PEOPLE Eighteen year-old Tishaa Khosla is the author of Pink or Black, a book on teenagers trying hard to fit in
18 year-old Tishaa Khosla's book Pink Or Black is about 16 year-olds who drink, spout obscenities, and party till dawn with boyfriends. iTALK chatted with the Chandigarh-based teenage writer
Your book is about a young girl and her struggle to fit in. Is that young girl you?
Yes, it's all about me. I am the heroine, Tiana. I have gone through all the emotions she feels. I tried very hard to fit in with the "cool" crowd when I first joined school, but realised that to be truly happy, you need to be yourself. And that's what Tiana is doing throughout the book; she is trying to find herself.
Why did you decide to write a book at 16?
I want teenagers like me to realise that there's more to life than fitting in. I had been jotting my daily experiences in a personal journal, so, in a sense, I had the raw material ready. When I turned 16, I decided that I'd convert my diary into a book. I sat home for two years, appeared for Class 12 exams through correspondence, and wrote the book.
What did your parents think?
They were supportive. They told me to give it my best shot.
The 16-year-olds in your book drink and party a lot. Does that really happen?
Yes, some start earlier. I know people who are barely 14, who go out drinking. That's why Tiana doesn't drink. She is the sensible one.
Your heroine is all about morals. How would you defend all that high talk?
I know some people would ask me, how does drinking and having a boyfriend make someone "bad"? All I want to say is, they should wait. Why do you need to drink or have a boyfriend at 16? Let your body and mind evolve. Be sure that you can handle all the physical and emotional baggage. Teenagers need to wait.
What was it like studying at The Lawrence School, Sanawar?
Sanawar has made me the person I am today. It's the greatest school in the world; it taught me so much about life.
Who or what is your writing influenced by?
I read whatever I can get my hands on. That includes autobiographies, even teen novels; Meg Cabbot being my favourite. I like reading classics like the Pride and Prejudice too.
Where do you go from here?
My writing made me realise that I want to be a filmmaker. I enrolled for an acting course at Anupam Kher's school, but that's not my forté. I want to write scripts, and direct my own movie. I have applied to the New York Film Academy. It's a dream I am going to make sure comes true.
