The Wonder Years

Ten year-old Chitrangana Varma lives in Swapnalok Society in downtown Mumbai, hangs out with friends who aspire to be cool, loves her mother8217;s yummy angel cakes, and hopes to grow up to be a 8216;bathroom decorator8217; of repute.

Actor Suchitra Krishnamoorthi goes back to her childhood for her first book

Ten year-old Chitrangana Varma lives in Swapnalok Society in downtown Mumbai, hangs out with friends who aspire to be cool, loves her mother8217;s yummy angel cakes, and hopes to grow up to be a 8216;bathroom decorator8217; of repute. But what she really wants is to find her father, whose identity is a mystery to her.

This rather cinematic plot came to Suchitra Krishnamoorthi a year back while on a break from the frenetic pace of her newly acquired passion, painting. 8220;I had written the synopsis many years ago when I was living the life of a bored, idle housewife in London. Then last year, I decided to take a break from painting 8212; I had had 13 back to back solo and group shows 8212; and was exhausted. While cleaning my desk I found this story outline. Six weeks later I had a novel and a month after, a contract to publish,8221; says Krishnamoorthi of her debut novel Swapnalok Society, The Summer of Cool Penguin.

The book which will be formally launched in end January, is the first of a series of four books that deal with the adventures of Chitrangana. Krishnamoorthi agrees, hesitatingly, that she had her daughter Kaveri in mind when she was writing it. 8220;I do not view The Swapnalok Society as a children8217;s series 8212; more like a set of stories that can be read by anybody age ten onwards. But, my personal life has been turbulent lately so it8217;s also something I viewed as a return to innocence, the way I hoped and envisioned life would have turned out to be. That8217;s a lot of fantasy of course,8221; says Krishnamoorthi, wryly. Of course, there are generous parallels to real-life characters. 8220;There8217;s khadoos uncle and haldi maami and the boy from upstairs who falls in love with my didi. The characters have been fictionalised but their origins are real. I hope my friends will forgive me,8221; she grins.

Post her split with director Shekhar Kapur, Krishnamoorthi had been busy with her career as a painter. There8217;s been intermittent stints as a poet too, but the one-time playback singer-actor says even though she is game for acting assignments, playback is a complete no-no for her. 8220;I don8217;t have the personality of a playback singer. I do acting work as and when something excites me or when I am offered so much money that it8217;s foolish to refuse.8221; In the meantime, work on the series is well underway. 8220;I fall ill when I can8217;t express myself. I am halfway through the third one already,8221; she says. Singer-actor-painter. Now author?

Paromita Chakrabarti

Paromita Chakrabarti is Senior Associate Editor at the The Indian Express. She is a key member of the National Editorial and Opinion desk and writes on books and literature, gender discourse, workplace policies and contemporary socio-cultural trends. Professional Profile With a career spanning over 20 years, her work is characterized by a "deep culture" approach—examining how literature, gender, and social policy intersect with contemporary life. Specialization: Books and publishing, gender discourse (specifically workplace dynamics), and modern socio-cultural trends. Editorial Role: She curates the literary coverage for the paper, overseeing reviews, author profiles, and long-form features on global literary awards. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent writing highlights a blend of literary expertise and sharp social commentary: 1. Literary Coverage & Nobel/Booker Awards "2025 Nobel Prize in Literature | Hungarian master of apocalypse" (Oct 10, 2025): An in-depth analysis of László Krasznahorkai’s win, exploring his themes of despair and grace. "Everything you need to know about the Booker Prize 2025" (Nov 10, 2025): A comprehensive guide to the history and top contenders of the year. "Katie Kitamura's Audition turns life into a stage" (Nov 8, 2025): A review of the novel’s exploration of self-recognition and performance. 2. Gender & Workplace Policy "Karnataka’s menstrual leave policy: The problem isn’t periods. It’s that workplaces are built for men" (Oct 13, 2025): A viral opinion piece arguing that modern workplace patterns are calibrated to male biology, making women's rights feel like "concessions." "Best of Both Sides: For women’s cricket, it’s 1978, not 1983" (Nov 7, 2025): A piece on how the yardstick of men's cricket cannot accurately measure the revolution in the women's game. 3. Social Trends & Childhood Crisis "The kids are not alright: An unprecedented crisis is brewing in schools and homes" (Nov 23, 2025): Writing as the Opinions Editor, she analyzed how rising competition and digital overload are overwhelming children. 4. Author Interviews & Profiles "Fame is another kind of loneliness: Kiran Desai on her Booker-shortlisted novel" (Sept 23, 2025): An interview regarding The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. "Once you’ve had a rocky and unsafe childhood, you can’t trust safety: Arundhati Roy" (Aug 30, 2025): A profile on Roy’s recent reflections on personal and political violence. Signature Beats Gender Lens: She frequently critiques the "borrowed terms" on which women navigate pregnancy, menstruation, and caregiving in the corporate world. Book Reviews: Her reviews often draw parallels between literature and other media, such as comparing Richard Osman’s The Impossible Fortune to the series Only Murders in the Building (Oct 25, 2025). ... Read More