Testimonials

As Writer

I enjoyed working with Mallika on the Pop! Lit for Kids adaptation of Ramayana. She was a good and careful listener, taking note of all the requirements of the project, and she worked efficiently to meet the deadlines, and in fact, to submit the manuscript early.

Mallika’s writing was lively and engaging for children. It was clear that she had done a lot of research, and this allowed her to write with flair and confidence. I would heartily recommend Mallika as a writer for children’s stories.

                                      Ruth Wan, Publisher, World Scientific Publishing

 

One of the perks of editing is that, once in awhile, you come across writers who write with imagination, vividness and clarity. Mallika Naguran is one such writer. Her prose reminds me of a bottle of fine wine: direct and full-bodied yet mellow on the palate, leaving a pleasant aftertaste. You want more. Not to mention the chance to work with a personable, honest, dedicated, charming person.

Roger Hiew, Editor, World Scientific Publishing
 
The Ramayana: Quest to Rescue Sita by Mallika Naguran is a fun take on the story of the Ramayana and the rescue of Sita, and the illustrations are very beautiful. Not only is it a fun book to read, you can come across many facts, morals along the way until the end. I recommend this book to child-adults wanting to learn about the story of the Ramayana epic.
                                                                       Sarviny Dinesh, 13, Hobart, Tasmania
 

I like the story as it has a lot of fantasy, which I did not expect, and comedy. The conversation between the characters was humorous. My favourite characters are Hanuman and Rama. I like the bigger-coloured words too. They are easier to read and understand.

                                                                                    Karish Titus, 7, Singapore

 

I read your book yesterday and imagined myself as a child who knew something about the legend. It certainly brings it alive with the colourful characters and illustrations. A fine achievement.

                                               Lynne Beck, Art Educator, Hobart, Tasmania

 

As Editor

Mallika was my editor at World Scientific Singapore for Perils on Earth, the second book in my English adaptation of Journey to the West for children aged 7 to 10. She was wonderful to work with and was endlessly enthusiastic and encouraging. She gave me lots of insightful input to improve my manuscript, such as suggestions to better contextualise the story for young readers or to make the narrative flow better. She gave her input with confidence, while still being open to discussions and counter-suggestions. I learnt a lot from her and it was an enjoyable experience as well!

                                  Low Ying Ping, Author of Journey to the West series (World Scientific Education)

I had earlier met Mallika Naguran at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content in 2017. Later, she became my editor for a  book adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, published by World Scientific Singapore.  As an editor, Mallika Naguran gave me lots of invaluable guidance on how the chapters should look like. She owned the manuscript as much as I did.

                          Pauline Loh, Author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms (World Scientific Education)

As Instructor

I feel privileged to have Mallika as our instructor as she has deep and passionate experience of writing and publishing in a pressing issue of sustainability, tourism and environmental safety in Singapore and global scale. Mallika has so many stories to inspire us. Probably, we could explore her immense experience of work and interest in the coming days. I would describe her as an asset to all the global community who have common interest of safeguarding the environment and inspiring people toward common welfare.

Shekhar KC, PhD Candidate, University of Tasmania
 
As Storyteller

The storytelling session held by Mallika Naguran (at the Foodstore, 14 November 2021, South Hobart) based on her book Ramayana: Quest to Rescue Sita was very good. My 4.5-year-old daughter thoroughly enjoyed it. The musical pieces (tabla) during the storytelling were fantastic and helped to create the atmosphere! Not only kids but we as parents enjoyed the session and actually visualised the scenes. It’s a commendable effort to introduce kids to their cultural roots in a fun way. 

After coming home, my daughter sat down with the book and told us the story as per her version and I think that’s the biggest success of this session! The rangoli activity for kids after the session was a bonus.

                                                                 Amruta Nene, mother, Hobart, Tasmania
 

On 14 July 2023, I had the pleasure of organising a Pub to Park Storytelling event with Mallika Naguran.  Mallika had recently moved to the area and offered her storytelling session at our local community house. 

 

She had given me a copy of her book ‘She Never Looks Quite Back’ and I loved the short stories she has written.  A couple of them really evoked some past memories for me from travels gone by in my youth.  Not only were the stories thought provoking and well written, but Mallika’s’ ability to capture the groups attention when reading one of her stories was great.  This created a lot of robust discussion and great feedback from the local group. 

 

I’m looking forward to the next Pub to Park session from Mallika.  Thanks for the opportunity to share your talent with our community.

Tracey Turale, Health Promotion Coordinator, Tasmanian Health Service