No one can understand a teenager’s problems, better than a teenager. All of 13, Divya Jalan has written her first book, 21 Things Every Teen Should Know that deals with issues common to all teenagers. “It is a self-help book. I deal with one topic in every chapter,” says Divya, clearly excited at her first book being published. “I always had a passion for writing. I had problems, but I didn’t listen to anyone’s advice. I learnt my lessons the hard way. I don’t want everyone to be like me, so I wrote this book. When I started writing, I knew I had to sound mature enough. So I took help from my parents and my teachers,” says the standard eight student at Sri Kumaran’s High School.
The book, which was launched recently at Landmark, Forum Mall, is written in an informative style. “I deal with one topic in every chapter.” The book is not just for teenagers, but for parents who want to gain a deeper understanding of the problems their children face. “Even my friends’ parents have read the book,” informs Divya.
What is one of the biggest problems teens face today? “Addiction to social media,” pat comes Divya’s reply. “Honestly, I have to say that I am addicted to social media as well. We have fights over a post on social media, but when we actually meet, we realise it was such a small thing. By being hooked to social media, we miss out on so many other important things in our lives.”
Divya wrote her first story when she was six. “I wrote about my best friend. We were at Lalbagh on a school trip, and my best friend hadn’t come. I was missing her. So I wrote about her.”
Describing the writing process, Divya says: “I start writing whatever comes to mind. I have to write in a flow. I don’t like being distracted when I write. And I mostly write stories.”
Apart from writing, Divya also loves to travel. “I want to combine travelling and writing. I want to become a travel journalist.” She doesn’t agree with the clichéd argument that teenagers hardly read these days. “If we weren’t reading, then there wouldn’t be audiobooks.com and Amazon. There are also so many movies made from books!” concludes Divya.
