 12). The competition received entries from various unpublished competent authors who were much older than her, the fest organisers told Zee Media. Famous author Ruskin bond presented her with the prestigious manuscripts award.
Every year, the festival organisers host a competition for budding unpublished authors who's manuscript receive an award from famous authors, this year its Ruskin Bond. "We like to give equal opportunity to all Individuals from whatever age group they may be. The aim of this festival is to celebrate brightest literary minds across continents," Chauhan added.
