Prolific Indian author of children’s fiction Khyrunnisa enthralled a packed audience of
students from different schools at the Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF) with
excerpts from her much-loved 2010 debut novel Howzzat Butterfingers! in hopes of
“inspiring them to read more”.
“The more we have advanced, the more we have regressed with so many of us still
harbouring misconceptions in the subcontinent about walking under ladders, black cats
crossing our paths, Friday the 13 th . I have tried to dispel those notions through my
stories because I want people to be more rational, more reasonable. And that will only
happen when they read more and broaden their horizon,” said the teacher-turned-
author explaining why she most enjoyed writing Smash It, Butterfingers! – the seventh
and the latest instalment in her Butterfinger series.
“There’s no doubt that the young people still enjoy reading good stories, especially
when they are told in a manner that appeals to them,” said the former associate
professor of English literature at Thiruvananthapuram’s All Saints College who is now
looking forward to her latest work World of Butterfingers – a comic rendition of her most
famous character based on schoolboy Amar Kishen, nicknamed Butterfingers, for his
ability to send books, balls, bats, people and “almost anything flying”.
“The series is about fun stories from school. They are vastly enjoyable because of how
everybody can relate to them,” said the fan of English writers PG Wodehouse and
Jerome K. Jerome who loves to infuse humour in her everyday writing. “Humour writers
have always influenced me. Growing up I enjoyed school stories. I love sports too and
although I never played one myself, I still read a newspaper back to front starting with
sports pages. So you end up writing about whatever you enjoy the most,” she said.
‘Butterfingers’ first appeared in the Indian children’s magazine Tinkle. Thirteen-year-old
Amar Kishen, aka Butterfingers, now features in the eponymous Butterfingers series of
novels and short story collections published by Puffin, the children’s imprint of Penguin
Random House India.