Bijal Vachharajani on writing for children and the planet

Discover the journey of Bijal Vachharajani, a children's book author and editor passionate about the environment and conservation.

The next in the monthly series by WWF-India that highlights niche and unconventional green careers through the stories of well-known personalities from the field of environment and conservation

My 12-year-old self would have refused to believe anyone if they told her that she would grow up and become an author of actual books. Books, after all, are magic. My childhood was made up of books. I spent hours reading under blanket forts, lost in worlds conjured up by authors. Now here I am, being part of a quill of authors, who get to share stories about the natural world. To me, that is exciting, because we are all made up of stories.

At school, I was a shy child. I am sure my Jamnabai Narsee classmates look at our yearbook and wonder — who is that girl? But it was at SNDT University that I found the courage to speak up and pursue things I loved. I performed street theatre about animals on Juhu Beach, made posters on plastic pollution, and did a photo essay on an animal shelter in my neighbourhood. From there, I went on to work in different places. I have rescued animals, worked with some amazing farmers and environmentalists, and edited a magazine.

When I worked at the wildlife magazine Sanctuary Asia, I had the privilege of meeting many school children as part of the Kids for Tigers programme. Honestly, it was their commitment to wildlife and Nature that made me realise how amazing the constituency of children and youngsters is. Having started my career in environment and animal advocacy, I found that I was constantly drawn towards the fact that narrative is such an impactful tool for changemaking. Bittu Sahgal, the founder-editor of Sanctuary Asia, encouraged me to spend time in the wild and continues to inspire me with his boundless enthusiasm for protecting the planet. He reminded me that children can reimagine the world, and have a special affinity for Nature — the sense of wonder, as biologist Rachel Carson called it.

Now, I wake up every morning and, along with a gigantic cup of coffee (and breakfast), I begin my day as a picture book editor at Pratham Books and a children’s writer. I work mostly from home, which requires a lot of discipline. My trusty planner tells me what lies ahead. As an editor, I have an exciting job (most of the time). My day involves answering emails (not so exciting), reviewing manuscripts, editing stories, and brainstorming with my team. I love the process of seeing a book come to life. From the spark of an idea to the final manuscript and the illustrations, it is magical. It is also a lot of hard work.

It is a balance between being an editor by day and an author by night; a bit like being Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! To stay on track, I break tasks into small, achievable goals and have writing pacts with friends who help me stay accountable. These strategies keep me focused, even when the temptation to put off writing looms large. Over the last few years, while staring outside my window, I have written books about the planet: A Cloud Called Bhura is about a group of climate champions who go on an adventure, When Fairyland Lost Its Magic recasts our favourite characters in a climate-changed world. Savi and the Memory Keeper tells the story of a changing Earth. I write because I want to share just how wonderful the natural world is; whether it is how trees communicate using their roots or it is the little joys we find in observing a praying mantis or a spider, and to celebrate the people who are working actively to protect our home.

Writing about the climate crisis often means grappling with despair and a creeping feeling of doom. But I seek hope in children, who remind me that they deserve to inherit a cleaner, happier planet. My work also means I get to read a lot (best job ever!). Authors such as Ranjit Lal, Zai Whitaker, and Robert Macfarlane are some of the planet-cooling writers whose books I love. I have also grown a lot as a reader, thanks to my friend and fellow writer Deepanjana Pal, who has fundamentally changed how I approach reading and storytelling.