Dolcy D’Cruz
While most 13-year-olds love reading,
Shnaia Angel Patel, a student of Kings School, Mugali, St Jose de Arial, took
her passion for books a step further and penned her debut book, ‘Bondla Zoo
Mystery’. Daughter of Sheeba Coutinho
Patel and author and poet Dinesh Patel, Shnaia is a confident girl who loves
reading and writing and had the desire of writing something for children of her
own age to read.
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Facing health complications at birth,
Shnaia was given a bleak chance of surviving the first few weeks of her life.
Her father, Dinesh, calls her a fighter with a strong will power and a believer
in the spirit of ‘Yes, I can’. “Shnaia never gives up. She is very strong in
languages and she seldom gets bogged down,” says the proud father.
The idea for the book came about during a
family trip to Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary. “We had taken Shnaia to Bondla zoo at
the age of 12. As soon as she spotted the tiger, she was inspired to write. She
observes me as I write, but she has her own way of writing,” adds Dinesh, who
has written nine books till date.
The book, ‘Bondla Zoo Mystery’, was
recently released by the Chairman of Kings School, Melvin Pereira, and Director
Ligia Pereira at the school premises. “The book is a mystery novel on the
tiger. It is a simple story of three school friends who stumble upon a mystery
in search of a missing tiger. I have been to the zoo many times but one I noticed
a tiger, I was inspired to write something about it. I started writing when I
was 12 but because of my studies, I could not complete the book,” says Shnaia,
who recently won a Swacch Bharat Abhiyan Award under the programme promoted by
CBSE in collaboration with the Government of India, New Delhi.
Shnaia has also won medals for
International French Language Olympiad (IFLO ‘15), Silverzone Foundation, New
Delhi and HelpAge India. She also was the winner of Budding Scientists of Goa –
Phase-I 2013-14. She was among the few selected for ‘Filmit India’ programme
organised by Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH).
“I like to create awareness about the
environment and nature. As the tiger is the national animal of India, I thought
of writing a mystery surrounding it,” says Shnaia who was inspired by Project
Tiger.
The book is available at leading book
stores in Goa and as Shnaia is visiting Reykjavik, Iceland, she will be
releasing her book there too. “I am so inspired by the amazing beauty around
this place; I plan to initiate another book, probably a fairy tale from the
land of the elves,” concludes Shnaia.
