Nimi Kurian – Co-author, Out of My Box

By WriteFluence on June 28, 2021

Nimi Kurian was born in Coonoor, Nilgiris. Her father was a tea planter and her mother a homemaker. She has two siblings. Her mother introduced her siblings and her to the world of books, while her father told them stories, some true and some, not so true. Her greatest memories of growing up in this picturesque town are going to the library and searching for fairies and goblins in the garden.

She went to school in St. Joseph’s Convent, Coonoor, and graduated from Madras Christian College, Tambaram, Chennai. She has two post-graduate degrees from the University of Madras.

She retired after almost a quarter-century of working with Young World, the children’s magazine brought out by The Hindu. She has published several books for children – Farmyard Tales, Christmas Held to Ransom, Magic in the Mountains, among others.

Back in the Nilgiri hills, she occupies her time writing.

I enjoyed writing for FemmeFluenza.
Nimi Kurian on writing her winning story for the FemmeFluenza contest, 2021

Here’s an excerpt from her winning story ‘In the big house’ now published in Out of My Box

“Smitha, please stop staring into the neighbour’s house,” said her mother, as she came into the apartment.

“I’m not staring ma, I’m looking…”

“Same difference, Smitha. This is a nosey behaviour you have developed recently.”

The apartment Smitha lived in overlooked a large house with a garden. The owners had four cars parked in the front. They had also had two friendly Labradors. Every time Smitha passed the gate the dogs ran out to greet her. But the surly Gurkha would glare at her and send her on her way.

Recently, the son had married. Smitha watched all night as the fairy lights danced on the trees and bushes of the lawn. The sound of loud music and people talking and having a good time filled the silence of the night. Smitha saw the bride too – young, beautiful and full of life as she danced and laughed with her friends. The groom was handsome but sullen. Smitha wondered why. In her overactive nine-year-old head it seemed unusual to be unhappy when you were getting married.

In the first few days after the marriage, she saw the bride come out to greet visitors, see them off, or play with the dogs. Abruptly she stopped coming outside. Then one day, while the bride was walking on the terrace she had turned and saw Smitha at the balcony. The bride waved. Smitha waved back. After that, every evening the bride would come up on to the terrace and Smitha would stand on her balcony and they would talk.