Guest Post: Priti Maheshwari on Chaiwala!

Chaiwala! is a child-centered picture book depiction of an iconic part of Indian train travel. It’s a sensory experience—the commotion of arrival, the scents of spices mingling, and the vendor’s memorable feat of “stretching” the tea to cool it, all from the perspective of the young narrator visiting India with her mother.

I asked Owlkids author Priti Maheshwari, (whom I know from a long-ago visit to her classroom in Red Oaks School in Morristown, NJ) to tell me more about what sparked this story for her and how she shaped it into this lovingly crafted picture book.  

Here's her reply:

I realized my love for writing when I took my first creative writing course in high school. It was so different from any other course that I had taken as it allowed me to write freely. I knew then that I wanted to publish a children’s book at some point in my life--a bucket list item if you will.

Chaiwala! is a picture book that was inspired by my memories of visiting India when I was little. I wanted to make sure that I took the reader with me to a train station where they could feel, taste and experience what it’s like to make chai and then to savour and just be in that moment as you take your first sip. The excitement that the main character shares with the reader is one that I am sure many of us have experienced when we were little! 

 The whole idea of focussing on one aspect was eye-opening for me. The original manuscript that I had written dealt with many different memories and experiences that I was trying to share; a bit overwhelming to relate to and appreciate. My editor advised me to focus on one thing, chai, since that permeated throughout the whole manuscript. In my mind I thought it was important to share all my experiences in one manuscript. 

There are so many things that I learned as a first time author.  Most importantly, while writing the first draft of a story is crucial, multiple revisions are needed to improve the story. Rewriting allows for other ideas and styles of writing to come about.

One of the challenges I faced was that I wanted to keep the lyrical flow of the original manuscript in Chaiwala! Finding the right sounds that objects make proved to be much more challenging than I thought.. Lastly, I learned that creating a picture book is a lengthy process which requires patience and collaboration. I look forward to creating many more of them! Given that Chaiwala! was not my first manuscript, I understand that not everything that I write will make it to publication. However, I find the process of writing to be enjoyable and look forward to writing many more stories.

 I’ve long believed that while publishing is a reward and an encouragement, the process is the point.

Watch for more from Priti on the viewpoint and sensory elements in this engaging, deceptively simple picture book.