Nandana Dev Sen conceptualised the character of Mambi, the lead character of her new title after she spent a day in a shelter for children rescued from trafficking and the streets. On Day One at JLF, she along with Jerry Pinto, Paro Anand Nayanika Mahtani spoke about the challenges faced by those who write for children in India. Excerpts from an exclusive interview

Q. Why children’s books?
A. Through the years that I have worked with children there were lots of stories that built up inside me and I wanted to write for several years so many of the books got written around the same time. They are not text heavy. There are four more in the works.