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Writing Climbing The Stairs has been a wonderful journey.

And as all good journeys do, it's been filled with pleasant surprises. Here are some of them:

1. Writing the story enabled me to travel into my family's past, and learn a great deal about my mother's life.
   
   
   
2. I wrote the book for young adults, but I've been touched, thrilled and most pleasantly surprised to see that many adults and senior citizens demand, "Why is this book classified as YA? I never realized it was. It's got as much sophistication as many adult novels." Mostly, this surprises me because I realize that the category "young adult" is sometimes construed as less sophisticated than just plain old fiction which is shelved in the grown-ups section. I think that my book and many other "YA" novels can and should be read by all adults - young, youngish, old and older still! Because, in the end, a novel is a novel, whether it happens to be labeled "multicultural" or "young adult" or whatever else. And just as anyone can enjoy a good movie whether it's rated G or PG-13, everyone should read a novel without worrying about categories. And yes, I think adults will learn a lot from reading my novel, and the questions it raises are important for people of all ages to ponder and debate.
   
   

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In my novel, Vidya climbs the stairs in secret every evening, to visit the upstairs library that is forbidden to her. As I said in my author's note, I fell in love with the written word a long time ago, in the library of the home where I was born, though I didn't have to visit it in secret.

Then again, secrets are always interesting. So I thought I'd share some secrets of my writing life.

1. Sometimes, when I do a Climbing The Stairs book event, I get really passionate and I yell. Who knew that I could behave this way in public? Here's what I yell about. My book is multicultural, and I'm proud to be contributing to the growing body of excellent multicultural fiction in America. But there's a lot more to my book. Most importantly, it tackles UNIVERSAL themes of war and peace. See? I'm already yelling with my capital letters. But I have to. I yell, because here's what I think. Gandhi wasn't Indian, he was American, too. He embraced diversity. He respected multiculturalism. He belongs to the entire world. Any messenger of peace belongs to every human being. And, on the flip side, World War II engulfed the whole world. That's why it was called a WORLD war. And, finally, my book was published in America, and it's message is one of hope. Hope is the state motto of Rhode Island, where I live. So it's a Rhode Island book and an American book and a multicultural book and a global book!
   
   

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Yesterday, I blogged about wearing saris and dots on the forehead. Just below is a picture of me in a different garb.

That picture was taken when I was doing research in an engineering laboratory at Johns Hopkins University. One blogger recently referred to me as a book nerd and a science nerd. I'm proud of it too. It's COOL to be both. I'm trained in about the coolest science field possible - oceanography. NOT marine biology, no, no no. For some reason, people always think oceanography means marine biology, but that's not true. I'm into the physics and chemistry of the oceans. And I've had lots of fun working on research ships and on remote islands. I'm too squeamish to be a good biologist. But during one short foray into biology, I spent time tagging crocodiles.

Yes, crocodiles. Some were 16 feet in length. I am just about 5' 5" so it doesn't seem possible, but it's true. I may not have the perfect physique for a croc-wrestler, but I did spend some time overpowering those wild beasts in the name of science. I don't have any digital photos of this, unfortunately. You'll just have to take my word for it.

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I don't often wear a sari or a dot on my forehead, but I enjoy doing both sometimes.

I usually wear a dot (potu or bindi) on my head and wear a nice sari when I do a reading from my debut novel, Climbing The Stairs.

Here are some reasons why:

 

1. It gets me in the mood. I grew up in India, but I've spent about half my life outside it, dressed in jeans more often than saris. But to write Climbing The Stairs, I had to delve into my family's past. And dressing the part when I do a reading seems to help transport me to India and the 1940's - the setting for my novel.
   
   
2. It helps people who're shy to break the ice. Often, they say "nice sari". And then we get to talk about the book. (Sometimes, they say nice costume, which irritates me a bit, because it's not a costume - a costume is something you wear for Halloween. A sari is a special and beautiful dress that is part of my Indian heritage. But I try not to let the irritation show and I try to explain, nicely). Another question I'm often asked is, "What does that dot on your forehead mean?" Usually, someone adds, "Does that mean you're married?" I am married, but no, the dot isn't a symbol of marriage. The dot is a symbol of the third eye, a chakra, a seat of spiritual power that resides in the body, according to Hindu tradition. When I say this, people feel free to ask questions about Hinduism, which is wonderful. By the time I finish talking about Hinduism, people usually see that it's not that different from their religion. Which reinforces my belief that all religions are essentially the same - at the very core, they all share a fundamental message of peace and compassion.
   
   

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Padma Venkatraman is our guest blogger during the week of June 2nd. If you have any questions for her add a comment to any of her posts. Here is some brief information about Climbing The Stairs:

A remarkable debut novel set in India that shows one girl’s struggle for independence.

During World War II and the last days of British occupation in India, fifteen-year-old Vidya dreams of attending college. But when her forward-thinking father is beaten senseless by the British police, she is forced to live with her grandfather’s large traditional family, where the women live apart from the men and are meant to be married off as soon as possible.

Vidya’s only refuge becomes her grandfather’s upstairs library, which is forbidden to women. There she meets Raman, a young man also living in the house who relishes her intellectual curiosity. But when Vidya’s brother decides to fight with the hated British against the Nazis, and when Raman proposes marriage too soon, Vidya must question all she has believed in.

Padma Venkatraman’s debut novel poignantly shows a girl struggling to find her place in a mixedup world. Climbing the Stairs is a powerful story about love and loss set against a fascinating historical backdrop.