NAARI: Women of Substance

By: Aastha Grover, The 15A Chronciles' Desk

Nilima Sinha

An Award-Winning Author, President of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children

A lady of many words, an avid reader, the one who made her passion into a profession. Surrounded by books – thanks to her father & grandfather - she picked up the habit of reading while she was doing her schooling at Jesus & Mary, New Delhi. Ms Nilima Sinha went on to become an author with many award-winning books to her credit. She’s also an active member and President of the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children.

She wrote her first book in Hindi, hoping that her children should also develop a habit of reading in Hindi. While this book could not be published, she soon went on to write her first book in English- the Chandipur Jewels, which also won first prize in a writing competition held by the Children’s book trust of India.

Most of her stories are mysteries, adventures, and thrillers based on Indian villages and Indian characters. She was married in Bihar to Yashwant Sinha (IAS, Bihar Cadre) & former Minister of Finance. Her inspiration for stories came from the lives of people staying in the villages of Bihar & Jharkhand. Her last book was The Sky Belongs to All, which she wrote during the pandemic.

With the advent of digital space and e-books, she believes there are still many people who prefer reading physical books. There are many publications that are coming up and printing lots of books because there are readers. If the habit is inculcated among children from the beginning, they’ll indeed develop an interest.

With reference to this section and the position of women in today’s times, she feels that the role of women as caregivers, educators, entrepreneurs, and more has a pivotal contribution to the stability and development of society. She added “I wanted to pursue English Literature from Miranda House, however, I was put to pursue Home Science. There was little power for decision making, but today as times change, women have evolved to be undaunted.”

Nilima Sinha is an exemplary figure that represents the fact that women can succeed in any given circumstance and are made to break barriers and defy labels and stereotypes.