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COORG-BORN TEENAGER ATIRA CHENDIRA PUBLISHES HER DEBUT NOVEL ‘THE AGE OF ALMOST’

By P.T. Bopanna

Coorg-born 13-year-old Atira Chendira (in picture), has published her debut novel The Age of Almost.  Atira believes that stories have the power to connect people and inspire empathy.

She is the grand-daughter of my friends Wg Cdr Chendira Appanna and Sumitha, who were long-time residents of Shanthinagar, Bengaluru, now relocated to Gonikoppal in Kodagu. Atira is the daughter of their son Nanjappa and Kinara.

Atira grew up surrounded by books that sparked her imagination and encouraged her to explore different perspectives. Her love for storytelling eventually led her to create her own worlds and characters, inspired by the emotions, challenges, and experiences of everyday life.

The Age of Almost is her debut novel, written with the hope of capturing the complexities of adolescence and reminding readers that growth is rarely a straight path. Through her writing, she aims to create stories that are honest, relatable and meaningful for readers of all ages.

When she isn’t writing, Atira enjoys reading, playing basketball and tennis, sketching, and finding inspiration in the people and stories around her.

What happens when childhood ends—but adulthood hasn’t begun? The Age of Almost is a compelling coming-of-age story about the years when everything changes, yet nothing feels certain. Through Ravi and Elina, we journey from age ten to seventeen as they navigate changing friendships, family expectations, academic pressure, identity, self-doubt, first love, heartbreak and the search for belonging.

Their journey is messy, funny, emotional and deeply relatable. At its heart, this is a story about growing up—not becoming perfect, but discovering who you are, one friendship, one mistake, one dream and one “almost” at a time.

The book is available on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.in/Age-Almost-Atira-Chendira/dp/9394094121?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&psc=1&smid=A1K1HTDGE7KRAH