From Nobody to Somebody – My Journey of Becoming Me

I was born into a traditional Hindu family and married young, like many girls around me. Life was moving, but I wasn’t sure where I was going. I did not have a roadmap, a grand dream, or even clarity about what I truly wanted to become. All I had was a quiet longing inside — a longing to become someone.

I joined a book design studio as an intern, unsure of myself, unsure of my path. Some days, I would simply get ready, pack my lunch, go to the office, sit at my desk…and wonder, “What am I meant to do?” Should I design? Should I illustrate? Should I write? Or simply be a team manager? I kept searching for that one thing that would connect with my soul.

And then, one fine day… it CLICKED.

Like a gentle beacon of light, clarity slowly found me. I began reading editors’ comments, understanding layouts, learning nuances of children’s publishing. I started writing. I started noticing details, errors, mismatches… and one day I realised — this wasn’t just work anymore. This was my calling.

I stepped into writing professionally. I grew into editing. I worked with leading publishing houses like Pearson Education, India. And today, 18 years later, I proudly stand as a woman who writes, edits, designs, manages, and produces children’s books under my own company: Noisy Nest Books.

This journey has not merely been professional. It has been deeply emotional. I pour my heart into every book I create. I observe how children think, feel, imagine, question, and dream, and I strive to bring that innocence, curiosity, and wonder into every page.

At home, I’m sometimes funny, sometimes emotional, often child-like (as my teenage daughter loves to remind me!). But I believe, what is life if we lose the child within us? That little spark of joy, imagination, mischief and magic lives in me still, and it reflects in every book I create.

From not knowing who I was, to becoming a woman who shapes stories, ideas, emotions, and dreams for young readers, my journey has truly been an adventure.

And I’m still becoming.

— Pooja