Minwalla's new fantasy adventure is set in St Paul’s College, whose arches, quaint classrooms, canteen and library bring to mind St Xavier’s College in Dhobi Talao

Before we even begin to read Shabnam Minwalla's new fiction, the dedication in the book catches our attention — "For St Xavier's College...the happiest corner in Mumbai". Moments later, What Maya Saw (HarperCollins), opens with a scene in a college library, where sunlight filters through tall, stained-glass windows, fans groan barely tickling the heavy air, and "books with maroon and avocado spines slumber in the sticky silence". For those, who've been associated with the famed 149-year-old institution, the shared likeness for the library's interiors have with the writer's fictitious St Paul's College is not lost. Minwalla, 49, a Xavierite, admits to finding inspiration for her writing, "within the arches and staircases" of the college. "In 2009, the college approached me to work with photographer David de Souza and write the text for a coffee table book. Strangely, although I had spent five years under the gaze of the gargoyles, I knew little about the history of the college. So, I spent the next three months in the library, reading every single one of the college and department magazines," recalls the writer.