Two teenage tales at JLF

They're both teenagers and published authors – Zuni Chopra, 15, has three to her name including two collections of poetry and a just-out debut novel, 'The House that Spoke', while Anusha Subramanian has two novels, the last 'Never Gone' out in November last. They also have famous parents – Anusha's father is the best-selling fiction writer Ravi Subramanian, while Zuni's father is film director-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra and mother, film journalist Anupama Chopra.

Together on the Samvad stage at Zee Jaipur Literature Festival (ZeeJLF), and moderated by Ira Trivedi, who herself published her first novel at the age of 19, their's was perhaps the most refreshingly plainspoken session on a crowded Sunday at the lit fest.

Ira set the ball rolling by asking what being a celebrity meant to them, whether it changed things with friends and school, or boys. To which, Zuni, with her parents, uncle Vikram Chandra and grandparents looking on from front row seats, almost sneered in comic disgust. "Oh boys, they're kinda dim," she said sounding, for all the polished, poetic prose of her novel, just like other girls her age. "They don't read the same kind of books, or even read much!" she added for good measure.

For Anusha, the major handicap with being an author is that "everyone just assumes that you're going to get good grades in English all the time. But that doesn't always happen". And that every time a friend needs to write a speech or an essay for English homework, it's she they bully into writing it. "But they still tease me – quite a lot and are really proud of me," she adds.

But there are other costs. Zuni, for instance, is in class ten and has her mock-ups starting in a few weeks' time. But here she is in Jaipur, being part of sessions, speaking to the media, attending parties. "Speaking of costs – it's probably biology," says the girl, looking geeky, but cute in short, collared frock and stockings. "In Mumbai, my book is being launched on Feb 8, which is a very exciting thing, and on the ninth I have history and biology tests," she says. As for the rest, writing has required a certain discipline which has meant that she's had to give up on thing she really likes – sleep in late in the mornings. "I write best in the morning, so I get up at 6 am to write. Even during summer break," adds the girl who has taken summer classes in creative writing at Stanford University.

Anusha, in contrast, likes to write late at night, staying up as late as 1-2 am. "It gives me the excuse to stay up late, and sleep late on school nights and my mother, who insists that I should go to bed by 11 pm, really can't say anything. Besides, I have my father's support. 'Don't disturb her, she's writing, he'll tell her,'" she adds.

Do they want to continue to be writers as grown-ups? The answer is decided: "Right now, if you ask me, I can say that yes, I want to be a writer. But I'm 15. I don't even know what I'm going to have for breakfast tomorrow – pancakes or waffles. Maybe if I go to a college where I can expose myself to many things, I might take up oceanography. I don't know," says Zuni with remarkable candour and articulation for one so young.

Anusha is equally clear. "I'm very sure that I don't want to take up writing as a career," she says. "Writing is something I like doing. It's more a hobby than anything. If I take it up as a career I might end up writing things that people want to read rather than something I want to write," she says with quiet deliberation.

Both girls, however, reserve their ire for the way English is taught in schools. "I did ICSE in class ten, says Anusha, "and I've always felt that that education system teaches you to hate reading and writing. You learn to get marks, not to appreciate the writing, the style, and nobody tells you to. It's not in the syllabus, they'll tell you." "And the teacher has to agree with the answer," pipes in Zuni. "You are meant to think of Shylock in a certain way. You might think that he's not been dealt with unfairly, but the teacher wants you to answer that he wants his bond and is the villain. So that's that."

And even published authors like Anusha and Zuni can't give a different answer!