Magical Waltzes

In a yet unpublished book, this is how Suniti Namjoshi sets down the charter for her mission of storytelling, a charter she has already adhered viscously to in five books of her Aditi series for children. Namjoshi’s stories strive, above all else, to maintain the balance outlined by Aditi’s grandmother between levity and learning. This is not always easy to maintain; the tightrope grows slippery very rapidly, and the drop is precipitous. Namjoshi has been nimble enough to stay on the rope thus far, even if this singular focus has demanded occasional compromises in creativity. Namjoshi introduces her core characters in Aditi and the One-Eyed Monkey (2000), a story she originally wrote for a niece. Acting in classic draconian vein, a dragon threatens to terrorize a kingdom unless its rulers send him their granddaughter