I always find it an interesting experience to interact with the young. I like to see what they think about and try to understand things from their perspective. I was delighted therefore to accept an invitation from the Trio World School, in Bangalore where I live, to speak to their students. This event was organized as part of their Literary Week.
On arriving at the school, I was impressed to find that the Houses were named after literary figures: Masefield, Shakespeare, Wordsworth and Kipling. This was something unique as far as I was concerned. I also saw some catchy slogans which urged the kids to develop the reading habit. I don’t remember all of them but I think one said, ” The kid who reads, succeeds”
In my talk I spoke of my own experiences as an author. I spoke of NaNoWriMo and how it had made me the writer I am today. I spoke of the making of my debut novel, “It Can’t Be You” in 2009 and how well it was received in different parts of the globe. I also spoke of how I wrote my second thriller, ” Lucky For Some, 13.”
I was impressed by the questions put by the students. The kids were enthusiastic, sharp and quick to respond to some of the word exercises I had brought along for them. I emphasized that some amount of practical work is necessary reminding them of the old Chinese proverb, “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
I spoke of the time when I was a voracious reader at their age and how I dreamt that one day I too would write a thriller. I tried to make the talk interesting by interspersing it with with some apt quotations, like:-
Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller 
It was very kind of you sir, to have spared your valuable time, to visit our school and interact with our students. They all gained a lot from your wisdom.
Thank you very much Mr.Prem Rao, it is a pleasure that you visited our school and our students really enjoyed it. Wish you all the best for more writings…..
Nisha Mohan