Amritsar, February 18
The pandemic last year gave birth to a new genre — lockdown literature. Many people turned to penning down stories on how the pandemic affected their lives. One such experience by the city-based author Nandini Malhotra, resulted in her second book, a series of short stories titled, ‘The Classroom Alchemist’.
Released in December 2020, the book has 16 short stories about real-life incidents that Nandini, who has a teaching experience of 18 years, came across through her journey as a teacher. It broadly centers on the theme of student-teacher relationships and how both impact each others’ lives. Each story, says Nandini, would resonate with many. “In a way the book is born out of my own stressful period of quarantine that I went through when I was down with Covid-19 in August 2020. I had lost a dear friend to Covid-19. My husband and children are all doctors and remained at forefront during the pandemic. It was a deeply distressing time for me to remain locked up, isolated from others. That’s when my husband suggested me to write while I was spending time with myself,” she shares.