Heena Singhal

Heena Singhal has lived her life in the world of imagination, having faith in the magnificent power of stories. While she is a chartered accountant by education, Singhal dons many hats: a painter, children's book writer and illustrator, poet, novelist, and most of all, as it defines her the best—a storyteller. Her first novel, Songs of the Reed, has been an Amazon bestseller and also won the coveted Crowns of Delhi Award for Best Debutant Novelist. Songs of the Reed has taken intelligentsia and book lovers across the world by storm. Songs of the Reed is a lavishly narrated saga, sewn with the intricacies of love and emotions. It takes us to the time in the valley of Kashmir and its aftermath on people who survived the war. Atmospheric as a book can be, it lets the reader breathe in the chaos and energy of New Delhi and sing with the melodious rivers and romantic forts of Spain, all at once. The story is inspired by the poem of the same name by Rumi, the very legendary Persian poet of all time. Singhal is a strong advocate of women and children's rights, especially their right to freedom and education. She ensured that her book not only tells a riveting tale but plays its role in the social cause for which she strongly feels. Once her book was accepted and profoundly loved, she found her ultimate catharsis and collaborated with the Delhi Council for Child Welfare, an organization that takes care of lost and abandoned children. The royalties from the sale of electronic copies of Songs of the Reed will be used for the care of the children through DCCW. "Representation is the way to normalize every human existence and what is a better representation than in art and literature—especially in children's books." believes the author who paints copiously and shares half of the sale proceeds from her paintings for the betterment of society through various NGOs that work for the survivors of societal atrocities. Singhal's deep-rooted belief in feminism and inclusion is also reflected in her writing, and motherhood has become a central theme as well as inspiration for her, given that she wrote the book, which took her five years to complete, while raising her two daughters. Finding beauty in pain, optimism in melancholy, and grace in agony is the quest of this Delhi-based chartered accountant-turned-writer. Her book, Songs of the Reed, is available on Amazon and you can also read an e-copy on Kindle and support the lives of abandoned children. You can also buy her paintings and support a cause you feel for. Connect with her on her Instagram handle @pages_pen_heena or her website, www.heenasinghal.com.